Local Connecticut Resources for Teaching Civics and Government

Civics First is a private, non-profit association that promotes and conducts law-related education programs and projects in Connecticut's public and private schools, courtrooms and communities. Its goal is the incorporation of citizenship education into the curriculum of all schools, from kindergarten through high school. Civics First organizes statewide competitions for middle and high school students including mock trial, debate and We the People programs. These competitions provide excellent opportunities for students to engage in inquiry based research.

This resource guide provides information on volunteering, donating, learning about public issues, voting, and a host of other civic engagement opportunities in Connecticut.

The CBA's Civics Education programs help give students throughout Connecticut a better insight into the United States legal system. These Civics Education Programs can help supplement your curriculum and bring the world of civics to life for students.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities worked with the University of Connecticut’s Institute of Public Service to revise and expand Local Government in Connecticut, a book written for high school students and published in 1992. The second edition was published in 2001.

Written by Frank B. Connelly, a former Connecticut town manager with over 20 years experience, the book’s 18 chapters review Connecticut’s basic forms of local government and their many variants; examines the purpose and inner workings of local government, including management, finance and budgeting, operations, planning and zoning; discusses the role of elected officials and political parties; and provides information on careers in local government.

Each chapter includes practical examples and recommendations for class projects and individual assignments. An appendix provides website addresses and a bibliography to encourage further study.

Connecticut’s Old State House has as its mission to reawaken citizen engagement and awareness by offering authentic, educational and inspiring visitor experiences. The Old State House offers a wide variety of history and law related field trip programs for teachers and students.

The Connecticut State Department of Education provides an online version of the Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Frameworks. The Frameworks, based on the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework, identifies four main disciplines in the social studies: History, Civics, Geography and Economics. Throughout the suggested K-12 content, the document suggests that all four disciplines be taught in every grade and provides suggestions for including civics throughout the K-12 school experience.

The office of the Secretary of the State provides a wealth of information for all social studies teachers. In addition to voter, election and candidate information, the website includes the Connecticut Civic Health Index.

The website includes resources such as “It’s Your Right – Why Voting Matters”, a voting rights unit for high school civics and a number of interesting Civic Engagement Initiatives including a video competition, poster contest, essay contest and citizenship awards.

Additionally, The Secretary of the State’s Connecticut Election Project 2012 provides online materials and resources to teachers on the electoral process and voting with integrated language arts, math, and social studies cross-content.