The four-part series, CONSTITUTION USA, premieres May 7 at 9 p.m. EDT

May 3, 2013

• Using the Deliberating in a Democracy Lesson “Should we lower our voting age to 16?” learn how to build your students’ skills for meaningful discourse and informed participation in our representative democracy. Compare voting age policy in the United States with other countries.  
• Learn how to effectively blend Minnesota’s social studies and English Language Arts standards using high quality primary and secondary sources.

COST
No Charge! Includes dinner and materials!
MUST PRE-REGISTER!

LOCATION
Minnesota Humanities Center
987 East Ivy Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55106

Eligibility: All U.S. students grades 9 through 12. Group and individual entries welcome. 

Entry Deadline: April 1, 2013

Recognition and Awards: Four prizes will be awarded. Runners-up for both the individual and team categories will receive prizes with a value not to exceed $250 and winners for both the individual and team categories will receive prizes with a value not to exceed $750 in addition to a party hosted by the ABA YLD in the winners’ hometowns.

If you are interested in learning more about the sessions and registering for 
the Congress in the Classroom 2013 workshop, you can complete an online 
registration form found at: 
http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm

MORE INFORMATION

The workshop will feature a variety of sessions related to the U.S. Congress. 
Presenters will emphasize ideas and resources that teachers can use almost 
immediately in their classrooms--examples include sessions about Internet 
sites, online historical resources, simulations, and best classroom practices. 

Sessions for 2013 are listed below. Information about the content of each 
session will be posted on our Web site as it becomes available. 

Throughout the program, you will work with subject matter experts as well as 
colleagues from across the nation. This combination of firsthand knowledge and 
peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas, materials, and a 
professionally enriching experience. 

"Until now so much of what I did in my class on Congress was straight 
theory-this is what the Constitution says, "noted one of our teachers." Now I 
can use these activities and illustrations to help get my students involved in 
the class and at the very least their community but hopefully in the federal 
government. This workshop has given me a way to help them see how relevant my 
class is and what they can do to help make changes in society." 

The 2013 workshop will begin Monday afternoon, July 29, and end at noon on 
Thursday, August 1. All sessions will take place at the headquarters hotel, 
Embassy Suites and Conference Center -- 
http://www.embassysuiteseastpeoria.com/home.aspx -- East Peoria, IL. 

The program is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education for up to 22 
Continuing Education Units. The program also is endorsed by the National 
Council for the Social Studies. 

Participants are responsible for (1) a non-refundable $135 registration fee 
(required to confirm acceptance after notice of selection) and (2) 
transportation to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will pay all 
or a portion of these costs. 

The Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel (providing a 
single room for each participant), workshop materials, local transportation, 
all meals, and presenter honoraria and expenses. 

The Center spends between $40,000 and $45,000 to host the program each year. 

What follows are the sessions planned for the 2013 edition of Congress in the 
Classroom. Please re-visit the site for changes as the program develops. 

Session Titles, 2013: 

In addition to the sessions below, additional sessions will be listed as 
speakers are confirmed. 

* "Congressional Insight: A Simulation" 

With Congressional Insight, you experience the high-pressure, uncompromising 
environment in which legislators must operate. With increasingly tight 
deadlines imposed by the simulation, you are part of a team that must decide 
which bills to support, which committee posts to seek, how much time to devote 
to fund-raising, and what tradeoffs to make amidst constituent, party, 
special-interest, and media pressures. The quality of your choices will be 
tested in a re-election campaign. 

* "The Four "Ps" of Congress" Frank H. Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional 
Center 

Mackaman will suggest a way to present information about Congress organized 
around four themes. These themes serve (somewhat loosely) as the structure for 
the Congress in the Classroom 2013 workshop. 

* "Ten Things to Know About the 113th Congress" -- Frank H. Mackaman, The 
Dirksen Congressional Center 

What are the essential factors to know about the new Congress? This session 
will highlight ten of them ranging from membership and organizational 
characteristics to political dynamics and the issue agenda. 

