Teaching Civics in an Innovative Way
"Only about 25% of Americans can name the three branches of government," said Gorsuch. "A third of them can't name any branch of government. And 10% believe that Judge Judy is one of our colleagues. With no disrespect to Judge Judy, she is not a member of the Supreme Court!" - CBS News Civics Lessons
So Justice Sandra Day O'Connor founded iCivics in 2009 to reimagine civic education.
During a 2012 Senate hearing, O'Connor said, "I well remember having a lot of civics classes, and I got pretty sick and tired of it, to tell you the truth. I thought it was miserable." That's when the former justice started iCivics, a more engaging curriculum which helps teach civics through video games. The most popular games include "Win the White House," in which players campaign for the Oval Office; and "Do I Have a Right?," in which lawyers fight to protect their clients' rights under the Constitution.
So Justice Sandra Day O'Connor founded iCivics in 2009 to reimagine civic education.
During a 2012 Senate hearing, O'Connor said, "I well remember having a lot of civics classes, and I got pretty sick and tired of it, to tell you the truth. I thought it was miserable." That's when the former justice started iCivics, a more engaging curriculum which helps teach civics through video games. The most popular games include "Win the White House," in which players campaign for the Oval Office; and "Do I Have a Right?," in which lawyers fight to protect their clients' rights under the Constitution.
Former Justice O'Connor hoped to cultivate a new generation of students for thoughtful and active citizenship.
iCivics is completely free and comes with downloadable lesson plans for teachers. This DLS can attest that her own civic knowledge needs some work! I played a few games today and found them to be both fun and challenging. If you are looking for fresh ideas for sharing government with students, check out iCivics.
See the full CBS News story:
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