Our Courts - About - 0 views
-
Anna Holmgreen on 23 Jun 10"Our Courts is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. Our Courts is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support. Current resources on the site include: quality online lesson plans and links to teaching resources and each branch of government in your state. These resources, written and compiled by classroom teachers, are practical solutions to classroom needs. For students, we have interactive features like Civics in Action, and Talk to the Justice, where students can tell each other and Justice O'Connor about their opinions and their civic participation. Now Available: Our Courts Games In August 2009, Our Courts launched its first online civics games: Do I Have A Right? and Supreme Decision. In February, Our Courts released Argument Wars where players argue landmark Supreme Court cases. A growing body of research shows that games have extraordinary potential for promoting learning and civic engagement. Games also have the potential to inspire 24/7 learning for young students; in fact, a recent Pew report showed that 97% of teenager play video games! Teachers Justice O'Connor believes that education-and teachers-are the indispensable cornerstones of a successful democracy. Her vision requires that teachers be the foundation of the Our Courts project design. Teachers and curriculum specialists have guided every aspect of the Our Courts project's development. They defined learning goals, crafted hypothetical problems to captivate middle school students, ensured alignment to state standards, drafted lesson plans, and vetted game dynamics. To ease the burdens placed on teachers, we're creating games and related materials that we hope will provide quick and easy classroom activities to inspire and engage
