#CivicsIsBack in School!

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor

Best-selling author Gretchen Rubin has declared that “September is the new January,” signaling that for many of us, the new school year marks new beginnings and an opportunity to put those summer resolutions into practice.

As Shawn has highlighted in his recent blog posts, the #CivicsIsBack campaign is designed to support teachers, schools, and districts throughout Illinois in implementing the new high school civics course requirement and related, revised K-12 social studies standards. Leading the way in this endeavor are regional mentors seeded throughout the state of Illinois to support teachers in their areas with resources to enhance classroom practice. You can contact your regional mentor through the illinoiscivics.org website or at a regional workshop in your area.

As you prepare to return to the classroom, here are some of our favorite resources at #CivicsIsBack to start the school year.
  • Engage student voice in setting classroom rules and procedures. If students help create the rules of engagement, they have responsibility to help uphold those protocols. Facing History and Ourselves has a wonderful Class Contracting protocol to this end.
  • Teaching Tolerance also has resources around establishing civil discourse in the classroom.
  • Give this quick seven minute podcast episode about “Lessons in Personhood: How to Truly Lead Your Classroom” on the way to your first day of class to be inspired from Jennifer Gonzalez from Cult of Pedagogy.
  • Are you looking for ice breakers to get to know your students? Here are some “Ice Breakers that Rock” from Cult of Pedagogy.
  • Would you like to learn a bit more about the implicit biases you and your students bring into the classroom. Project Implicit from Harvard University has an assessment to promote awareness. Take it yourself to reflect on your own habits of mind, and then consider sharing the assessment with your students.
  • Looking for a Monday morning lesson plans that embraces the proven practices of civic education? We have you covered! More lessons will be added soon!
Do you have any resources to help teachers start the school year? Please comment below. Together, we can prepare students for college, career and civic life.

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