Gather and evaluate any and all course materials required by your district or state. These materials likely include required textbooks, workbooks, syllabi, unit and lesson plans, all aligned with your home state's social studies educational objectives. For example, in Pennsylvania, public schools teach the structure and economics of governing programs in ninth grade using curriculum that aligns with Glencoe's textbook "Civics Today."
Identify supplementary reading and viewing materials that can help support and develop the ideas addressed in your required materials. Walter Parker, author of "Teaching Democracy," recommends materials such as short videos, songs and posters that provide a relatively easy way to engage complex topics in a civics and government class. For example, in a lesson about government bureaucracy, Schoolhouse Rock's song "How a Bill Becomes a Law" provides an easy-to-follow and enjoyable explanation of the government process of forming a bill and all those involved in that process.
Contact individuals and organizations that might add beneficial firsthand knowledge about civics, government processes and the economics of government. The idea of firsthand, expert testimony follows Howard Zinn's acclaimed work "A People's History of the United States." For example, in addressing the role and importance of taxes in the government's operation, you might contact your local tax collector or even a local IRS agent.
Locate potential sites for exploratory and informative field trips related to civics and government economics. These places can include national institutions like the Pentagon or Capitol building in Washington, DC, or local governing institutions like the Post Office, City Hall or school board meeting.
Scaffold and introduce your lessons such that you introduce basic concepts and build upon those concepts. For example, in addressing how government money is divvied up to various social programs, you might start by introducing the relatively simple and familiar idea of family budgeting (identifying family needs and wants, identifying incoming funds, dividing funds fairly and so on) as a way of transitioning into the complex examination of how government funds are divided up among the thousands of government programs.
Present your experts and testimony throughout the course, so as to supplement your course material as well as break up the types of activities. For example, after requiring your students to read a chapter on how bills receive funding, you might ask your local state representative to visit the classroom and explain his role in lobbying for legislation and legislative funding.
Schedule time for students to reflect upon a lesson and unit's information at the end of each day, week and unit. This type of informal assessment not only gives students and opportunity to think back on a lesson's or unit's material, but it also allows you to see what material stuck, and what might require more coverage.
Assess students using a variety of assessment types, from essays to tests to presentations. In "Social Studies That Sticks," Laurel Schmidt makes the case that information covered in social studies classes (civics, government, economics) needs to be understood by students as being active and applicable information in a larger context. By requiring students to recall and use the information in a variety of assessment forms, you can ensure that more of that information is retained.