Civics Course Implementation Blog

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist This week, IllinoisCivics.org hosted Dr. Charles Flanagan , Outreach Supervisor for the Center for Legislative Archives in the National Archives and Records Administration, for an interactive webinar to demonstrate how primary sources can be used to teach civics through history. If you missed the webinar, you can view a recording of the one-hour session that modeled how their popular lesson plan, Teaching Six Ideas in the Constitution from the Center for Legislative Archives, can be iterated for virtual learning. Direct instruction on democratic institutions is one of the civic learning practices embedded in the Illinois civics course requirements for both middle and high school. The National Archives has numerous resources through both its Educator Resources and DocsTeach websites that allow students to evaluate sources and use evidence per the Illinois social science standards to dig deeper into the foundational concept...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist This fall, “we the people” will have the opportunity to “form a more perfect union” through participation in the 2020 election. Popular Sovereignty, or “people power” has deep roots in our constitutional republic. This week’s #CivicsInTheMiddle webinar explored the concept of popular sovereignty throughout our history and calls to make our republic more democratic through changes in public policy. The Illinois Social Science standards and civics course requirements suggest that teachers use essential questions to engage students in current and societal issue discussions around enduring constitutional concepts. Inquiry to informed action per the standards examining popular sovereignty can be supported through essential questions such as: Has suffrage expanded far enough? How can we make our republic more democratic? How can I exercise my power to make the government more representative of “we the people”? How do competing int...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist This summer, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a series of landmark decisions that will reverberate in civics classrooms and society as a whole for years to come. Whether you find yourself on the left or right of the political spectrum, these precedents offered “wins” for both sides of the aisle and opportunities for classrooms to explore essential questions surrounding judicial review and the role of the courts. How does judicial review influence American culture and vice versa? To what extent is our justice system fair and impartial? To what degree is the judicial branch political? How do competing interests influence how judicial review is exercised and perceived? How does the judicial branch balance the rights of individuals with concerns for the common good? How successful has the judicial branch been in helping build a “more perfect union?” To what extent has judicial review been successful in limi...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist From the award-winning musical Hamilton to current events involving the upcoming elections and government response to COVID-19, essential questions surrounding the separation of powers loom large in political discourse. To what extent are the branches balanced? Who has power and why? To what extent have Constitutional structures been successful in limiting the risk of tyranny? Is a strong president in the best interests of the nation? To what extent should the executive and judicial branches be involved in creating public policy? How do competing interests influence how power is distributed and exercised? To what extent is the judiciary political? Does the system of checks and balances provide us with an effective and efficient government? This week’s IllinoisCivics.org webinar tackled separation of powers through exploring its constitutional origins, how courts interpreted this concept over time, and how political fa...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist The Illinois Social Science standards and civics mandates facilitate student to student exploration of essential questions of power, legitimacy, authority, justice, fairness, and equity. The concept of limited government is central to these current and societal issue discussions as illustrated by the sample essential questions generated by our Illinois Civics Instructional Coaches . What is the balance between individual liberty and the common good? How should the government balance freedom and security? What does the government owe us and vice versa? What is the purpose of government? What do we do when certain civil liberties conflict with one another? How is legitimate authority determined? This week, IllinoisCivics.org used our weekly Wednesday morning webinar to probe many of these questions through a broad survey of how the concept of limited government has been addressed over the years in both interpretation a...