Best of the Web

Periodically we compile a list of the best of what the Internet has to offer to teachers—be that in the classroom or just in daily life. The current edition highlightscivics resources.

If you would like to suggest a topic for a future edition, please email us at info@teacherscount.org.

View the Best of the Web Archive for past resources, including lesson plans, employment listings, technology in the classroom, and many more.

Civics Resources

Can I Vote?

Can I Vote is a site created by the nation’s chief state election officials to make voting as simple and easy as possible. The site is a step-by-step guide to the process.

The Civic Center

This site, geared in particular towards civics in Massachusetts, chronicles a tour of the Massachusetts statehouse, provides links to immigration information resources, and provides other short lessons about subjects such as civic literacy.

Close Up Foundation

Close Up is the nation’s largest non-profit, non-partisan citizenship education organization. Close Up’s mission is to enable students to have a “close up” experience with government. The organization sponsors and runs a weeklong flagship program for high schoolers that brings high school students to the nation’s capital to experience the federal government “close up.”

Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) is a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society. The Foundation provides free civics-themed online lessons and pamphlets and runs programs such as Mock Trial.

Get Up, Stand Up Quicktime Video: (low), (medium), (high bandwidth)

Darryl Lawson, a teacher at Humanities High School in New York City, delivers a powerful civics lesson in this four-minute video about voting. In it, you'll hear his students speak candidly about their resistances to voting and witness the impact of dialogue and inspired teaching on those attitudes. Created by Katherine Dowling, a teacher at Humanities High School, and facilitated by Linda Mevorach, this video is slated to air on Current TV (the Google network) in the days preceding the November 2006 elections. For more information, email info@teacherscount.org.

The Giraffe project

The Giraffe project helps teachers inspire students with stories about everyday people who “stuck their necks out” for the greater good. It provides students with examples to motivate them to be active citizens.

Kids Voting USA

Kids Voting USA teaches students how to be educated and engaged citizens through classroom activities, an authentic voting experience, and family dialogue. KVUSA provides K-12 teachers with instructional materials, including civic learning tools and classroom activities about the electoral process.

National Alliance for Civil Education

This website gives a great definition of civic education and provides links to web resources dealing with topics such as political engagement, civic knowledge, and civic renewal (at http://www.cived.net/rsrc.html).

PBS’ Now Voter Action Guide

PBS provides printable classroom resources that encourage students to become active citizens. Ideas include creating a voter’s guide and getting an issue on a candidate’s agenda.

The Library of Congress: The Learning Page Especially for Teachers

The Library of Congress website gives teachers the tools they need to create interactive lessons based on original American documents and pictures, which are posted on the website. Lesson plans focus on a variety of topics including citizenship, voting, and civic education.

You The People

Through a series of small-group-based lesson plans, teachers can use You the People to inform their students about ways to participate in the political process.