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2010 Census - US Census Bureau
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): census (12), demographics (13), population (48)
In the Classroom
First, it's important for students to know that the US Constitution requires a census, and second, that the information gathered is used in a variety of important ways that affect them directly. The first data posted looks at how shifts in population density will change the way various geographic areas of the country are represented in the US government. Consider reading the Director's blog for further analysis of how census data is being used on a local, state, and national level. Of course, the data are perfect for using in math and civics classes for teaching graph reading and creation, and for providing real-life information to use in statistical analysis. A civics or sociology class might download a copy of the census form and consider what the questions tell us about how families live in the 21st century. What questions might students add to a future census form that would reflect how things are changing for their generation?You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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State of the Union Address 2011 - guardian.co.uk
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): presidents (122), speech (66), speeches (18)
In the Classroom
Share these word clouds on interactive whiteboard or projector to analyze the presidential agendas in a civics or government class. Have students make their own clouds of text from other speeches using WordClouds, reviewed here, or similar word cloud tools like WordArt, reviewed here, to add to the comparison options. During political campaigns, share this comparison and invite students to create ones of their own between different candidates. In English/language arts classes, use the word clouds to spark discussion of propaganda techniques, word choice, and effective speech techniques. Share this discussion in debate club, as well, to point out the importance of carefully crafted messages. Have students create and compare clouds of their own speech drafts while studying persuasive writing.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LFI Spring 2011 Symposium: U.S. and China: What Does the Future Hold? - Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): china (62), chinese (44), cross cultural understanding (155)
In the Classroom
Combine selections from these sessions with TeachersFirst's China and Cross-Cultural Resources and our editor's blog posts from a recent China visit to help students explore the issues and subtleties of U.S.-Chinese relations and globalization. Focus on cross-cultural understanding in a Chinese language or world cultures class or on policy issues in U.S. government. Economics classes can view portions related to macro-economics topics. Challenge student groups to create presentations using Thinglink, reviewed here, focused on one aspect of China or Chinese American relations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Statistics: By the Numbers - Dr. Chudler
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): data (147), statistics (116)
In the Classroom
This site would be perfect to use on your interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to statistics. After viewing and discussing this in class, have students bring in examples found in the newspaper, Internet, or on TV to analyze. High school social studies or government classes can look at this statistical information as they follow and debunk political claims during election cycles. Have cooperative learning groups create short presentations on video demonstration what they found. Share this videos using a site such as SchoolTube (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Supreme Court: Games - PBS
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): civil rights (198), constitution (88), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
These lessons would be useful on an interactive whiteboard or projector along with a unit on the Supreme Court or the US judicial system. Students might also use them to to extend or enrich the topic on their own time, or when they have completed other classwork. They are well researched and informative, however, most students won't view them as "games" as they are labeled. Have cooperative learning groups investigate one specific topic and share their discoveries with the class. Challenge students to create a video using Powtoon, reviewed here, and it share using a site such as SchoolTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Budget Simulator - Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): politics (113)
In the Classroom
This would make a wonderful class team competition. Consider dividing the class into groups, or even pitting different sections of the same course against each other. Encourage the students not to breeze through the choices too quickly. The site might be useful for mature younger students if they have the attention span required to make careful and reasoned choices. Another option is to complete this activity as a class on an interactive whiteboard or projector.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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map a list - Innovation Geo, LLC
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
You must be familiar with using a Google form for collecting data and finding the spreadsheet in your list of documents. You must have a Google account and an email address to register for map a list. Create a class account for students to use. Publish your Google form on a blog, site, or wiki to collect entries to be used to make a map.Use a Google form to collect addresses of various locations such as historic places students know, my most memorable vacation, where I live, or where my grandparents were born. Use to teach some basic map skills to younger students. Map locations of government services for a civics class, local locations of healthy activities or farmers markets in a health class, locations where students can find certain trees, insects, or other wildlife to name a few. Map the locations of anything collected in a Google Spreadsheet. Be sure that information collected is in address format so it can be mapped by this amazing tool.
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X (formerly Twitter) - Twitter, Inc.
