Neumann University education majors in Social Studies Methods recognize the importance of preparing young children for citizenship. They know that children need to learn to be responsible citizens and to take an active/deliberate part in civic life.To this end, Neumann education majors partner with fourth grade students from Drexel Neumann Academy with the goal of promoting and integrating “civic responsibility” within the social studies curriculum. Neumann students and their instructor, Dr. Cynthia Ferraro, collaborate with Drexel Neumann Academy to research lessons and/or activities to integrate civic responsibility into existent and explicit social studies curriculum aligned with PA State/Core Standards.
As the semester-culminating experience for the Social Studies Methods students,twenty-one fourth graders from Drexel Neumann Academy visited Neumann University's Social Studies Methods class on Monday, November 28, to participate in the final unit presentations by the Neumann University students. The fourth graders experienced a lesson on hieroglyphics, fingerprinting, a Pennsylvania history scavenger hunt, a Jeopardy game with a concentration on the history of chocolate, a photo booth opportunity wearing an authentic fireman's outfit, a 50-state sing-a-long, and a 50-state Bingo game. As she does every year, Dr. Rosalie Mirenda provided every student with a gift. This year each student received a Neumann University lunch bag and a coloring book about St. Francis of Assisi.