American Government for Children Video Series

K-Gr 4-Virtually every school and public library will want to purchase this series. It begins by answering the question, "What Is Government?," by explaining the reasons why people form governments. Various types of governments, such as monarchies and dictatorships, are discussed and contrasted with democracies. Other videos in the series give an overview of the three branches of our government, and the reasons for different levels of governance. Two videos concentrate on the history of the presidency and our American government. Teachers will especially welcome the video on citizenship which clearly explains the rights and responsibilities of American citizens. In each video, a group of young people split up to conduct research on the general topic. Considerable use is made of historical documents and tape. For example, in A History of the Presidency there are numerous clips of almost every president of the past century plus photos of presidents from our early history. Within the tapes are also short clips featuring current governmental figures, such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who comment on their role or the function of government. Technical quality is excellent, the young actors are ethnically diverse, and the narration is very clear and understandable. Even the youngest students will be able to comprehend the basics of government after watching these videos. In light of the events of 9-11, many schools are going to want to purchase teaching materials on citizenship and government, and this series is one of the best available.

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal. Used with permission.

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