Vote Easy - Which Candidates Match Your Opinions
In another example of my PLN helping me improve my lessons, Diana Laufenberg shared a great resource with me via Twitter. Diana shared Vote Easy which I immediately knew that I could use in my Civics class. Vote Easy is an interactive map designed to help voters identify the Congressional candidate that most closely aligned with their views on a selection of twelve issues. Answer each question then specify how important that issue is to you. Based on those responses Vote Easy will indicate which candidate in your Congressional district is most closely aligned to your views.
Applications for EducationI used Vote Easy in my Civics class this afternoon as a tool to get my students thinking about the twelve issues (including Afghanistan, Health Care, and Education) presented to them. After my students answered all of the questions and found out which candidate was most closely aligned to their views, I had my students take it again to see what type of answers it would take to be aligned with the other candidates.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:The History of Credit Cards in the United States
9 Resources for Learning About US Presidents
How to Use C-Span's Video Library in Your Classroom
How Do I Become President? - Infographic Contest
Kids.gov and Challenge.gov together are hosting aninfographic creation contest for kids. To enter the contest students have to create an infographic that explains the process of becoming President of the United States. The contest appears to be open to all K-12 students. The winner of the contest will receive $2,500 and the winning infographic will be reproduced for distribution to schools across the US. The deadline for entries is November 3. Read all of thecontest rules and requirements here.
Thanks to Cool Infographics for the notice about this contest.
Applications for EducationThe How Do I Become President infographic contest could be a good opportunity for teachers of Social Studies and teachers of graphic design to work together.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
Is It Better to Rent or Buy? Interactive Infographic
Teaching With Infographics
Insightful News Infographics
Transcript Of President Obama’s Speech To Students Today
The White House has released the transcript of the speech the President will make to students today.
It seems fine — nothing earthshaking.
I think these passages might be useful a useful addition to a lesson I do on the importance of effort, as opposed to “natural” ability:
I know some of you may be skeptical about that. You may wonder if some people are just better at certain things. And it’s true that we each have our own gifts and talents we need to discover and nurture. But just because you’re not the best at something today doesn’t mean you can’t be tomorrow. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a math person or as a science person – you can still excel in those subjects if you’re willing to make the effort. And you may find out you have talents you’d never dreamed of.
You see, excelling in school or in life isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else. It’s about working harder than everybody else. Don’t avoid new challenges – seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to ask for help; your teachers and family are there to guide you. Don’t feel discouraged or give up if you don’t succeed at something – try it again, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well; be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.
You can read how I used his speech last year here.
Vote Easy - Which Candidates Match Your Opinions
In another example of my PLN helping me improve my lessons, Diana Laufenberg shared a great resource with me via Twitter. Diana shared Vote Easy which I immediately knew that I could use in my Civics class. Vote Easy is an interactive map designed to help voters identify the Congressional candidate that most closely aligned with their views on a selection of twelve issues. Answer each question then specify how important that issue is to you. Based on those responses Vote Easy will indicate which candidate in your Congressional district is most closely aligned to your views.
Applications for EducationI used Vote Easy in my Civics class this afternoon as a tool to get my students thinking about the twelve issues (including Afghanistan, Health Care, and Education) presented to them. After my students answered all of the questions and found out which candidate was most closely aligned to their views, I had my students take it again to see what type of answers it would take to be aligned with the other candidates.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:The History of Credit Cards in the United States
9 Resources for Learning About US Presidents
How to Use C-Span's Video Library in Your Classroom
In another example of my PLN helping me improve my lessons, Diana Laufenberg shared a great resource with me via Twitter. Diana shared Vote Easy which I immediately knew that I could use in my Civics class. Vote Easy is an interactive map designed to help voters identify the Congressional candidate that most closely aligned with their views on a selection of twelve issues. Answer each question then specify how important that issue is to you. Based on those responses Vote Easy will indicate which candidate in your Congressional district is most closely aligned to your views.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:The History of Credit Cards in the United States
9 Resources for Learning About US Presidents
How to Use C-Span's Video Library in Your Classroom
Applications for Education
I used Vote Easy in my Civics class this afternoon as a tool to get my students thinking about the twelve issues (including Afghanistan, Health Care, and Education) presented to them. After my students answered all of the questions and found out which candidate was most closely aligned to their views, I had my students take it again to see what type of answers it would take to be aligned with the other candidates.Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:The History of Credit Cards in the United States
9 Resources for Learning About US Presidents
How to Use C-Span's Video Library in Your Classroom
How Do I Become President? - Infographic Contest
Thanks to Cool Infographics for the notice about this contest.
