WCSS2017

Tired of the same old government class with PowerPoints and textbooks? Looking for some projects and activities for teaching regular government and AP Government? Look no further than this session where we will discuss ideas, simulations and technologies to innovate your government class. Also, participants should bring an idea to share and help out the government teaching community of WCSS!!!

Elections are over. Now what? Engage your students and provide support for deeper learning about elections, the roles of elected officials, and Constitutional Rights. With the help of iCivics Director of Content, Carrie Ray-Hill and iCivics Educator Network members David Olson and Joe Schmidt, teachers will leave this session with interactive lesson plans, games, and action civics projects sure to thrill late elementary through advanced high school students. Teachers should bring their own devices (laptops or tablets preferred) in order to explore and play.

This workshop will review recent research on teaching citizenship skills successfully in the classroom. Using Freedoms Foundation’s Bill of Responsibilities as a starting point, participants will participate in a lesson demonstration ready to use in any classroom. Finally, teachers will preview summer professional development opportunities in history, character development, and literacy.

Are you reluctant to bring up controversial issues in your classroom? Has the recent presidential election heightened your anxiety about how to broach increasingly polarizing political topics? In this participatory session teachers will explore the elements of effective discussion and practice using parliamentary procedure as a method for achieving civil discourse in an age of incivility. Supporting video produced by Wisconsin Eye demonstrates how parliamentary procedure is used in the Wisconsin Legislature, and by students participating in the legislative simulation known as the Legislative Semester. This method could be utilized with students in grades 6-12, and is suited for any discussion of public or controversial issues, especially in government or civics courses.