Friday, August 9, 2013

Dream of a Nation


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A Powerful Free Resource for Teachers and Professors

Dream of a Nation reaches across political party lines and religious beliefs and focuses on what we have in common, what is possible.It is comprised of a book and an initiative, with special focus on providing educators with hands-on, standards based, spot on lesson modules. Essays, video clips, and guides are designed to flip the switch from toe-dipper to full-on, change-the-world citizens.

The book’s 12 chapters explores contemporary problems, new ideas, and successful models. Its stellar collection of essays and illustrations are authored by more than 60 individuals and organizations, such as YES! Magazine, Veterans for Peace, and Green for All.
Dream of a Nation is proud to create and offer an array of free, downloadable materials for educators, including:

  • Dream of a Nation bookDream of a Nation Book Cover
    The book’s 12 chapters explores contemporary problems, new ideas, and successful models. Over 60 individuals and organizations, including YES! Magazine, Veterans for Peace, and Green for All, authored this stellar collection of essays and illustrations.
    You may download the book in its entirety or individual chapters here
  • Lesson Modules and Chapter Questions
    Four lesson modules with 18 lesson plans take your students from becoming issue experts to being active in their communities. In addition, robust questions for each chapter of the book are offered. Your students will debate, connect problems with solutions, discover opposing points of view, and hatch their own plans to take action on the issues they care about. No sitting on the sidelines, here!
  • Solutions Gallery
    For each of the 12 overarching issues (chapters), at least four related issues are identified and explored. Essays authored by partner organizations about their efforts to address the challenge help connect your student with the real world. “What If?” and “What Can I Do?” questions deepen understanding and inspire students to action. Explore solutions here.
  • Learning Standards Alignment
    Dream of a Nation isn’t a textbook. It focuses on real-world examples and content to support goals and standards that students are required to master, and teachers are required to teach.

    The book and all curriculum materials align with Common Core Standards, National Council for the Social Studies Curriculum Standards, as well as standards requirements as described by state education agencies. Visit standards alignment here

Additional Resources

Educators :: Home page for entire collection of free, downloadable curriculum resources.

Secondary Education Portal ::  Access to all downloads, forums, blogs, and action center.

Higher Education Portal ::  Access to downloads, forums, blogs, and action center.

To access the portals, you will need to register with Dream of a Nation. Sign-up is free, and please be assured that your email will not be shared.

The Book

With over 400 pages of material that makes complex issues graspable, Dream of a Nation is a tool that will inform and engage. Download whole chapters or individual essays below:

Foreword by Paul Hawken Introduction by Tyson Miller A Poem by Noesha Hampton

Download all front matter from the book including the table of contents and all of the above.

Good Government Chapter
Good Government icon Toward a Living Democracy
Good Government icon Redefining Security for Strong Communities and a Safer World
Good Government icon Getting Money Out of Politics: Putting the Public First
Good Government icon Citizens Strengthening Democracy
Good Government icon Innovation in Government
Good Government icon Bridging the Political Divide

Citizen Stewardship Chapter
Citizen Stewardship icon Unified in Stewardship
Citizen Stewardship icon Staying Within Our Limits
Citizen Stewardship icon Living Lighter
Citizen Stewardship icon Citizens Shaping Their World
Citizen Stewardship icon Helping Others: Finding the Will and the Way
Citizen Stewardship icon The Power of Young People to Change the World

Economy Chapter
Economy icon Lighting the Way to a New Economy
Economy icon Building a “We” Economy
Economy icon Moving the Green Jobs Movement Forward
Economy icon Make It in America
Economy icon Real World Models for Creating Stability
Economy icon Switching Taxes to Get America Working

Media Chapter
Media icon Media: A Tool for Strengthening Democracy
Media icon Making Coverage Count
Media icon Focusing on Solutions
Media icon Citizen Empowerment Through Journalism

Education Chapter
Education icon Seeing Education in a New Light
Education icon Fair School Funding and Equal Opportunities
Education icon Educating for a Sustainable Future
Education icon A School and Community Strategy for the 21st Century
Education icon Making Education Work for All Students

Re-Powering America Chapter
Re-Powering America icon 100 Percent Carbon-Free Electricity Within 10 Years
Re-Powering America icon Building a Conservation Nation
Re-Powering America icon A U-Turn on Transportation
Re-Powering America icon A Green Energy Future Without Expanding Nuclear
Re-Powering America icon A Blueprint for a Clean-Energy Economy

Improving Health Chapter
Health icon Key Steps for a Healthy Nation
Health icon Strengthening the Food & Health Connection
Health icon Avoiding the Dangers of Toxic Exposure
Health icon Tackling the Profit Problem in Healthcare

Ending Poverty Chapter
Poverty icon Ending Poverty in America
Poverty icon Ending Homelessness: A Dream with a Plan
Poverty icon 0.7% of Wealth: A Small Price to End Global Extreme Poverty
Poverty icon Building Prosperity from the Ground Up

Re-Imagining Business Chapter
Re-imagining Business icon The Next Frontier of Business
Re-imagining Business icon Supplying the Demand for a Livable Planet
Re-imagining Business icon The Rise of the Conscientious Consumer

Strengthening Communities Chapter
Communities icon Transforming Urban Injustice into Beauty and Empowerment
Communities icon Creating Food Security, Improving Health, Creating Community
Communities icon The Next Generation of Family Farming
Communities icon Supporting a Green Future in Native American Communities
Communities icon Envisioning an Inclusive World
Communities icon Immigrants in America: Common Values, Common Dreams
Communities icon Reforming Prisons, Saving Billions, Creating Opportunity

Waging Peace Chapter
Waging Peace icon War and Ending It
Waging Peace icon Reallocating Military Spending, Taking Care of Soldiers and Increasing National Security
Waging Peace icon Creating a World Without Nuclear Weapons
Waging Peace icon Establishing a US Department of Peace

A Nation That Shines Chapter
Nation that Shines icon Dreaming the Future Can Create the Future
Nation that Shines icon Everyone a Changemaker
Nation that Shines icon Realizing our Roots and the Power of Interconnectedness
Nation that Shines icon Painting Hope in the World

Closing by Alice Walker

Download acknowledgments, endnotes and index here.

Source: http://dreamofanation.org/educators/the-book/