CEC NewsWant to learn more about the Consortium? Sign up to receive News from the CEC, our monthly e-newsletter that features news and current opportunities related to youth civic engagement. Contact Anita Buie at buie@sog.unc.edu to be added to the list of Consortium partners and friends who receive News from the CEC each month. Featured Lessons: Presidential Leadership in Times of Crisis The Constitution and Presidential Action in Times of Crisis The Great Depression (Power Point Accompaniment) Presidential Decisions During the Vietnam War (Power Point Accompaniment) The Vietnam War and Protest Music (Power Point Accompaniment) 1. Consortium Continues Partnership with Humanities Program Offering Training on Presidential Leadership The NC Civic Education Consortium and the UNC Humanities Program of the College of Arts and Sciences have again partnered to offer teachers a unique opportunity to participate in a Humanities Program seminar and Consortium teacher training. On November 6 and 7, eighteen North Carolina teachers participated in “Presidential Leadership in Times of Crisis,” a two-day collaboration that featured lectures from preeminent presidential scholars and training on bringing this material into the classroom. “The Presidential Leadership in Times of Crisis training was a great success,” said Paul Bonnici, project director for the Consortium. “Many teachers expressed appreciation for learning how to translate information from the seminar portion of the program to practical classroom lessons.” Teachers first attended a UNC Humanities Program seminar in which three historians considered the challenges faced by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George W. Bush, and Richard Nixon, with comparisons to the challenges Barack Obama currently faces. Participants then explored the actions these presidents undertook, the constraints they faced, and lessons to take from the past. The program culminated with a panel discussion on presidential reactions to crisis. After attending the seminar, teachers engaged in lesson plans about presidential leadership throughout our country’s history. The Consortium led the teachers through lessons that addressed: the Vietnam War and its effect on society, George W. Bush and the War on Terror, and the Great Depression and FDR. These lessons were designed for easy implementation in the US History classroom. All lessons and power points are now available in the Consortium’s Database of Civic Resources and also linked above in the “Featured Lessons” section. To learn more about training opportunities, visit the “Current Opportunities” section of CEC News. 2. Your Gift to Carolina Can Support the Consortium’s Work Are you a Carolina alum making annual gifts to the University? Did you know that you can designate your annual gift to go directly to the Civic Education Consortium? As a program of the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, your gifts to Carolina can support the Consortium’s efforts to prepare North Carolina's youth to be active, responsible citizens. Your gift will help us provide teachers and community leaders with training and resources to teach young people how to participate in democratic life. As a program of the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, donations to the Consortium are tax deductible. To learn more, or to make a secure on-line donation, visit our website. 3. NC Campus Compact Needs Your Input NC Campus Compact is a coalition of higher education institutions that are interested in engaging with their community. The Compact is conducting a survey to learn how its member higher education institutions better serve their communities. NC Campus Compact is particularly interested in hearing from North Carolina’s educators; this is an excellent opportunity to make sure your voice is heard. To access the survey, click here. For more information about the Compact, visit their website at www.nccampuscompact.org. If you have questions, contact their Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Keyne, at lkeyne@elon.edu. Thank you for participating!
1. Free Teacher Training: "From Slavery to Freedom: African American History and Culture" Deadline: January 27, 2010 Are you looking for new and creative ways to teach about slavery and emancipation in your middle school classroom? Join the NC Civic Education Consortium and the UNC Program in the Humanities and Human Values for a unique exploration of the institution of slavery, the process of emancipation, and the experiences of the human lives affected throughout. Weaving together art, slave narratives, historical inquiry, and more, this two-day training will provide teachers the opportunity to broaden their content knowledge and explore ways to translate such material for use in the middle school classroom.
The training will take place on Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6, 2009 at the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill; participants must attend both days. Consortium teacher training will take place on Friday and the Program in the Humanities' Seminar will take place on Saturday. For more information or to register, visit the Consortium’s upcoming trainings page. 2. National Online Youth Summit Deadline: December 9, 2009 How have First Amendment rights been affected by the changing ways we communicate? Have our rights to the freedom of speech, the right to assemble, and free exercise of religion changed in the classroom and in the virtual world as we've settled into the 21st century? To join this highly relevant discussion, enroll your class in this free, 12-week interdisciplinary program today! The National Online Youth Summit (NOYS), sponsored by the American Bar Association, is a national web-based program that encourages youth to learn about and critically evaluate a timely, law-related topic. The Summit curriculum, objectives, and goals are adaptable and allow teachers to create an exemplary project-based learning experience tailored to their students and relevant learning standards.
