Program Curriculum

Close Up complements classroom civic education by bringing it to life so students can experience the material first-hand. Our programs make extensive use of case studies, simulations, role-playing activities, and other demonstrations of the processes of government. 

In an effort to help students learn from each other and develop the dispositions essential for democratic self-government, our PIs use specially designed instructional materials to support the facilitation of student discussion, current issues, and peer-to-peer engagement in small–group work and simulations. 

Close Up helps students build skills of effective citizenship by presenting them with real-world problems of controversial public policy issues. Our PIs are trained to present these issues in a multipartisan manner, ensuring that students explore all sides of an issue before civilly debating and fairly evaluating that issue. 

Close Up’s program schedule is thoughtfully designed to ensure that each site visit builds upon previous activities and discussions. For example, before visiting Capitol Hill to meet with elected officials, students play the roles of representatives, committee chairpersons, and lobbyists in our Mock Congress, which provides them with direct knowledge of the structures and processes of Congress. 

The scaffolding of our program is thoughtfully organized to ensure that each component builds upon previous experiences. Students are asked to consider an overarching Question of the Week (What can young people do to take part in American democracy?) as well as a guiding Question of the Day (What actions can citizens take to participate in a democracy? What actions can citizens take to influence the government?).

At each memorial and museum, students are tasked with investigating the site to find quotes, images, and symbols that connect to central questions. For example, at the memorials to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students examine quotations and symbols to consider how people can influence the government and create change. 

Students take part in small-group discussions and thrilling large-group simulations about current controversies and historical tensions in U.S. government. For example, students take on the roles of representatives, committee chairpersons, and policy experts in our Mock Congress, during which they examine and vote on middle-school-appropriate versions of legislation moving through the House of Representatives and Senate.