I Love Info Graphics!

Anytime we can help students visualize difficult concepts, we do them a huge favor.  That is why I love info graphics!  There are a couple different Web 2.0 tools that make it easy to create your own or just browse the creations of others...no need to reinvent the wheel right?!  The info graphic below is one that I found on Visual.ly.  Civics teacher here me now: there is tons of stuff on this site that you and your students will love!  Just check out the info graphic below is just one of many that a simple search yielded.  This site free to browse and create!  Another site that is free is Infogr.am.  This one is good for creating your own info graphics.  Check this stuff out...you will not regret the time spent!

Learn about data visualization software.

Why We the People?

Teaching the Constitution is tough!  There are so many interpretations of various aspects of the document that getting it to make sense to students is an art in itself.  It is important to remember that even when the Constitution was written there was much debate over what it all meant.  Take the most well known phrase as an example.  With three simple words - "We the People" - the Founders set forth a government like no other.  This government would be subservient of the people, and not the other way around.  At the time this simple idea was not even clear to everybody.  In Federalist 46, James Madison says, "The adversaries of the Constitution seem to have lost sight of the people altogether in their reasonings on this subject."  People were deeply concerned about a Constitution that created a strong national government, and made little mention of the power of state governments.  In response to Anti-Federalists Madison says, "They must be told that the ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the people alone; and that it will not depend merely on the comparative ambition or address of the different governments, whether either, or which of them, will be able to enlarge its sphere of jurisdiction at the expence of the other."

It is an important lesson for students to learn that even seemingly simple concepts in the Constitution were heavily debated and interpreted differently.  It is no different today.  It is ok for students to struggle with these concepts, because we still struggle with them as a nation.  As long as students talk about tough concepts, ask questions, and even question the system at times, "We the People" will be good to go.  Hopefully better off than Barney!

Visit Consource for more background on our founding document!

Election 2012 Apps

You've heard it..."There's an app for that"!  When it comes to apps for the 2012 election, there are several that I have found to wonderful tools that I have been using daily.  The best part is that they are all free.  Without further ado...

PollTracker

From Talking Points Memo, PollTracker boasts the most accurate and up-to-date polling numbers.  This wonderful app tracks all major polls and provides averages.  You can also delve into specific states, swing states, key voting demographics, and Congressional races.  It is very good for teaching the sway of public opinion as it correlates to events.  The app is very student friendly.

SuperPac App

Apps that listen to a song on the radio and link to iTunes or lyrics have become quite popular and robust.  SuperPac App takes the same technology to campaign commercials.  As an ad plays on TV simply hold the your devise up to the TV and the app will recognize the ad, and display the super pac who funded, fact checking data, and relevant web links.  Through the app, you also have access to a massive database of current campaign commercials from super pacs and the major political parties.

Voter Planet

Voter Planet is a great app for obtaining information about all congressional and presidential candidates.  Users can search by congressional district and ad candidates to "My Ballot". Included are links to political news and information on registering to vote.

FCPS Diversity Institute 2012

To those who attended my session at the Diversity Institute, thank you for attending!  The Diversity Institute allows teachers in FCPS the opportunity to learn new techniques to engage our academically diverse students.  Below you will find my presentation slides and the FCPS Insight video that was shown.  If you have any questions about implementing DBQs, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Enjoy your last week of summer!

Diversity Institute DBQ Presentation

Election 2012: Political Ideology (From Youth Leadership Initiative)

Younger students (even adults sometimes!) have a difficult time understanding the political ideology spectrum.  Liberal vs. conservative?  Left vs. right?  Huh?  Anyway, the best way I have found to teach this concept is to have students physically stand on a continuum.  The ideology survey I use comes from a Youth Leadership Initiative lesson plan entitled "Political Ideology Survey".  This lesson is a good start for getting students a basic understanding of ideology.  "Expanding the Ideological Spectrum" is another YLI lesson plan to go a bit deeper.  It include libertarian and totalitarian ideology.  Without further ado...

Step 1

Create signs that say weak liberal, strong liberal, moderate, weak conservative, and strong conservative.  Hang these on a long wall from left to right.  This works best in the hall!

Step 2

Instruct students to stand along the spectrum wherever they think they belong.  They should base this on prior knowledge.

