Civics Education Through Literature

Ten years ago, “No Child Left Behind” left civics instruction behind as schools shifted their curriculums to focus on teaching to the test.  The effect on the judicial system has been particularly unsettling.  What should be simple legal rulings are being dragged onto the political stage.  When a politician or a political movement disagrees with a judge, they try to have the judge removed, whip the voting population into a frenzy, and exploit our lack of basic civics knowledge about the role of our justice system in society.

“Wainwright for the People” is a young adult book for ages 10 and up that teaches basic civics, with a focus on our judicial system, in the form of a legal thriller, accompanied by Student and Teacher Guides, made available as a free download under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. 

Gideon Wainwright is suspended from school when he takes the fall for pulling a fire alarm while breaking up a bully attack.  Forced to intern for his Assistant District Attorney mother while under suspension, Gideon is thrust into the middle of an investigation that seems just a little too close to his troubles at school.  Gideon’s adventure propels him through the justice system as he, and readers, learn the fundamental concepts behind the Bill of Rights and our legal system. 

Co-written by a former Assistant District Attorney (Joel) and a former high school English Teacher (Stacey), Wainwright for the People builds on the tradition of using literature to educate, in the same way To Kill a Mockingbird forced us to confront racism.  Joel regular speaks to middle schools on Law Day and Constitution Day about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our system of justice.  In need of a story to engage kids and provide a context in which learning can flourish, Joel sketched out the ideas for Wainwright based on his real life experiences as an A.D.A. in the Bronx.

The first three chapters of Wainwright for the People are already written. To read our sample in PDF format, click here (or for ePub format, click here).  

American Bar Association Publishing has agreed to publish the story of Wainwright for the People upon completion.  The manuscript is due in October of 2012.  By the end of this year the curriculum will be developed.  Publication is expected in March of 2013.  

Consistent with ABA Publishing’s practices, no advance has been offered.  In addition, because Wainwright for the People is way outside the ABA’s normal catalog of law books, marketing will largely be our responsibility.  ABA has encouraged our Kickstarter campaign and generously donated the ePub edition of Wainwright for a reward, but it will be through our own efforts that Wainwright will get into the hot little hands of student readers.   

Critically important to the success of Wainwright is the curriculum to accompany the story, and the website to serve as a resource to support the books and curriculum.  The curriculum is our responsibility to develop.  So is the website. Because we need to do this right, we have secured an adviser for the Wainwright curriculum, Dr. Michael J. Berson, Professor of Social Science Education at the University of South Florida, Department of Secondary Education.  Dr. Berson will help edit the curriculum, and provide feedback.  Dr. Berson will also help guide a board of advisers made up of civics and language arts teachers to be appointed.

A renewed focus on civics education provides demand for Wainwright for the People which will fit easily into middle school and capture students’ attention. Your support will help insure Wainwright for the People finds a place on middle school reading lists for years to come.