Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Website Review: iCivics

The ICIVICS website provides interactive learning resources including lesson plans, games, and digital interactives. With local, state, and national elections being held around the country, it’s a perfect time to promote civic learning.

Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the website actively engages students in activities that promote democratic action.

The Play section provides a wide range of online games for youth. After completing a free registration process, learners can collect badges, follow the leaderboard, and collect impact points. Games include “Do I Have a Right?”, “Branches of Power,” “Supreme Decision,” “Argument Wars”, “Bill of Rights”, “Immigration Nation”, and more! Play time ranges from 5 to 30 or more minutes per game, perfect for a class period.

The Teach section provides standards-based curriculum units, lesson plans, DBQuests, and WebQuests along with other tools and resources for planning on a wide range of topics including Foundations of Government, Branches of Government, The Constitution, Civil Rights, and others.

Whether focusing attention on the elections or teaching to a particular social studies standard, ICIVICS is a great choice for librarians working with teacher to promote an awareness of the democratic process.

To visit the website, go to https://www.icivics.org/