* "Teaching with Primary Sources" -- Cindy Rich, Teaching with Primary 
Sources, Eastern Illinois University 

The Library of Congress's Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program works 
with an educational consortium of schools, universities, libraries, and 
foundations to help teachers use the Library’s vast collection of digitized 
primary sources to enrich their classroom instruction. Schools that have 
participated in the program know that it encourages educators to embed primary 
sources into curriculum through all disciplines and grade levels to build a 
foundation of knowledge, enhance understanding, increase comprehension, and 
develop multimedia/information literacy skills. 

* "Thomas.gov Reinvented as Congress.gov" -- Cindy Rich, Teaching with Primary 
Sources, Eastern Illinois University 

Learn about the features of the new Web site, Congress.gov, and explore 
classroom applications. 

* "Fantasy Congress: Adapting Fantasy Football to the People’s Branch" -- 
Jennifer Hora, Department of Political Science, Valparaiso University 

Imagine how engaged your students might be if they learned about Congress 
through the use of a drafting game similar to Fantasy Football. Hora has 
developed such an approach and finds that it encourages discussion, ownership, 
and laughter in a curriculum focused on Congress. 

* "What Do Political Cartoons Tell Us About Congress?" 

This session will introduce two Web-based resources for teaching about Congress 
using political cartoons. 

* "Help for Teachers from the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of 
Representatives" Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives 

This presentation will focus on the educational resources available through the 
Historian’s new web site. They include information about the House, Congress 
members, exhibitions and publications, historical collections, an oral history 
program, and educational materials. 

* "A View of Congress from the White House: What the Presidential Tapes Reveal" 
-- KC Johnson, Department of History, Brooklyn College 

Using samples from Lyndon Johnson presidential recordings, KC Johnson will 
demonstrate the nature of congressional-executive relations in the 1960s. The 
recordings give a behind-the-scenes sense of how Congress works on public 
policy issues that’s unusual in its richness. 

* "Congress at Work: Going to the Source Documents" -- Christine Blackerby, 
Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives and Records Administration 

Teach your students how laws are made by using records actually created by 
Congress while laws were made. Facsimiles of historical congressional records 
are used to illustrate each step in the legislative process. Participants 
investigate and appraise each document to determine what action is happening 
and where in the legislative process that action occurs. This classroom-ready 
lesson is set up as a game. 

* "The YouTube Congressional Campaign" 

The "Vote Travis Irvine for Congress" campaign offers teachers the opportunity 
to illustrate the challenges and foibles of congressional campaigning. 

* "The Congressional Timeline, 1933-2013" 

The Center’s Web-based timeline arrays more than 550 of the nation's laws on a 
timeline beginning in 1933 and continuing to the present. A second timeline 
"band" depicts major political events of the period as a way to provide context 
for Congress's law-making. The project also includes lesson plans. 

* "A Modern-Day 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'" 

Many teachers use the famed "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" starring Jean Arthur 
and James Stewart. For all its relevance nearly 75 years after debuting, is 
there a modern treatment of the same themes that might have more impact on your 
students? Yes. And you will view it in this session, with a follow-up 
discussion. 

* "Off Beat Ways to Introduce Congress to Students" 

You don’t have to introduce Congress with, "The United States Congress is the 
bicameral legislature of the federal government . . . ." as some teachers 
undoubtedly do and Wikipedia actually does. Instead, experiment with these 
video clips to bring some fun to the subject. 

* "Insider Resources for the Congress Member" 

Learn about two organizations which provide advice to Congress members and how 
you can use their resources in your classrooms. 

* "Listen Up Legislators: How to Get Your Point Across" -- Stephanie Vance, the 
Advocacy Guru, Washington DC 

How do you break through the "noise" to communicate with a member of Congress? 
Vance has the answers. She advises clients on how to reach Congress people 
effectively by understanding how congressional offices function and process 
information. Heads up - one of you will have a role in "Worst Congressional 
Meeting in the World!" 

