Teaching Civics

 

Teaching Civics

Engage 

• Join (for FREE) and browse the iCivics website https://www.icivics.org 

Share your iCivics website's discoveries in your blogs.

I have learned a lot from reading and searching around the Icivics website. I have learned that you can have students play games during the class period and that when students are finished you have results of what they did saved along with a report of how well you students  did. I have learned that you can search activity based on standards and that there is already 250 pre-made lessons that teachers can use to teach civics. I have learned what a drafting board is and the difference between a web quest and a DB quest. A drafting board as stated on the website is "Digital  essay building meets argumentative writing in this scaffold online tool." A web quest as stated on the website is "guided research activities that allow students to explore internet resources in safe and informative ways." A DB quest as stated on the website is "interactive document analysis modules get  students up close and personal with primary sources." I have learned it has pre and post  game activities where you can access students prior knowledge and then assess how much they have learned after the lesson was over. And finally I have learned that it gives  teachers access to webinars which will give teachers new skills and resources they can use  to better teach civics 

Explain

View one of the WebQuests at: https://www.icivics.org/products/webquests  and comments on the educational value of the WebQuest through the prism of the 5 principles of teaching Social studies.

The web quest I played was the in the court web quest. I do believe that this web quest has a extreme amount of educational value. This web quest is also a good example of the five principles of teaching social studies. It was meaningful because it gave students  real world connections. it told them what would happen if they were a justice in the supreme court or a judge in  trial court. It  told them what would happen if they were part of  a jury and it told them what would happen if they went to court for civil or criminal reasons. It was integrative because it explained more than what just being a judge was. it gave background between civil and criminal crimes. It was  value based because it explained the importance of a jury member and how that persons future was put into the palm of your hand. it was also active because students had to watch videos to complete the web quest 

View Starting Small videos about multicultural education (view the list of four 3-min powerful videos and share in your blogs how you will use some of the ideas in your own classrooms) 

I will use many ideas found in the video. I will use the people colors painting idea.  I think it is a good way to see how much children observe in the classroom. It is a way to show children all skin colors are beautiful. but at the same time the differences children may notice will help them build a successful and effective classroom community. I would also make a fresh start when ever a  new student would come into my class. I would do this to create a new classroom community. when presented with a difficult solution I would focus more on the positive and less on the negative I would remind them that negative behavior was not good I would encourage positive behavior 

Evaluate 

1. Read and evaluate/comment on the Lesson "Turn Learning into Action" from the UNICEF website on Global Sustainable Goals.  

I do not think this lesson would be a effective lesson to teach it a classroom. The lesson plan itself is a very long read being almost 10 pages and seems like it would take a very longtime to complete. I do like how it gives the option of teaching outside which can help students become more engaged with a change of scenerey. I also like how the steps of the lesson are clearly outlined and explained so someone reading or grading the lesson will know what will occur at each step. I like how the first thing stated in the lesson plan is the essential question. The essential question as stated in the lesson plan was "How can we use our understanding of the Global Goals to improve our community?" I also like how the lesson gave a step by step guide on how to teach the lesson even when you are not the person who originally wrote the lesson. I also like how the lesson involved students going on a community walk. it got students to get up and move and allowed them to stretch their legs. They were able to talk about the different communities they viewed or global goals they observed  

2. Evaluate your own civics knowledge... 

I do believe my civics knowledge can and should improve in order to teach civics. I have a basic understanding of why we need to teach civics and why it is important but I do not know specific detail. I will admit that reading chapter 11 helped me understand what students should be able to do when learning about civics and the text helped me understand  the difference between formal and informal civics education. The text  states that formal civics education "should provide students with a basic understanding of civic life, politics, and government; American government and the relationship of American politics and government to world affairs; rights and responsibilities of American citizens and participation in governance." The text also gives me background information on informal civics education. The text states "    Many opportunities exist to model democratic values and to engage students in democratic processes in a democratic classroom community." The text also gives examples of instruction strategies teachers can use to teach informal lessons about civics. These strategies as stated in the text are "sharing power with students, discussing American ideals and desirable character traits in integrated curriculum lessons, being aware of “teachable moments” to share ideas related to civics and government and character education, sharing resources equitably, class meetings and service projects which help other students in the school." When learning about economics there are many things students should be able to do. The text states that students should be able to "understand the fundamental processes of democracy, Identify and understand public and community issues, dialogue with others who have different perspectives, participate in communities through organizations working to address an array of cultural, social, political, and religious interests and beliefs, act to accomplish public purposes through group problem solving, public speaking, petitioning, protesting, and voting and exhibit moral and civic virtues such as concern for the rights and welfare of others, social responsibility, tolerance and respect, and belief in the capacity to make a difference."

Could you pass Naturalization Test?

• Click this link to answer 10 questions on the test.
• Discuss the results of the test and comment on the experience in your blog.

I was surprised how well I did on the ten question quiz and only got one question wrong. I found the test fairly easy but I believe that is mostly do to having great social studies teachers. I considered many questions common knowledge that any person born in the U.S. or anyone who had a great history teacher should be able to answer with little to no issue 

Elaborate 

Here is my pitch for chapter 11 Connections to Civics and Government in the text eaching Social Studies in the Elementary School: Communities, Connections and Citizenships written by Lawrence Lyman, Scott Waters, Harvey C. Foyle, and Allyson L. Lyman.  You will also see this video earlier in my blog as I explain what I did for my digital textbook chapter project regarding chapter 11.