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Homepage for the USIP - Great lesson plan ideas and essay contest for high school students under Education & Training tab.

The essay contest for 2009-10 is not up yet, but the topic is the effectiveness of nonviolent civic action. My students participated last year when the topic was crimes against humanity and it lead to really great discussions.

A great short film on the Next Vista for Learning site. It is a short explanation of The Black Death and was created by a teacher in California. The video was a winning entry in one of Next Vista's video creation contests. An example of something I would like to emulate at my school.

The Redistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting. Currently, the political system in most states allows the state legislators themselves to draw the lines. This system is subject to a wide range of abuses and manipulations that encourage incumbents to draw districts which protect their seats rather than risk an open contest. By exploring how the system works, as well as how open it is to abuse, The Redistricting Game allows players to experience the realities of one of the most important (yet least understood) aspects of our political system. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides info about reform initiatives - including a playable version of the Tanner Reform bill to demonstrate the ways that the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. Beyond playing the game, the web site for The Redistricting Game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every state as well as providing hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.

This is the kind of learning students really dive in to, learn so much from, and never forget. How many NY State middle school and high school teachers will pass on it because they have too much to teach? The irony...