Can you name the three branches of government?

Hello colleagues, Yesterday, November 19, was the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. You can find a wonderful standards-based lesson plan by Anne Continetti at the "What so Proudly We Hailed: Making American Citizens through Literature" blog. The site features many great lessons and instructional resources on civics-related content.

I heard something recently that shocked me. Can it be true that only 1 in 4 Americans can name even one branch of the federal government?! If this is the case, we surely need more civics education.

Comments welcome!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP

 

 

Comments

Susan, I am not surprised by that statistic but it does make me sad. Do we dare ask those gathered at our Thanksgiving dinners to name the 3 branches to see how they do? I think ICivics has been mentioned before in the CoPs but it's worth mentioning agian because the site is a great way for folks to learn civics and have fun a the same time. https://www.icivics.org/

Thanks, Di, for reminding us about the ICivics site that was founded by former justice of the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor. This is wonderful site with free lesson plans and games devoted to civics education.

I think I'll conduct my own little informal survey during the Thanksgiving holiday on the three branches of government. If anyone else does an informal survey. Let us know what you find out!

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP