Constitution Daily Special

Char Rokop and Pat Fabian reviewed all the GED programs on the network, as well as Learning 2000 and the Grolier Encyclopedia. They put together a list of the acceptable portions of the program, by content area and reading level, and developed a new Constitution Daily Special for use this fall. Together with the Web sites, they create a very meaningful program for the students on Constitution Day, September 17. We can work on finishing up and promoting the Daily Special when classes resume in the fall. Thanks, Pat and Char!

Citizenship Test: Adults

http://www.herald-sun.com/votebook/citizenship/citstart.html This is a short test with questions that are likely to be asked by the INS. Students can answer and score the test online.

Citizenship/ESL: Kids, English and Spanish

http://www.goodcharacter.com/pp/citizenship.html

Another good Family Literacy site, this covers how to be a good citizen, discussion questions, writing assignments and student activities. Although created to go with a video on the Six Pillars of Character (information on the video is on the site), many of the lessons are adaptable, and are also in Spanish. For grades K-5.

Citizenship: Kids

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr008.shtml

This is a curriculum for kids, and is great for Family Literacy. It covers: Teaching Citizenship’s Five Themes Activities from the editors of Weekly Reader can help develop K-6 students' understanding of the five citizenship themes and has a solid curriculum with some discussion points that can be used for parents and children to explore the main themes.
Advocating the five themes of citizenship -- honesty, compassion, respect, responsibility, and courage -- is not enough. Exploring those themes, talking about them, and making connections between those themes and your students’ lives are the keys to developing a true understanding of the concepts. The activities below, which will help develop those themes, are divided by grade levels:
Activities for Students in Kindergarten and Grade 1
Activities for Students in Grades 2 and 3
Activities for Students in Grades 4, 5, and 6

ESL Citizenship: Kids Page

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/

For Family Literacy, this is a great page on citizenship from a child's perspective. Created by PBS Kids in New York, it covers what being an American is all about and also has a section on New York which includes the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Areas addressed include: For Teachers, Parents & Kids NY Online Explore the Learning AdventuresPBS Online Thirteen Online American Experience .

ESL: Citizenship

http://www.usnaturalization.org/

This site is the US Naturalization Services home site, and has a trove of information on U. S. Citizenship requirements and forms.

http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/citizen.htm

Information on eligibility requirements, fees, green cards etc. Also a U.S. Government site.

Citizenship: Questions in English and Spanish for EL/Civics

This is a DVD or VHS tape that can be purchased from High Tec Productions, 348 Illinois Avenue, Mercedes, TX 78570. The cost is $19.95 per DVD, but quantity prices are available. The information is also available in a Mandarin/English version. The Study Guide includes a booklet with questions in English and Spanish, as well as a quiz, plus one DVD which includes 3 videos covering the Federal Government, Constitution and History, Symbols and State Government. On the video, the question is first asked in English with a picture or video that represents the topic of the question or answer. The question is then repeated in the second language. The question is last repeated in English followed by a pause so that you can answer the question in English. Each study guide is set up so that you purchase the one with the correct answers for the state in which your interview or test will be conducted.

email address is: sales@hightecproductions.com, and a phone number is (956) 565-5589

Constitution: Constitution and Government via Benjamin Franklin

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/ Ben's Site

This is an interesting site that uses the character of Benjamin Franklin to explore the Constitution and the U.S. Government. The site develops the information for various grade levels, including K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12 Parents & Teachers and would be appropriate for ABE/GED, ESL, Family Literacy and Literacy level students.

Constitution: Constitution Simulation Activity

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/marston/constitution/ A Web Quest

Developed for students at a middle school level, this site gives a simulated game type program for students to explore the Constitution by taking on the persona of a member of one of the three branches of government.

The Introduction explains this simulation further:

"The United States Government needs your help! Your mission for this project is to become a member of one of the three branches of government, and to investigate information about your branch of government. You will need to research websites that deal with the United States Constitution. Once you uncover information about your particular branch, you will participate in a simulation where real life situations will be posed, and you will need to decide who in the three branches has the power to do what. For instance, if the President of the United States wants to make a treaty with China, how would the three branches of government make it happen? Good luck--the fate of the country is in your hands."

Constitution: Lesson Plans

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSExecutiveBranchUSConstitutionJH.htm

A great resource for instructors who wish to teach the Constitution in a class setting. This is done for students at a junior high level, so the content level is appropriate for GED prep students.

Constitution: U.S. Constitution Quiz

http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/constitution/quiz/ this is the kids.org site exploring the Government, but it is an interesting sites for students wanting to test their knowledge of the Constitution and facts.

Constitution: Constitution Center/Interactive

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/TheU.S.Constitution/index.shtml

This site translates the Constitution into Spanish and other languages, and would be useful for students to get the full impact of the document in their native language. There is also a wonderful interactive section to explore by keyword search, by topic or by Supreme Court cases. Another section gives a Constitutional timeline that includes audio clips, point/counterpoint debates, newspaper headlines and maps and graphs. This is an excellent teaching tool. I especially liked that the text is read aloud, and that it discusses the Constitution throughout the various eras. This section requires broadband.
Founding documents are also featured, including:

Magna Carta
Mayflower Compact
Virginia Declaration of Rights
Declaration of Independence
Articles of Confederation
Federalist Papers
Constitution
Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments)
Reconstruction Amendments

Constitution: U.S. Senate Reference Home

http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm

Includes the original text and an explanation of the text, a listing of the current U.S. Senators with districts and addresses, committees, a bill search feature and art and history relating to the Constitution.

Constitution: Search Information

http://www.nwbuildnet.com/nwbn/usconstitutionsearch.html

"We have provided this service to help our users better understand their rights and freedoms under the law and the United States Constitution. You can search by keywords, titles, articles, etc."

Use this handy form provided US House of Represenatives to help you find and contact Members of the United States House of Representatives. Please note that the contact information accessible through this service is provided by each Member office.
Digital Diplomacy for Students: The U.S. Department of State's special web page for students in elementary, middle, and high school.
Our National Directory of U.S. Government Resources provides a comprehensive list of construction specific agencies, departments and services available online from the US Government.

Constitution: Constitution Facts

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/ Constitution Facts

At Constitutionfacts.com you'll see the entire text of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence - and much more! You'll find interesting insights into the men who wrote the Constitution, how it was created, and how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution in the two centuries since its creation.

Constitution: Yale Law School Avalon Project

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/usconst.htm The Avalon Project at Yale Law School

This site contains many of the previous documents that formed the base of knowledge used in creating the Constitution, as well as important speeches and documents from other centuries to the present.

Constitution: Interactive/Multimedia

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
Dedicated to honoring and explaining the U.S. Constitution through interactive and multimedia exhibits, photographs, film, sculpture, text, and artifacts.

Constitution: Hypertext Version

http://www.usconstitution.net/ hypertext version of the U.S. constitution, with a FAQ, message base, glossary, and comprehensive links to information on U.S. State and other constitutions.

Constitution: National Archives

http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/constitution.html

The National Archives has a nationwide network of research facilities. This site has a scan of the U.S. Constitution available online.

Welcome to the Constitution Blog!

The Waubonsee Community College Constitution Day blog is being developed to give students some interesting Websites for Constitution Day/Citizenship Day on September 17th. However, this blog will be available to all students at any time, celebrating the wealth of national treasure that is shared by all Americans.