CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM 2010    
   
* Deadline: April 15, 2010 *    
   
Congress in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program now in    
its 19th year. Developed and sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, the    
workshop is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching    
about Congress.    
   
Congress in the Classroom is designed for high school or middle school teachers    
who teach U.S. history, government, civics, political science, or social    
studies.  Forty teachers will be selected to take part in the program. All    
online applications must be received by no later than April 15, 2010. We will    
notify individuals of our decisions by April 30, 2010.    
   
Although the workshop will feature a variety of sessions, the 2010 program will    
feature a broad overview of Congress with special attention to the mid-year    
elections of 2010. Tentative session titles are listed below. Additional    
sessions will be announced as presenters are confirmed. More information about    
the content of each session will be posted on our Web site as it becomes    
available shortly after February 15.    
   
Throughout the program, you will work with subject matter experts as well as    
colleagues from across the nation. This combination of firsthand knowledge and    
peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas, materials, and a    
professionally enriching experience.    
   
"Until now so much of what I did in my class on Congress was straight    
theory-this is what the Constitution says," noted one of our teachers. "Now I    
can use these activities and illustrations to help get my students involved in    
the class and at the very least their community but hopefully in the federal    
government. This workshop has given me a way to help them see how relevant my    
class is and what they can do to help make changes in society."    
   
In sum, the workshop consists of two types of sessions: those that focus on    
recent research and scholarship about Congress (and don't always have an    
immediate application in the classroom) and those geared to specific ways to    
teach students about the federal legislature.    
   
The 2010 workshop will be held Monday, July 26 - Thursday, July 29, at Embassy    
Suites, East Peoria, Illinois.    
   
The program is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education for up to 22    
Continuing Education Units. The program also is endorsed by the National    
Council for the Social Studies.    
   
Participants are responsible for (1) a non-refundable $125 registration fee    
(required to confirm acceptance after notice of selection) and (2)    
transportation to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will pay all    
or a portion of these costs.    
   
The Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel (providing a    
single room for each participant), workshop materials, local transportation,    
all but three meals, and presenter honoraria and expenses. The Center spends    
between $30,000 and $35,000 to host the program each year.    
   
What follows are the sessions planned for the 2010 edition of Congress in the    
Classroom. Please re-visit the site for changes as the program develops.    
   
Session Titles, 2010:    
   
* The View from Capitol Hill Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL, 18th District)    
INVITED    
   
* Congressional Insight A team-oriented, highly interactive simulation of a    
Congress member’s first term CONFIRMED    
   
* The Congressional Time Line Project Frank Mackaman and Cindy Koeppel, The    
Dirksen Congressional Center CONFIRMED    
   
* Can Congress Ever Be Poplular? Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, University of    
Nebraska-Lincoln CONFIRMED    
   
* Memo to a New Congress Member: How to Set Up Your Office Congressional    
Management Foundation INVITED    
   
* Help for Teachers from the Office of History and Preservation Kathleen    
Johnson, Historical Publications Specialist, Office of History and    
Preservation, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives CONFIRMED    
   
* Teaching with Primary Sources Cindy Rich, Project Director, Teaching with    
Primary Sources, Eastern Illinois University CONFIRMED    
   
* The Five Best New Books on Congress Teacher Panel CONFIRMED    
   
* Election 2010: Why Do Voters Vote the Way They Do? Andrew Civettini,    
Department of Political Science, Knox College CONFIRMED    
   
* The Ten Most Important Things to Know about Congress Frank H. Mackaman, The    
Dirksen Congressional Center CONFIRMED    
   
* How to Get Your Point Across to Congress Members Stephanie Vance, Advocacy    
Associates, Washington, DC CONFIRMED    
   
Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site --    
http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm -- to see    
what participants say about the program.    
   
* REGISTRATION *    
   
If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom 2010    
workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at:    
http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm.    
   
Cindy Koeppel The Dirksen Congressional Center 2815 Broadway Pekin, IL 61554    
   
309.347.7113 309.347.6432 Fax Web site:    
http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org Facebook:    
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dirksen-Congressional-Center/144144304380    
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/dirksencenter