Alyx Kellington
How Does One Engage a Class of Seventh Grade Students in a Civics Discussion?
Posted by Mar 13, 2012
Alyx Kellington
Okay class, please open your civics book to learn about the United States and its government. Now turn the page and we’ll learn about state and local government. And turn the page to find out about elections, parties, vetoes---Hey! Wake up! This stuff is important.
How does one engage a class of 22 seventh-grade students in a discussion of civics?
For the past two years, Roosevelt Middle School in Palm Beach County (FL) has been involved in an arts integration pilot. Resource Depot, a cultural organization that collects reusable materials from local businesses and donates those items to educators, teamed up with teaching artist Jennifer O’Brien, and social studies teacher Cierra Kauffman to teach civics through the arts.
Challenged with making the House and Senate relevant to her students and still required to teach the vocabulary and concepts of government, Kauffman had to find a way to reach the kids and get them engaged.
O’Brien needed to find the art form that would work with the subject matter and the pace of the students.
Together, they focused on one aspect of government and decided to make a stop motion film on “How a Bill Becomes a Law.”
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