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site -- 
http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm -- to see 
what participants say about the program.

Join us in celebrating the Bill of Rights with the 4th Annual First Amendment Cartoon Contest.

The contest is open to students nationwide—high school, middle school, and elementary school. Encourage students to exercise their creativity by entering the First Amendment Cartoon Contest.

Six winners will each receive a $50* gift card. In addition, up to five entries will receive honorable mentions. Winners and honorable mentions will be announced on Law Day, May 1, 2013, and posted at http://www.courtsed.org.

Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2013.

For more information and the contest rules/entry form, go to: http://www.courtsed.org/cartoon_contest.htm

Sponsored by:Judicial Council of California-Administrative Office of the Courts, Constitutional Rights Foundation, and California State PTA

*Prize money is provided by Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Administration of Justice Fund.

Funding of $2,000 will be provided for middle and high school teachers to participate in the program, which is held in conjunction with the Midwest Political Science Association’s Annual Meeting, April 11-14, 2013, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, IL (www.mpsanet.org)  Travel costs and stipend are part of the $2,000. The purposes of the MPSA are to promote the professional study and teaching of political science, to facilitate communications between those engaged in such study, and to develop standards for and encourage research in theoretical and practical political problems.

The Motivating Politics Program is developing a number of experiments and demonstrations in ways that are accessible to and appeal to middle and high-school students. The foci of the activities illuminate core theoretical concepts in political science, properly understood, rather than on civics. The experiments and demonstrations allow active participation by all students.

The five primary activities developed and presented are:

[1] Voting cycles. (Students are assigned preferences over dessert items. The agenda setter (a teacher) will lead students through three series of pair-wise, majority votes. Each voting sequence will generate a different majority winner.)

[2] Tyranny of the majority/”democracy” versus “majoritarianism.” (In round 1, students will be assigned to teams, and vote on a “tax” and distribution scheme. Discussion follows whether the proposed scheme is fair or unfair. In round 2, one student from the majority group will be assigned the role of judge, with a charge to strike down “unfair” allocations. Discussion can follow whether the student strikes down an unfair proposal or sustains it.)

[3] Collective action. Students pick numbers from a jar, dividing them into one of the two groups: Developed and Developed. Developed countries will each get 10 candies. Developing countries will each get one candy. Tell the students they next must decide on the number of candies and put them to a common pot that will be used to produce clean air (this could be done secretly, openly, or sequentially, which will produce somewhat different outcomes). They are told that if a certain level of candies are not in the common pot (say, 40 candies), then there is no clean air and the teacher will take away 5 candies from developed countries and 1 candy from developing country. If the common pot ends up having 40 candies, then developed countries get 5 more candies and developing countries get 1 more candy. End result: Students will be able to see the benefit of cooperation, while seeing the difficulty of collective action.

[4] Information aggregation in voting. Students will vote whether the number of marbles in several jars are higher or lower than a given number for each jar. The majority choice will be right in greater proportion than the proportion of individual votes.

[5] Cheap talk and “efficient waste.” Two leaders will engage in a round of cheap talk over who wants a trinket more than the others. Students will vote over who they think wanted the trinket more. The two leaders will engage in a second round. One of the leaders will generate a costly signal (e.g., tearing up a $10 bill). Students will vote again and discuss.

In addition to attending the Motivating Politics panel, participants will have a demonstration of OPOSSEM, the Online Portal for Social Science Education in Methodology, which is an online community and repository for sharing of various resources for teaching social science research methods among educators in secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate settings. It is our hope that participants will share materials on the site that they may have or develop as a result of participation. There will be a group dinner for networking during the conference as well.

