Courts in the Classroom
Supreme Court of Indiana
Division of State Court Administration
30 S. Meridian Street, Ste 500
Indianapolis, IN 46204
History Project Award
from the National Council
on Public History
The September 2011 release of Indiana's Civic Health Index showcased how important civic knowledge is to the development of active citizens, and how few civic education opportunities are available to most students. Spearheaded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is a web-based education project designed to reinvigorate civic teaching and learning. iCivics features free lesson plans, web quests, discussion forums, and games. With these tools, iCivics will help empower the first generation of "digital natives" to become knowledgeable civic participants and leaders. iCivics resources are all free and available at http://www.icivics.org/.
The iCivics project works to reinvigorate civic learning inside and outside of the classroom. By learning how to utilize iCivics and other resources in their classrooms, teachers are able to introduce civics concepts to students at every grade level. These concepts prepare students to become dutiful citizens who stay informed about current events, serve their communities, and vote.
In Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court and the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) are spearheading the effort to inform Hoosier school teachers and administrators about the wide variety of resources available from http://www.icivics.org/, including lesson plans aligned with Indiana's state social studies standards. The Court and IADC are planning an Indiana civic education workshop for Friday, April 13, 2012. The workshop will showcase the resources and games available at iCivics.org, highlight how the iCivics curriculum is aligned with Indiana's social studies standards, and provide civic education materials from numerous Indiana organizations.
The workshop will take place at the Indiana State House from about 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 13. Participants will hear teacher testimonials, familiarize themselves with iCivics materials, interact with Indiana judges and lawyers, and create lesson plans. Lunch is included. In addition, representatives from local civic education organizations will be in attendance to distribute educational materials. Professional Growth Point certificates will be mailed following the program.
Registration for the workshop will close on Friday, March 16.