In-class activities
by Michael Panosh 5 years, 2 months agoIf anyone wouldn't mind sharing any good in-class activities they have for American Government I would appreciate it.
I can also be reached at michael.panosh@gotoltc.edu if you would like to email me directly. Thanks!
Good morning! I do an in-class activity for every chapter that I cover, and I would be happy to share them all with you. Some of the best ones:
1) we cover civil rights the week before their first test, so I start the lecture by giving them a "quiz", but it's actually a section of the 1965 Alabama literacy test. They work on it for about 5 minutes, and right as I notice them starting to panic, I break them into groups and tell them that it is not an actual quiz I wrote, but rather, one of the most egregious examples of voter disenfranchisement. I also have each group pick out the easiest and the hardest question from their section, which prompts good discussion.
2) for the presidency, I supplement with two Freakonomics podcasts - How Much Does the Presidency Really Matter and Has the US Presidency Become a Dictatorship?. Having students listen to both helps them see and understand conflicting views on the presidency.
3) Also, for each branch of government, I start off the discussion by handing out a copy of the corresponding Article of the Constitution. I break them into groups and have them summarize their section into today's language for their classmates. I also have them pick out where the enumerated powers are and where any implied powers orgininate from.
I hope these are helpful!
Andrea, if you could email me at michael.panosh@gotoltc.edu and share I would really appreciate it. I absolutely need to supplement my current instruction with more hands-on activities. I have a class this semester that is so quiet, they barely respond and I need all the help I can get!
Andrea,
Could you please email me at christine.carter@ourladyacademy.com? I would love to use your hands-on activities in my class. This is my first time teaching this course with this textbook, and I would really appreciate it!
Thanks to those that have helped. I am struggling this semester with a group that simply does not want to participate. If anyone can email me at michael.panosh@gotoltc.edu with activities I would appreciate it. It helps so much!