Linguistic, literary and civic education

the contribution of literature to foster a conscious citizenship

Abstract

The paper explores the intersections of linguistic education, literary education and civic education. The first part of the paper is therefore aimed at clarifying areas of interest of these disciplines and their interconnections. Citizenship education is examined at European level, and then in its implementation within Italian schools. In Italy, Law n. 92/2019 has defined specific norms as far as civic education is concerned, underlining that civic education is a cross-curricular subject. The Guidelines published in 2024 provide operational and methodological indications, highlighting the preference and the importance of collaborative methodologies. In this regard, the paper focuses on the main features of cooperative learning. Finally, an operational proposal is offered, based on La Nuvola di Smog, by Italo Calvino. The story was chosen because it enables students to work closely on the narrative while reflecting both on environmental issues and on relational issues.