Step 3 

Have students take the ideology survey from YLI.  Your job after they finish the survey is to provide the key as to whether each statement is a conservative or liberal statement.  For example...if a student says "Yes" to conservative statement, he/she has a conservative view on that issue.  If they say "No" to a conservative statement, they have a liberal view of the issue.  Students will add up all of the conservative and liberal statements to determine their ideology.  Use the following Key.

Step 4

Have students stand on the spectrum again based on their survey results.  Have a discussion!  Are there any surprises, changes, questions, etc.  Begin making the connection between liberal vs. conservative and Democrat vs. Republican (2-party system).

P.S. - Don't forget to register on the YLI website to obtain access to a ton of great resources!

Election 2012- "Selecting a President Part 1: Primaries and Caucuses" from the Youth Leadership Initiative

If you are a civics/government teacher and have not stumbled upon the Youth Leadership Initiative, go to their site now and register!  YLI has an extensive collection of engaging lesson plans, runs an annual eCongress, and runs mock elections.

In this post I will highlight a lesson entitled "Selecting a President Part 1: Primaries and Caucuses".  What I love about this lesson (one part of many) is that it breaks down primary vs. caucus into simple terms for students: deciding which kind of pizza the teacher will buy for the class.  It may seem over simplistic, but any lesson that can tie a civics concept to a real-life (for 8th graders!) example deserves special kudos.  Full notes and graphic organizers are included that cover all of the details of primaries and causcuses for various learning levels.  One of my favorite elements of most YLI lessons is that they include a handful of political cartoons, with analysis questions, with most lessons.  Here is a short blurb on the lesson right from YLI.

"The road to the White House in recent election cycles has become more time consuming and more expensive than ever before. In the first of two lesson plans highlighting the presidential selection process, students will explore the importance of presidential primaries and party caucuses, and debate the pros and cons of each. This lesson may be used as a stand alone plan or in conjunction with Selecting a President Part 2: The Nominating Convention and the General Election."


I have used both part 1 and 2 of this lesson in my classroom, and it has engaged students.  I always include as a follow-up, a Youtube video called "Primary Elections Explained".  This does a nice job of summarizeing this very import an part of the political process.

Election 2012- Know your Constitutional Foundations!

Our federal republic seems simple on paper, but in practice we all know it simply isn't so.  The Montpelier Center for the Constitution offers several resources to help you not only brush up on your knowledge of the Constitution, but learning-depth from leading Constitutional scholars.  An online course offers users in-depth and easy to follow/understand analysis of the Constitution.  The online course is currently not available for students, but over resources including extensive primary source documents, and an interactive version of James Madison's Notes on the Convention can certainly be used in the classroom.  ConText offers users a looking glass into Madison's notes with running commentary of leading scholars and experts on the Constitution.  The application is searchable by keyword, and even links to current events and philosophical background of main ideas in the notes.  Hit up the Center for the Constitution to learn more about the role of the presidency.  It just might provide you with deeper insight into the 2012 election!

Election 2012 - 270towin.com

Presidential election season is upon us, and it is sure to be a historic election.  Especially when it comes to campaign finance!  More on that later.  The next series of posts will be dedicated to 2012 election resources.  I kick it of with www.270towin.com.

There are several features about this tool that my students really enjoy.  Take a look for yourself!

1. Electoral college maps going all the way back to 1789
2. Up-to-date 2012 General Election polls for every state
3. Election Simulations
4. An in-depth blog with bi-partisan resources

The Technology: The electoral maps on the site are Flash based, but IOS devise users do not fret!  There is a 270ToWin app that has access to all of the sites features.  It has beautiful interactive maps and excellent reviews!  Be sure to check it out!

Coming to Terms with Social Injustice Brought on by Government Part 2

In my last post I highlighted some primary source documents focused on government injustice towards the black population in the United States.  In this post I will focus on primary sources for teaching about injustice towards American Indians.

In a lesson that I teach on the president as enforcer of federal law I focus students on Andrew Jackson and the enforcement of the Indian Removal Act after gold was found on Cherokee land in Georgia.  The resulting Trail of Tears is an event that my 8th grade students learn about  in 7th grade.  I want them to learn that these events are not isolated.  In fact, a quick search of the Library of Congress' Historic American Newspapers Collection will yield numerous examples of interactions between American Indians and white Americans.

