iCivics Education

Engaging young learners in subjects such as the American colonial period, governmental rights and privileges can be challenging if their interest is not in the subject being taught. That is why iCivics Education is a great tool for teachers to engage young learners in these subjects without students viewing the lesson plan as sluggish or boring.

iCivics Education is a subdivision of the nonprofit organization iCivics founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor with the purpose to provide activities, resources, and developmental tools for teachers teaching history, civics, or government in K-12 settings. Partnered with historic sites like Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, iCivics Education game section offers researched and nuanced portrayals of historic events and allows students of various ages to explore life in the founding of the nation. One of the most recent games is called “Uncovering Loyalties,” where students in a K-5 classroom are responsible for uncovering what life is like in Williamsburg in the year before the American Revolution takes place. Students will select a character based on real historical figures, such as Mary Geddy, and move around the colonial capital city of Williamsburg, Virginia trying to find who is loyal to the crown of Great Britain or who is rebelling and favoring the colonies’ independence. The game also comes with a lesson plan and student handouts that make lessons more holistic and can provide ease of use for both the teachers and students.

Alternatively, if the classroom consists of students 6-12, iCivics Education provides educational games such as “Investigation Declaration” and its supplementary study tools. This game allows students to explore how the Enlightenment Movement shaped the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and, in turn, how that document changed aspects of the world. Allowing for a little more comprehension skills and critical thinking , students will be able to understand the basics of our nation’s Enlightenment thinkers and how they shaped our democracy. Through the lesson plan, students will have to ask how society today continues to reshape a document that truly was never meant to have a finite meaning.

Using iCivics Education in tandem with Teaching History will provide all the necessary tools and activities for engaging classroom sessions focusing on civic engagement, U.S. government, and history of the colonial and early American Republic.
 

Getting Started

iCivics is fairly simple to use! 

Once you enter the home page, click on the age range of the students you are teaching (broken down into three categories: K-5; 6-8; 9-12). From there, you can filter your search based on topic, resource type (this is where teachers can select the games, simulations, lesson plans, etc), technology available per student, and any additional filters teachers prefer to add. 

Once you find the preferred lesson or resource plan, follow the prompts within each game/resource.

Examples

"Uncovering Loyalities" is a K-5 game that focuses on interpreting the patriot versus loyalist parties leading up to the American Revolution.

"Supreme Decision" is a 9-12 simulation where students will act as petitioner, respondent, or justice in a fictionalized court case of a student's right to wear a band t-shirt to school.