Interested applicants should send an email explaining their interest and background to Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier, Steffensmeier.2@osu.edu, by January 15, 2013. Decisions will be announced around January 31, 2013. We expect teachers from social studies and mathematics to be particularly interested, but teachers from any subject are welcome to apply for funding. There is funding for 15 participants. More are welcome to attend, but there is a limit of 15 funded participants.

Questions? Please contact:

Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier
Department of Political Science
Ohio State University
2140 Derby Hall, 154 N. Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210-1373
614 975 5812
Steffensmeier.2@osu.edu

• PBS NewsHour includes student handouts and online electoral college interactive map.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/socialstudies/Vote2004/electoral_college.html

• From iCivics: Students will learn the distinctions between the popular vote and the Electoral College, and exercise their critical reasoning skills to analyze the differences between the presidential and congressional elections.

http://teachingcivics.org/lesson/the-electoral-process/

http://www.icivics.org/teachers/lesson-plans/electoral-process

Minnesota Marriage Amendment 

Minnesota Voter ID Amendment

New voter photo ID laws: Preventing fraud or discriminating?

Expanding Voting Rights

iCivics Voter Rights

Voter ID, Voting Requirements, and Vote Counting

From the US Department of Education :

At a White House event this past January, the Obama Administration released its Road Map for civic learning, “Advancing Civic Learning and Engagement in Democracy.”  The Road Map outlines nine steps ED is undertaking to increase civic learning and engagement across our country.

The Civic Learning and Engagement Initiative is requesting feedback from you on how ED should implement 4 of the 9 steps and define “civic learning and engagement”. We encourage educators, practitioners, students, researchers, and any other interested parties to submit thoughtful opinions, ideas, suggestions and comments. Please submit all comments by November 30^th to civiclearning@ed.gov or post them on directly on the blog.

We envision a nationwide commitment to preparing all students for citizenship as informed, engaged and responsible members of our society.

• Watching Presidential Debates Scorecard

• Watching Presidential Debates Bingo

• Additional Lessons

]]> http://teachingcivics.org/2012/10/03/looking-for-lessons-on-presidential-debates-and-elections/feed/ 0 http://teachingcivics.org/2012/09/08/celebrate-the-225th-birthday-of-the-u-s-constitution-at-brits-pub/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=celebrate-the-225th-birthday-of-the-u-s-constitution-at-brits-pub http://teachingcivics.org/2012/09/08/celebrate-the-225th-birthday-of-the-u-s-constitution-at-brits-pub/#comments Sat, 08 Sep 2012 02:31:50 +0000 Jennifer Bloom http://teachingcivics.org/?p=3758

This year’s question asks students to address the following question: Should the Minnesota Constitution be amended so that judges face retention elections instead of running against other judicial candidates? Students interested in participating must register by September 15 and submit their essays by January 15, 2013.  The competition is open to the first 150 students who register.   To learn more about the essay contest, visit the MSCHS website at:  www.mncourthistory.org

FactCheck.org: A nonpartisan, nonprofit project which monitors “…the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.”

270towin.com: This website educates its audience on the Electoral College system through the use of an interactive Electoral College map for 2012 and a history of Presidential elections in the United States.

The Living Room Candidate: Presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2008.

2012 Presidential Election – ProCon.org Researched non-partisan pro-con presentations of where US presidential candidates stand on issues.

Scholastic – Election 2012: Find informational articles, videos, maps and interactive games.

The Learning Network, Teaching & Learning With The New York Times: Election 2012: Teaching Ideas and Resources

Follow contributors and spending with political action committees.

ProPublica PAC Track: keep track of where super PACs are spending and raising their cash to influence the presidential race.

ABC News OTUS Site: Covers politics and elections “Of the United States”.

FEC: How the Electoral College Works

All About Redistricting: A comprehensive guide to the process of drawing electoral lines by Justin Levitt, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

American President: A Reference Resource: Expand your understanding of the presidency, policy, and political history.

PolitiFact Truth-o-Meter: Reporters and editors from the Tampa Bay Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups.