Over the last eleven years, more than 4,000 high school students have participated in the Summit. Past topics have included environmental law, immigration, capital punishment, youth internet access, and the Second Amendment. For more information, or to enroll, visit the American Bar Association’s website or contact Rina Shah at shahr@staff.abanet.org. 3. National Endowment for the Humanities and American Library Association Announce We the People Bookshelf Grant Opportunity Deadline: January 29, 2010 The National Endowment for the Humanities, in cooperation with the American Library Association's Public Programs Office, has announced that applications are being accepted for the seventh annual We the People Bookshelf project. Part of the endowment's We the People program, the bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history. This year's theme, "A More Perfect Union," invites reflection on the idea of the United States as a union and will complement library programs observing the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. To stimulate programming, the bookshelf features a DVD edition of The Civil War, the documentary by Ken Burns, including the rights to show the series to public audiences. Additional bonus materials include the companion book to The Civil War series and Declaring Independence: The Origin and Influence of America's Founding Document, edited by Christian Y. Dupont. Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply. In the spring of 2010, NEH and ALA will select four thousand libraries to receive the seventeen books for young readers, bonus materials for readers of all ages, and the option to receive three titles in Spanish translation. Libraries selected will be required to use the bookshelf selections in programs for young readers in their communities. Visit the ALA website for complete program information. 4. 2010 Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers Deadline: March 15, 2010 The Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers will be held in Washington, DC June 17-22, 2010. The Institute brings teachers from across the country for six days of educational activities related to teaching about the U.S. Supreme Court. The Institute, co-sponsored by the Supreme Court Historical Society and Street Law, Inc., includes sessions led by Supreme Court experts, journalists, authors, and attorneys, who give teachers an in-depth understanding of how the Court chooses and decides cases, and what it is like to argue before the Court. The Institute covers nine current or recent cases, and teachers even learn about the personalities of the justices. This exciting opportunity culminates with a visit to the Court to hear decisions handed down and a private reception at the Court. The Institute prepares teachers to use innovative teaching methods with current and past cases. Beyond the content-rich sessions and activities, teachers are also equipped with the skills and tools to train fellow teachers at home. Costs include a registration fee of $150 and a discounted hotel room rate at the Washington Court. Admission is based on a competitive application process. Applicants must teach or supervise secondary social studies and commit to attend all sessions. For additional information, visit Street Law’s website or contact Amaly Snowdon at asnowdon@streetlaw.org 5. ING Unsung Heroes Program Offers Grants for K-12 Educational Projects Deadline: April 30, 2010 The ING Unsung Heroes program annually provides grants to K-12 educators utilizing new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning. Each year, educators submit applications for an ING Unsung Heroes grant by describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence students. One hundred finalists will be selected to receive a grant of $2,000 each, payable to both the winning teacher and his or her school. At least one grant will be awarded in each of the fifty states, provided at least one qualified application is received from each state. Of the hundred finalists, three are selected for additional financial awards — $25,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place. All K-12 education professionals are eligible to apply. Applicants must be employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States and be full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff with effective projects that improve student learning. For more information, visit ING’s Unsung Heroes website. 6. Michael Sandel’s Harvard course “Justice” now available online Professor Sandel’s course “Justice,” one of the most popular courses in Harvard’s history, is now available online. Nearly one thousand students pack Harvard’s historic Sanders Theatre to hear Professor Sandel talk about justice, equality, democracy, and citizenship. Now teachers and students can take the same journey in moral reflection that has captivated more than 14,000 students, as Harvard opens its classroom to the world. This course aims to help viewers become more critically minded thinkers about the moral decisions we all face in our everyday lives. In this 12-part series, Sandel challenges us with difficult moral dilemmas and asks our opinion about the right thing to do. He then asks us to examine our answers in the light of new scenarios. The result is often surprising, revealing that important moral questions are never black and white. Sorting out these contradictions sharpens our own moral convictions and gives us the moral clarity to better understand the opposing views we confront in a democracy. These lectures address the hot topics of our day—same sex marriage, affirmative action, patriotism and rights—and Sandel shows us that we can revisit familiar controversies with a fresh perspective. The process of thinking our way through the difficult moral questions of our day—figuring out what we think, and why—helps make us better citizens. For more information, or to watch Sandel’s lectures, visit the course’s webpage. |
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