Applications for Education
The How Do I Become President infographic contest could be a good opportunity for teachers of Social Studies and teachers of graphic design to work together.Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
Is It Better to Rent or Buy? Interactive Infographic
Teaching With Infographics
Insightful News Infographics
The White House has released the transcript of the speech the President will make to students today.
It seems fine — nothing earthshaking.
I think these passages might be useful a useful addition to a lesson I do on the importance of effort, as opposed to “natural” ability:
I know some of you may be skeptical about that. You may wonder if some people are just better at certain things. And it’s true that we each have our own gifts and talents we need to discover and nurture. But just because you’re not the best at something today doesn’t mean you can’t be tomorrow. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a math person or as a science person – you can still excel in those subjects if you’re willing to make the effort. And you may find out you have talents you’d never dreamed of.
You see, excelling in school or in life isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else. It’s about working harder than everybody else. Don’t avoid new challenges – seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to ask for help; your teachers and family are there to guide you. Don’t feel discouraged or give up if you don’t succeed at something – try it again, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well; be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.
You can read how I used his speech last year here.
It seems fine — nothing earthshaking.
I think these passages might be useful a useful addition to a lesson I do on the importance of effort, as opposed to “natural” ability:
I know some of you may be skeptical about that. You may wonder if some people are just better at certain things. And it’s true that we each have our own gifts and talents we need to discover and nurture. But just because you’re not the best at something today doesn’t mean you can’t be tomorrow. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a math person or as a science person – you can still excel in those subjects if you’re willing to make the effort. And you may find out you have talents you’d never dreamed of.
You see, excelling in school or in life isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else. It’s about working harder than everybody else. Don’t avoid new challenges – seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to ask for help; your teachers and family are there to guide you. Don’t feel discouraged or give up if you don’t succeed at something – try it again, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well; be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.
You can read how I used his speech last year here.
9 Resources for Learning About US Presidents
Here's a short list of resources for teaching and learning about US Presidents and the office itself.
Electing a President
The Living Room Candidate is an online exhibit of Presidential Campaign commercials from 1952 through 2004. The Living Room Candidate is part of a larger project called theMuseum of the Moving Image. Visitors to The Living Room Candidate can view the commercials from each campaign from both parties. A written transcript is provided with each commercial. Provided along with each video is an overview of the political landscape of at the time of the campaigns. Visitors to the website can search for commercials by election year, type of commercial, or by campaign issue.
NARA, the US National Archive and Records Administration, has built a great website for students and teachers. The teacher page offers links to detailed lesson plans. The lesson plan titled the Tally of 1824 is one of the most thorough Electoral College lesson plans that I have seen anywhere. The Tally of 1824 lesson plan addresses not only the basic process of the Electoral College, it also includes the ideas of faithless electors and the possibility of losing the popular vote but winning the election.
Common Craft's Electing a US President in Plain English does a nice job of explaining how the Electoral College system works.
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Inaugurating a New PresidentVideos of every inaugural address from Eisenhower through George W. Bush is available through Hulu.
Governing Dynamo has built a gallery containing the text of every US President's inaugural address(es). In addition to the text, the gallery includes a Wordle of every address and an image of the President who delivered that address. Finally, Governing Dynamo hosts a video overview of the Wordles in the gallery.
The Chronology of US Presidents
The video embedded below depicts the 44 US Presidents in 4 minutes. This video includes the dates of the time in office for each president.
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This video is a bit dated as it ends with Clinton's term, but it's educational and entertaining.
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The Lives of the Presidents
The Miller Center of Public Affairs hosts a very good reference resource about US Presidents. The Miller Center's reference, American President, provides personal and political biographical information about every US President. Each profile links to dozens of essays about various aspects of each President's life and work. Each profile also contains images of each President. Some profiles also include audio files and video of the President.
American Presidents Life Portraits is a C-Span series that originally aired a few years ago. The series profiled each of the US Presidents. The profiles were very well produced as each one struck a good balance between profiling the politics of each president and profiling the personal details of each president. (If you enjoyed HBO'sAdams series, make sure you also watch C-Span's profile of Adams). Most of the original profiles can be watched online using Real Player. Each segment is also available for purchase.
C-Span also has a few great activities that students can explore on their own or with teacher guidance. Career Paths to the Presidency lets students examine the various routes that presidents took to the White House.Shaping the Nation and the Presidency highlights eight key events that shaped the United States. Each of the eight events contains a video clip explaining the event's significance. The American Presidents timeline quiz is a fifty question interactive quiz.