Constitutional Convention

DocsTeach: We the People

The Constitution at Work

Reforming American Government for the 21st Century

Constitutional Principles

Are the principles of the U.S. Constitution reflected in your school?

Madison’s Notes are Missing

Do I have a right?

Get up to date on the new civics and government standards, new teaching materials, Supreme Court decisions, Legislative actions, and expand your knowledge with a field trip to the Immigration Court and (just added) Department of Homeland Security at the  ”Update Institute” at the Minnesota Judicial Center. Join us for our annual “Lunch with the Judges.”

9:00-3:00
Room 230
Minnesota Judicial Center
St. Paul, Minnesota

LIMITED SCHOLARSHIPS REMAIN!

2012 Update Agenda (tentative)

Sponsors

• Learning Law and Democracy Foundation
•  Minnesota Judicial System
• Center for Social Studies Education, Minnesota History Center

This Institute is made possible in part with a Legacy Amendment-Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund-Civic Education grant from the Minnesota Humanities Center.

Registration Fee

Participants may register for one, two, or three days. Registration fee is $50 per day and includes parking pass, food, and materials. A limited number of full scholarships remain and will be provided at the completion of the institute. Must be registered and prepaid to receive scholarship.  For information, contact jbloom@teachingcivics.org.

Registration Form

Update 2012 Registration Form 

To pay with PayPal, first complete the registration form and then return here to select number of days below and click on Buy Now to go to PayPal’s secure site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfRaWAtBVg

http://www.streetlaw.org/en/Article.266.aspx

The Supreme Court of the United States began the 2011-12 Term on Monday, October 3.  Street Law, Inc. is celebrating the beginning of the new term with Supreme Court Week, featuring:

• Applications for the 2012 Supreme Court Summer Institute

http://www.streetlaw.org/en/Article.266.aspx

• Updated lessons and case studies
• A resource list including articles, videos, apps, and great web sites

http://www.streetlaw.org/en/Article.265.aspx

They’ve been on a losing streak in the lower courts.

From the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cases-lining-up-to-ask-supreme-court-to-clarify-second-amendment-rights/2011/08/11/gIQAioihFJ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_fedinsider

We the People/Update goes to Washington!

THE ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY AND
THE MEDIA IN A DEMOCRACY

Sunday, June 26 (starting around 5 pm) to
Wednesday, June 29 (ending around noon)

REGISTRATION FOR THIS WORKSHOP HAS CLOSED

Special Highlights!
Monday, June 27,

8:30-11:30            United States Supreme Court

We will be guests at the court, with reserved seating for the hand down of the important Supreme Court decisions, followed by a conversation in the Lawyers’ Lounge, tour, and (fingers crossed) a meeting with Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg. This exciting opportunity has been arranged by Amy Bergquist, former Minneapolis teacher, now clerk to Justice Ginsburg!

Tuesday, June 28,

9:00- 12:30 Newseum
Tour and interactive workshop, “Making Change: The First Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement”

7:00 pm                 Adam Liptak,
Supreme Court Correspondent for the New York Times

Wednesday, June 29

9:00
Docent-led tour of the Library of Congress

MORE AGENDA DETAILS COMING SOON!

Registration fee and Scholarship
A registration fee of $100 is required to reserve your spot. This fee includes the Washington Institute and the one-day August 3 Update Workshop. Participants will be given a $100 scholarship to cover the fee at the completion of the June Institute.

Housing
The Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill!
A great, convenient hotel, with a room rate of $179 per night, includes taxes!
http://washingtoncourthotel.com/

Once you have been notified that your registration has been accepted, you will receive housing instructions. To receive the reduced rate, you must make reservations by June 7, 2011.

Grant Support from the Center for Civic Education and the Education Minnesota Foundation
Participants will receive a minimum of $450 per person to help support airfare and hotel. This is in addition to the $100 scholarship to cover the registration fee provided by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Legacy Fund.

