Violence in America

The increased use of violence for political gain or religious reasons is a disturbing trend. To ensure the health and well-being of our young people, we must give them the tools to deal with the havoc they see around them and, in too many cases, experience. The widespread acceptance of violence as a means of solving problems must be challenged, and the tendency toward violent behavior among some segments in our society must be redirected to more constructive ends.

Violence in America discusses many of the violent strains in American society. It examines these strains in detail and gives students, parents, and teachers the information they need to combat these trends. Students learn to distinguish between genuine problems and incidents that media hype exaggerates into problems. This propensity of the media to magnify and embellish isolated violent incidents into widespread epidemics is discussed in detail. Using this information, young people can draw their own conclusions about dangers in our society.

About the Series:

Social Studies curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with background and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These materials encourage the development of thinking , reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.