Interactive Activities About US Government
The Center on Congress at Indiana University has a good collection of interactive, role-playing activities for learning about how the United States' government functions. Each activity allows students to experience the roles and functions of different members of Congress.
One of the activities that my Civics students have really enjoyed in the past is the "How a Member Decides to Vote" activity. In "How a Member Decides to Vote" students take on the role of a Congressman or Congresswoman for a week. During the simulated week, students receive phone calls from constituents, read newspaper headlines, meet with constituents, meet with lobbyists, and attend meetings with other Congressmen and Congresswomen. The "How a Member Decides to Vote" activity makes students account for their personal feelings as well as the influence of constituents and lobbyists.
9 Resources for Learning About US Presidents
Here's a short list of resources for teaching and learning about US Presidents and the office itself.
Electing a President
The Living Room Candidate is an online exhibit of Presidential Campaign commercials from 1952 through 2004. The Living Room Candidate is part of a larger project called theMuseum of the Moving Image. Visitors to The Living Room Candidate can view the commercials from each campaign from both parties. A written transcript is provided with each commercial. Provided along with each video is an overview of the political landscape of at the time of the campaigns. Visitors to the website can search for commercials by election year, type of commercial, or by campaign issue.
NARA, the US National Archive and Records Administration, has built a great website for students and teachers. The teacher page offers links to detailed lesson plans. The lesson plan titled the Tally of 1824 is one of the most thorough Electoral College lesson plans that I have seen anywhere. The Tally of 1824 lesson plan addresses not only the basic process of the Electoral College, it also includes the ideas of faithless electors and the possibility of losing the popular vote but winning the election.
Common Craft's Electing a US President in Plain English does a nice job of explaining how the Electoral College system works.
Popout
Governing Dynamo has built a gallery containing the text of every US President's inaugural address(es). In addition to the text, the gallery includes a Wordle of every address and an image of the President who delivered that address. Finally, Governing Dynamo hosts a video overview of the Wordles in the gallery.
The Chronology of US Presidents
The video embedded below depicts the 44 US Presidents in 4 minutes. This video includes the dates of the time in office for each president.
Popout
This video is a bit dated as it ends with Clinton's term, but it's educational and entertaining.
Popout
The Miller Center of Public Affairs hosts a very good reference resource about US Presidents. The Miller Center's reference, American President, provides personal and political biographical information about every US President. Each profile links to dozens of essays about various aspects of each President's life and work. Each profile also contains images of each President. Some profiles also include audio files and video of the President.
American Presidents Life Portraits is a C-Span series that originally aired a few years ago. The series profiled each of the US Presidents. The profiles were very well produced as each one struck a good balance between profiling the politics of each president and profiling the personal details of each president. (If you enjoyed HBO'sAdams series, make sure you also watch C-Span's profile of Adams). Most of the original profiles can be watched online using Real Player. Each segment is also available for purchase.
C-Span also has a few great activities that students can explore on their own or with teacher guidance. Career Paths to the Presidency lets students examine the various routes that presidents took to the White House.Shaping the Nation and the Presidency highlights eight key events that shaped the United States. Each of the eight events contains a video clip explaining the event's significance. The American Presidents timeline quiz is a fifty question interactive quiz.
Electing a President
The Living Room Candidate is an online exhibit of Presidential Campaign commercials from 1952 through 2004. The Living Room Candidate is part of a larger project called theMuseum of the Moving Image. Visitors to The Living Room Candidate can view the commercials from each campaign from both parties. A written transcript is provided with each commercial. Provided along with each video is an overview of the political landscape of at the time of the campaigns. Visitors to the website can search for commercials by election year, type of commercial, or by campaign issue.NARA, the US National Archive and Records Administration, has built a great website for students and teachers. The teacher page offers links to detailed lesson plans. The lesson plan titled the Tally of 1824 is one of the most thorough Electoral College lesson plans that I have seen anywhere. The Tally of 1824 lesson plan addresses not only the basic process of the Electoral College, it also includes the ideas of faithless electors and the possibility of losing the popular vote but winning the election.
Common Craft's Electing a US President in Plain English does a nice job of explaining how the Electoral College system works.
Popout
Inaugurating a New President
Videos of every inaugural address from Eisenhower through George W. Bush is available through Hulu.Governing Dynamo has built a gallery containing the text of every US President's inaugural address(es). In addition to the text, the gallery includes a Wordle of every address and an image of the President who delivered that address. Finally, Governing Dynamo hosts a video overview of the Wordles in the gallery.The Chronology of US Presidents
The video embedded below depicts the 44 US Presidents in 4 minutes. This video includes the dates of the time in office for each president.