Follow Up Workshop
A one-day Update is being planned for August 3, 2011, 8:30-4:00, that will include our most popular Update features including case studies, legislative update, and lunch with the Judges!

There will be no additional costs for participants who attend the Washington Institute. To register for the  August workshop only, click here.

APPLY NOW!
Please complete the  form and pay the registration fee. Participants will be selected first come, first serve. For a limited time, $100 scholarships are available!

Planning Team
Joan Beaver
Filiz Yargici
Jennifer Bloom

REGISTRATION FOR THIS WORKSHOP HAS CLOSED.

ROOM REMAINS IN THE AUGUST 3 UPDATE WORKSHOP. Register here.

From the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/federal-tests-find-little-progress-in-civics-education/2011/05/03/AFHZdHnF_blog.html

You can view a sample of the questions for each grade here; http://nationsreportcard.gov/civics_2010/sample_quest.asp

This momentous event marks an end to one chapter in America’s continued struggle with international terrorism and is a fitting time for students across the country to reflect on the historical, contemporary, and legal issues related to the subject.

Now available from Constitutional Rights Foundation is a free, updated, and downloadable lesson titled “Islamist Terrorism: From 1945 to the Death of bin Laden.” The lesson provides a historical background of the development of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups set in the context of bin Laden’s life and death. Also included are a directed discussion and an interactive activity in which students weigh a variety of U.S. policy options.

Also available are additional resources on the site  America Responds to Terrorism . It contains 20 lessons and extensive research links on a range of topics related to the subject and appropriate for a variety of classrooms and courses.

Click to read the article

Click to take the quiz

Forty years ago, educators and students worked together to lower the voting age to 18. In doing so, they amended the Constitution and empowered millions of American citizens to have a say in our democracy. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the passage of the 26th Amendment, Rock the Vote – in partnership with the National Education Association (both members of the CMS Steering Committee) – is launching the first annual Democracy Day (democracyday.com ).

Starting on March 23rd and running through the end of the school year, educators across the country are celebrating Democracy Day in their classrooms with Rock the Vote’s Democracy Class program. Democracy Class is a 45-minute, non-partisan lesson plan geared towards high school students that teaches them the history of voting rights, walks them through the voter registration process, and engages them in a mock election.

And to add to the celebration, there is a contest for educators and students who participate to win prizes like iPod Touches, gift cards and concert tickets!

If you are interested in partnering with Rock the Vote  to bring Democracy Day to your schools please contact Chrissy Faessen 202-719-9941 or chrissy@rockthevote.com.  Educators can sign up at www.democracyday.com.

8:30-3:00

Minnesota State Capitol

Due to the anticipated special legislative session before July 1 and the election to the Minnesota Senate of Mary Jo McGuire, our lead faculty for this workshop, we are postponing this opportunity to late summer or early fall.  Sign up to “Get Connected” to receive updates.

Build your knowledge of the legislative process, public policy, and critical issues facing Minnesotans–and your classroom for the day is the Minnesota State Capitol!

Hear from legislators and experience their decision making processes. How do they prioritize, whom do they listen to? What role do special interest groups, political parties, constituents, and their personal conscience play in this process? What are the rules of the game? Zero in on current topics of interest to students. Engage in interactive strategies that teach about the legislative branch. Explore materials that will inspire your students to get involved in our democracy!

Free materials and Parking!

CEU credits available

$25 refundable registration fee (returned to you at the end of the day!)

email jbloom@teachingcivics.org for more information.

Mark A. Graber, “The Supreme Court Justices’ Guide to the Supreme Court”

http://umlaw.typepad.com/quoth/2010/09/the-supreme-court-justices-guide-to-the-supreme-court.html

This is an excerpt from a July 1997 CBS News Sunday Morning broadcast (the episode shown after it was announced that longtime host Charles Kuralt had died two days before). In this 1976 clip during the bicentennial, Kuralt briefly tells the story of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.