Grades
K to 12tag(s): communication (133), microblogging (17), social media (54), social networking (65)
In the Classroom
Bring teaching and learning to new heights by using this service as a great form of professional development. At conferences, use X (formerly Twitter) as a backchannel to expand upon thoughts and ideas during presentations and after. Have a question to ask others' opinion about? Throw it out to X (formerly Twitter) to see the great perspectives given by those who follow you. Start out slowly and look at conversations that catch your eye. Follow people with experience in your areas of interest to gain from the conversations. Start off by following @teachersfirst or @moreruckus2 (our leader).Learn about hashtags -- ways to mark, search, and follow conversations on a specific topic. For example, the #ntchat tag is for new and pre-service teachers and the #edchat hashtag is for all teachers. Participate in these chats which are scheduled at certain days and times or search for their tweets anytime. Find archived tweets from these chats to learn from some wonderful and motivated teachers when it is convenient for YOU. Use other X (formerly Twitter) applications to search or collect specific hashtags.
As a teaching tool, X (formerly Twitter) is amazing! If your school permits access, have a class account to share what you are doing with parents and especially for your class to follow people in topics you study. Studying space? Follow NASA. Studying politics and government? Follow your congressional rep or the White House. Consider using your teacher or class account to send updates to other teachers across the country or across the globe. You can also teach about responsible digital citizenship by modeling and practicing it as a class. A whole-class, teacher account is the most likely way to gain permission to use X (formerly Twitter) in school, especially if you can demonstrate specific projects. That can be as simple as making sure you and that teacher are FOLLOWING each other, then sending a direct message (start the tweet with D and the other teacher's X (formerly Twitter) name) or creating a group with your own hashtag for a project such as daily weather updates. Even if you are not "following" someone, you can send them a tweet using @theirtwittername in the body of the message. This is called a "mention" but can be seen by others, too. Compare what your class is observing in today's weather, which topics you will be discussing today, or ask for another class' opinions on a current events issue. Ask for updates about local concerns, such as talking to California schools about wildfires in their area or a Maine school about a blizzard. Challenge another class to tweet the feelings of a literacy character, such as Hamlet, and respond as Ophelia, all in 280 characters or less. Have gifted students? Connect your classroom with the outside world to find greater challenges and connections beyond your regular curriculum.
Learn much more about teaching ideas and tools for X (formerly Twitter) in the many resources listed on TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.
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China From the Inside - PBS
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): china (62)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans in the "Educators" section! The lesson plans connect the content to geography and economics, and are aligned with national standards. The U.S. China quiz may be a bit challenging, but teachers can easily use it as a formative assessment to see what students already know about modern China before entering a new lesson or unit on it. Make sure to save the site as a favorite to allow for easy reference later on!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Tibet Question - Mark La Porte
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): china (62)
In the Classroom
This is a great activity to use in a World History or Government classroom. This would be a great way to show how the media and globalization impacts public policy and opinion of events. Be sure to save the site as a favorite on classroom computers to make it easier for student groups to navigate there.For an alternative to the traditional paper or PowerPoint as the end product, consider using Google Docs Presentation reviewed here, or one of many creative collaborative web 2.0 tools reviewed in the TeachersFirst Edge. Your students can work collaboratively without even being in the same place, and their projects can be shared easily on the web.
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Argument Wars - iCivics Inc.
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): constitution (88), game based learning (173), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
This site is a great way to review the amendments to the US Constitution. Using an interactive whiteboard or projector, complete one case as a whole group so students can see how the interactive should work. Use the provided handouts so students can take notes as they are working through the case. When it is time for students to work independently, make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Afterward, have a discussion or have students journal using the provided discussion questions. This site does not have a save feature, so students must complete the entire activity to see if they've won. For students who need more of a challenge, assign them to Gideon v. Wainwright. Students have to examine two arguments which makes it more challenging.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Do I Have a Right? - iCivics Inc.
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): bill of rights (28), constitution (88), game based learning (173)
In the Classroom
This site is great way to review the amendments of the US Constitution. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Working in groups have a class competition to see who can win the most cases and achieve the most prestige points. Afterward, have a discussion about the process each group used to build their law firm. This site does not have a save feature so the teacher should set a duration for play. Built in help makes this site useful for students who might need some additional guidance. Use the final score printout to assign your students a grade.To fully involve students in their "law firm," have them create a firm logo and "shingle" using an online graphics tool such as Supalogo, reviewed here. Print the logos for classroom decorations or have students upload them to law firm pages on on your class wiki.