Popout
This video is a bit dated as it ends with Clinton's term, but it's educational and entertaining.
Popout
The Lives of the Presidents
The Miller Center of Public Affairs hosts a very good reference resource about US Presidents. The Miller Center's reference, American President, provides personal and political biographical information about every US President. Each profile links to dozens of essays about various aspects of each President's life and work. Each profile also contains images of each President. Some profiles also include audio files and video of the President.
American Presidents Life Portraits is a C-Span series that originally aired a few years ago. The series profiled each of the US Presidents. The profiles were very well produced as each one struck a good balance between profiling the politics of each president and profiling the personal details of each president. (If you enjoyed HBO'sAdams series, make sure you also watch C-Span's profile of Adams). Most of the original profiles can be watched online using Real Player. Each segment is also available for purchase.C-Span also has a few great activities that students can explore on their own or with teacher guidance. Career Paths to the Presidency lets students examine the various routes that presidents took to the White House.Shaping the Nation and the Presidency highlights eight key events that shaped the United States. Each of the eight events contains a video clip explaining the event's significance. The American Presidents timeline quiz is a fifty question interactive quiz.
The Center on Congress at Indiana University has a good collection of interactive, role-playing activities for learning about how the United States' government functions. Each activity allows students to experience the roles and functions of different members of Congress.One of the activities that my Civics students have really enjoyed in the past is the "How a Member Decides to Vote" activity. In "How a Member Decides to Vote" students take on the role of a Congressman or Congresswoman for a week. During the simulated week, students receive phone calls from constituents, read newspaper headlines, meet with constituents, meet with lobbyists, and attend meetings with other Congressmen and Congresswomen. The "How a Member Decides to Vote" activity makes students account for their personal feelings as well as the influence of constituents and lobbyists.
Fascinating Infographic On U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
GOOD Magazine has published a fascinating infographic on U.S.Supreme Court confirmation hearings (and the word “fascinating” is not one used to typically describe those events) titled Supreme Questions
Inside the FBI - Interactive Display
from Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne)
Inside the FBI is an interactive feature created and hosted by CBS News. Inside the FBI features diagrams of the FBI's organization, stories of the FBI's successes and failures, and a timeline of the FBI's history. Through the interactive display students can learn about what the various divisions of the FBI do.
“The Changing Political Landscape” Infographic
from Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... by Larry Ferlazzo
Who’s Coming and Who’s Going? The Changing Political Landscape Of The 20th Century is an excellent infographic that shows some of the major political/geographical changes over the past one hundred years.
It’s not complete by any means, but it does show some of the major changes that took place, and it’s quite accessible.
This is an incredible self-guided learning experience. Students will learn about our democratic system in depth by completing this activity. The Road to the Capitol is really best experienced by individual students in a computer lab setting where they have plenty of time to research and complete each stop along the campaign trail. If you don’t have access to a computer lab, the activity could be completed as a whole class using an interactive whiteboard or projector connected computer. To make The Road to the Capitol a more in-depth project, have students take campaign notes along the way in a word processing program. They can later sum up what they learned and recorded in their notes by copying the notes and pasting them into a word cloud program like Wordle. Students could create short campaign commercials based on the commercial they created in the game. These can be recorded with PhotoBooth on a Mac or with a video camera. Students could also create a campaign poster using a word processing or publishing program. From http://www.ilearntechnology.com/
Branches of Government interactive is a good way for students to familiarize themselves with the branches of government. The activity is a simple one, students are given a leaf and must decide which branch of government it best describes. Students receive immediate feedback about their answer. If students dragged the leaf to the correct branch, it will stick. If not, the leaf returns to its original location at the base of the tree.
From http://www.ilearntechnology.com/
Our Courts - Interactive Lessons on US Civics
http://www.ourcourts.org/play-games
from Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne)
Our Courts is a web-based resource designed to teach students about US Civics and the US Supreme Court. Our Courts was developed by a partnership of Georgetown and Arizona State universities to carry out Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's vision for improving civics education.
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1857458,00.html (From Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the day) “Night of Broken Glass” in 1938 when Nazis attacked Jews in Germany.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/running-for-office/
The political cartoons in this exhibit, drawn by renowned cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman, illustrate the campaign process from the candidate’s decision to run for office to the ultimate outcome of the election. Although many political procedures have changed, these cartoons show that the political process has remained remarkably consistent; Berryman’s cartoons from the early 20th century remain relevant today
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