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 students, meet key learning goals, and add more fun to teaching and learning civics. We welcome feedback and suggestions from teachers and others, so don’t hesitate to contact us.
Background
Civics education is being marginalized in our country, and available curricula are lacking in teacher-friendly solutions to excite and engage students. Only a little more than one-third of Americans can name the three branches of government, and yet civics education continues to be pushed out of the classroom. Where it is taught, it is consistently rated as one of students’ least favorite subjects. The news is not all bad, however. In recent elections, young people have participated in campaigns and at the polls in record numbers. Politicians and entertainers are learning how to excite young people about public affairs by speaking to them in their language and through their media. Our Courts seeks to bring this approach to the educational arena in order to supply the next generation with the tools they will need for informed civic engagement and leadership.