Wag the Dog is an interesting movie that explores the relationship of media and politics. In the film, a spindoctor fabricates a war and creates all kinds of distractions to help his candidate win re-election as President. Wag the Dog is a strange movie, in that the plot is outlandish but also realistic enough. If […]
Does social studies include more than just history? If you look at New Jersey’s model curriculum for social studies, you might not think so. New Jersey’s social studies standards already place a great deal of emphasis on history. There is so much content that civics and government gets pushed to the sidelines. In case you […]
Gerrymandering is a critical concept in civics and government, and as a social studies teacher you may be looking for a gerrymandering game to help teach it. It’s a simple concept to define. It’s the process by which a group of political officials manipulate the drawing of an election map in a way that benefits […]
Project Citizen is a project-based learning program created by the Center for Civic Education. It teaches students about public policy. It does so by leading them through the process of researching a problem and developing a proposal for the government to address that problem. The program is based on a textbook developed by the Center for […]
Show Me a Hero is an HBO mini-series that follows the conflict over segregation in affordable housing in Yonkers. It chronicles the rise and fall of Nick Wasicsko as he tries to successfully navigate the racial politics of his divided city. It’s from the creator of The Wire, David Simon, and it meets the high expectations […]
In theory, social studies is supposed to incorporate a lot of things – history, geography, civics, economics. These themes should all be infused throughout a social studies course. But the way New Jersey’s Student Learning Standards are set up, one type of content reigns supreme: history. New Jersey’s standards put so much emphasis on history […]
Teaching current events is an important part of civics education. Students need to know what’s going on around the world to be engaged citizens. If you want to teach current events in class, CNN10 is a free online resource for doing so. If you’re unfamiliar with CNN10, you can read more about why it’s a […]
When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold your pen. The 2017 NEA Leadership Summit closed with NEA Secretary Treasurer Princess Moss sharing this quote. She urged the attendees to pick up the pen and author their own stories instead of letting someone else tell the story of public education. Last […]
StudentCam is an annual competition hosted by C-SPAN for middle and high school students. C-SPAN sets a theme for each year’s contest, and students create a 5-7 minute video related to that theme. In the process, students must navigate the C-SPAN video archive and demonstrate a deep understanding of concepts in civics and government. This […]
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a classic movie about American government and politics. At the opening of the movie, a U.S. Senator dies. His replacement is a naive examplar of a citizen from the midwest, Jeff Smith. When Mr. Smith gets to Washington, he realizes that things aren’t quite as rosy and perfect as […]