It can not be overstated how important dialogue is in a civics classroom...or for the development of citizens for that matter. What is our Constitution, if not something we must talk about in order to have a continual understanding of what it means? Whether or not one supports the doctrine of the "Living Constitution", one cannot deny that our collective understanding of what the document tells throughout our history is rooted in dialogue and critical thinking. Below you will find some resources from a presentation I made for my district's annual social studies in-service.
Links
Socratic Seminar Guide:
http://www.authenticeducation.org/documents/WhatSeminar04.pdf
- This is a pretty good guide for how to run an effective Socratic Seminar. There are a ton of Socratic Seminar resources on-line, and no single one is an authoritative source. Do what works in your classroom!
Constitution USA with Peter Sagal:
http://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/equality/#.Uhx_KJKsiSp
- This segment focuses on the 14th Amendment and equality. With the anniversary of the march on Washington and Constitution Day, this is a timely resource.
Constitution Center Blog:
http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2013/06/do-we-need-a-constitutional-amendment-to-protect-privacy/
- There are a lot of good conversation starters on the Constitution Center's blog. Just click on "Issues" and you will find all kinds of good stuff. This link is to a post about whether or not the 4th Amendment can sufficiently protect our privacy rights.
