Creator: Indiana University | visit site
Grade Range: 6 - 11
Indiana University’s Center on Congress partners with the Library of Congress and its effort to promote teaching with primary sources to provide a rich set of resources, lesson plans, and activities related to the history, function, and actions of the US Congress. Activities are divided by theme, such as citizen participation, criticism of Congress, and the impact of Congress. Many activities include comics to keep your attention. There is a good overview of using primary sources in teaching. Lesson plans are tied to state standards. In addition to the lesson plans developed by the Center on Congress, there is also a bank of teacher-submitted lesson plans.
In the Classroom
Clearly, this is a great resource for those teaching civics or US government. These activities will also be useful to US History teachers, as the issues covered span important political eras. For example, there are activities related to women’s suffrage, the child labor movement, the GI Bill and the development of the Interstate Highway system. Lesson plans range from those designed to cover several days, to short "Congressional moments" videos perfect for introducing a concept or sparking class discussion. A number of the lesson plans and activities are designed specifically for iPads. Of note also is the fact that the video clips on the site are not links to YouTube, so will not pose an access problem for school districts that block the site.
At Home
Consider using the short animated video "Citizens Unite!" to talk about citizenship as a family. What does it mean to be a good citizen? How can families work together to benefit the local community and the country as a whole?
Tags
comics and cartoons, politics, womens suffrage, branches of government, primary sources, congress, civil rights,
Subjects
American History, Character Education, Current Events, Government/Civics: U.S, History & Culture: The Americas, Social Studies, Social Studies,