Every student needs to study civics. A strong knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, government, judicial system and how each one works helps prepare students to be active and engaged citizens.
In addition to traditional books, lectures, study guides and classroom discussions, many civics teachers turn to the Internet for new teaching resources that will engage students in civics and current events while helping them to develop critical-thinking skills.
One of the best online resources for civics education is the iCivics website, which is funded by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.
Founded and led by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics offers a robust collection of digital interactive tools to help students in grades six through 12 learn how democracy and government work. At the heart of the website are online games that provide a close-up look at how real-world problems and issues are addressed in a democracy.
The games have clear learning objectives, are integrated with lesson plans and support materials.
Game-based learning
Sixteen games cover core topics, including basic rights, citizenship, constitutional law, freedom of speech, governance and the U.S. court system. Each game provides a walkthrough tutorial that’s easy to understand but does require some close reading.
Among the games are:
Branches of Power. Players control all three branches of government, but must be careful how laws are written and issues are addressed in each branch.
Cast Your Vote. Players choose questions to ask a political candidate and rate their responses. Then, based on the responses, players vote for their favorite candidate.
Supreme Decision. Players consider evidence in a legal case before the Supreme Court and help an undecided justice make up her mind.
We the Jury. While serving on a jury, players analyze evidence, weigh testimony and deliberate with others to reach a fair verdict.
Win the White House. Players run for president, managing their campaign by strategically raising funds, polling voters and launching media campaigns.
Most games take five to 30 minutes to play. Students can play individually or as part of a classroom team. Students who register for a free account earn the ability to collect digital “badges” for high scores. In addition, students will have access to an online leaderboard to compare their scores against others across the country.
Teachers’ resources
A separate page for teachers includes a variety of classroom teaching resources for middle school and high school grade levels. Among them are downloadable print-and-go lesson plans, links to interactive videogames, argumentative-writing guides, source documents for research projects and informative slideshows.
All iCivics curriculum content is grouped into topical units that align to most state educational standards.
Access to iCivics content is free for students and teachers. However, teachers must register for a free account to download lesson plans, support materials and assignment-tracking tools. As registered users, teachers are notified when new and updated material is added to the iCivics page. Because of the large amount of content on the site, teachers are encouraged to check back often.
To register, click on the “Teach” button at the top of the home page, then click the “Register” link on the teachers’ page and follow the prompts.
Visit the iCivics website