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Youth Leadership Initiative - Center for Politics - University of Virginia
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Use the site with an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work in cooperative groups and take part in the mock congress. They will develop critical thinking and collaboration skills as they research, draft, and pass original legislation. Use the downloadable campaign simulation software (free), and have your students role play and run a senatorial campaign. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remembering 9/11 - CBS News
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as a cooperative learning activity during a lesson or unit on the events of September 11th or as part of a broader discussion on international relations, terrorism, or the role of government in balancing personal liberties and national security. Create a graphic organizer to guide students through the site (or have them create their own in small groups), highlighting what's most important and the important facts and details. For help creating easy graphic organizers, try using Holt Interactive Graphic Organizer, reviewed here, or bubbl.us, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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While America Slept - The True Story of 9/11 - CBS News
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): sept11 (18)
In the Classroom
Use this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to show students the context of the day. During a class discussion, display the timeline on a projector or interactive whiteboard for students to see and navigate together. Read the details aloud, or have student volunteers take turns reading the events aloud. Make sure that between each event you provide some sort of explanation, i.e. who the people mentioned are and what the significance was of each action. Include this discussion as you study the role of government in the protection of its citizens and balancing individual liberties with national security. Assign students to create multimedia posters using marq, reviewed here, or an infographic using Visme, reviewed here, showing the conflicting roles of government.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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You Decide: Challenge Your Assumptions - WQED
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): politics (113)
In the Classroom
Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have them choose a topic to explore and debate and then take turns using the resources provided to help build their arguments. A terrific component of this site is the ability to embed a widget into your classroom website that takes students directly to the site and one of its decision-making activities. You can also subscribe to an RSS feed that makes the widget update regularly. There is an archive of previous debates to explore. This site includes a forum/discussion board. Determine whether students may do this under your school's policies and whether forum submissions may display student names or initials. Then spell out both permissible use and consequences before you send students to this site. Some teachers obtain parent permission for students to participate in such a site. You may want to participate in the forum/discussion board as a class, using your own login.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The new $100 Note - Dept. of Treasury
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): currency (14)
In the Classroom
Take the quiz together as a class to learn about the features of the $100 bill. Research the reasons for changing from the old bill to the new style. Create and design a new bill that incorporates various security features and relevant symbols. You could also include this in your unit on national symbols and how they are used.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Star Spangled Banner - Smithsonian Institue
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): american flag (7), american revolution (83), evolution (85), flag day (5), national anthem (3)
In the Classroom
Use the interactive quiz on this site as a review tool before an assessment or to introduce a mini-unit on the flag. Introduce the site on the interactive whiteboard before allowing students to complete the quiz individually on classroom computers. Because of the amount of reading on the site, be sure to provide lower achieving readers with the vocabulary beforehand or a tool to help them look up complex words. Younger students would do better with partner readers or whole-class reading on an interactive whiteboard where they could highlight new words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Law Focused Education, Inc. - Law Focused Education, Inc
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): constitution (88)
In the Classroom
The lesson plans are in PDF format, so they can easily be saved and printed. While the lesson plans are aligned to Texas State standards, they can easily be adapted to other state standards. The activities are easy to follow and all the materials needed are generally supplied in the PDF document. The interactive activities can used in conjunction with many lesson plans for grades 5-8. They are perfect for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have cooperative learning groups investigate various parts of this site and create multimedia presentations such as podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iCivics - iCivics Inc.
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): bill of rights (28), branches of government (62), congress (39), constitution (88), courts (19), democracy (19), elections (80), game based learning (173), presidents (122), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
As you study the Constitution or U.S. government, have students participate in the activities, stopping to write blog entries as their legal character discussing the results they have achieved in court or in their role within other interactive simulations. Students can work individually or with a partner. Be sure to demonstrate the activities on an interactive whiteboard or projector so students understand how they work. Another option is to enhance student learning and modify classroom technology use by having students create a multimedia guide to one of the constitutional rights learned in the games. Use a tool such as Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to make an interactive poster or infographic on each right. If your class is remote learning, try using Zoom, reviewed here, or another video conferencing tool, to demonstrate or introduce your class to iCivics and the individual activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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