iCivics.org

          Four years ago I happened upon a website called iCivics.org and I have been using it ever since.  Even though I'm not currently teaching Civics and Economics, I still find uses for the website.  When we are discussing the Enlightenment and Revolutions in World History and comparing the English Bill of Rights with the American Bill of Rights "Do I Have a Right?" makes for a great interactive review of the rights afforded to citizens of this country.  I was disappointed this year when I received my iPads because they do not work with flash and thus do not work with iCivics.org.  HOWEVER, recently I was perusing the iCivics site when I found they had developed an App for the iPad.  "Pocket Law Firm" is the iPad version of "Do I Have a Right?"

          "Do I Have a Right?" or "Pocket Law Firm" has students put in their name, they get to choose who they want to be their partner in the law firm (choice between two different people representing two different amendments), and then the clients start filing in.  Each new client comes with an issue - students have to decide whether the person's rights are being violated or not, and if they are being violated they need to match them with the correct lawyer for that issue or ask them to come back and try to acquire the right lawyer before the next round.  They also win money for winning court cases.  With the money they need to budget to get more lawyers, fix up the waiting room, spend it on things for the lawyers to make them smarter and faster, etc.  

I'd recommend this site and app for Social Studies Teachers everywhere 

for Middle School - High School Students! 

Check It Out By Clicking Here

Greek Gods and Goddesses

Idea: Using the iPad iMovie (4.99 in app store) to create depictions of the Greek Gods and Goddesses

Goal: Apply the notes on Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses

Student Need To: Portray the God or Goddess they were assigned without using their name at ANY point in the Movie Trailer

Students Were Graded On: Title of their Movie, Theme they chose to represent their god or goddess (i.e. Hades = Scary, Dionysus = Retro; Aphrodite = Romance), Acting, Subtitles, Costume, and then Overall Depiction of the God or Goddess being shown

   The project took 45 minutes for each group for three days to be working on them.  On the fourth day we spent time watching all of the videos in class, talking about the god or goddess they were portraying and then who they were in the Roman context versus the Greek.  This was not only an great student centered project, but it had students applying the knowledge of the gods and goddesses they learned in class and then also served as a review for them the day before the quiz.