A good example I found comes from "The Princeton Union" from Princeton, Minnesota (November 28, 1901).  This article about residents who live near a lake petitioning their Senator to have the tribe to have Indians, who also live around the lake, removed from the land.  The reason: so they can develop the land around the lake for commercial purposes.  

This document drives my students to the idea that quite often, economics is somehow behind acts of injustice.  It also highlights that such acts are not isolated and have occurred throughout the United States.

Coming to Terms with Social Injustice Brought on by Government Part 1

Teaching 8th grade civics is interesting, because students are at the age when they want to know "how things really are" as opposed to what the text book presents.  They obviously know about social injustice to various groups such as African Americans, American Indians, and women.  What is not obvious to them is that for a long time those social injustices were often affirmed by government action.  The powers of government comes alive for students when they learn about  those powers in historical context.  The story to be told is not always positive.

Teaching with primary documents is the best way to approach  tough subjects like this.  The three documents that follow stand out to me and have really helped my students understand the power of Congress in conjunction with the U.S. Supreme Court in perpetuating social injustice.

The Declaration of Independence (Jefferson's Rough Draft)

• I like to start off with a document that students already know so that they feel comfortable with the document analysis. This also grounds the primary source lesson in a fundamental principle that they have already learned.
• Don't be afraid to excerpt!  Sometimes time does not allow for full document analysis, and it may not be appropriate for all learners.  Excerpts make the document more accessible.

"WE hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and* [certain]* inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness"

John C Calhoun - Speech in the Senate on the Oregon Bill (1848)

• This document stuns students! In this speech John C Calhoun refutes the intention of the authors of the Declaration and makes a religious justification for the institution of slavery. He makes the accretion that not all are created equal.  This common justification for slaves not being equal sets the tone for the documents that follow.

 "If we trace it back, we shall find the proposition (that "all men are born free and equal") differently expressed in the Declaration of Independence. That asserts that "all men are created equal." The form of expression, though less dangerous, is not less erroneous. All men are not created. According to the Bible, only two, a man and a woman, ever were, and of these one was pronounced subordinate to the other. All others have come into the world by being born, and in no sense, as I have shown, either free or equal. But this form of expression being less striking and popular has given way to the present, and under the authority of a document put forth on so great an occasion, and leading to such important consequences, has spread far and wide, and fixed itself deeply in the public mind. It was inserted in our Declaration of Independence without any necessity. It made no necessary part of our justification in separating from the parent country, and declaring ourselves independent. Breach of our chartered privileges, and lawless encroachment on our acknowledged and well-established rights by the parent country, were the real causes, and of themselves sufficient, without resorting to any other, to justify the step. Nor had it any weight in constructing the governments which were substituted in the place of the colonial. They were formed of the old materials and on practical and well-established principles, borrowed for the most part from our own experience and that of the country from which we sprang."

Frederick Douglas - Speech on the Dred Scott Decision (1857)

• Here we take a turn from directly reading the Dred Scott decision to looking at Frederick Douglas' speech in response to it.  Most students have heard of Douglas, and it's good to make connections with background knowledge.  
• Don't be afraid to send students to Wikipedia to get the basic idea behind the Fugitive Slave Act and the Dred Scott decision.

"This infamous decision of the Slaveholding wing of the Supreme Court maintains that slaves are within the contemplation of the Constitution of the United States, property; that slaves are property in the same sense that horses, sheep, and swine are property; that the old doctrine that slavery is a creature of local law is false; that the right of the slaveholder to his slave does not depend upon the local law, but is secured wherever the Constitution of the United States extends; that Congress has no right to prohibit slavery anywhere; that slavery may go in safety anywhere under the star-spangled banner; that colored persons of African descent have no rights that white men are bound to respect; that colored men of African descent are not and cannot be citizens of the United States."

Tying it all Together - Constitutional Connection

My students need to write as much as possible.  After discussing the ideas presented in these documents in small groups, and then as a class, my students write about their thoughts on these documents and make connections to the powers of government, and the constitutional amendments that righted social injustice.