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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM 2010 NEW SESSIONS ADDED!!! DEADLINE APPROACHING!!! * 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 Popular?" Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, University of Nebraska-Lincoln CONFIRMED * "How Fantasy Football Saved Congress: Active Learning through a Congressional Drafting Game" Jennifer J. Hora, Department of Political Science, Valparaiso University CONFIRMED * "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 * "A View of Congress from the White House: What the Presidential Tapes Reveal" KC Johnson, Department of History, Brooklyn College CONFIRMED * "A Journalist's Take on Congress" David Lightman, Congressional Correspondent, McClatchy News Service CONFIRMED * "Teaching with Primary Sources" Cindy Rich, Project Director, Teaching with Primary Sources, Eastern Illinois University CONFIRMED * Leadership in the House During the 111th Congress" Bryan Marshall, Department of Political Science, Miami University of Ohio * "Introduction to the Virtual Congress" Elaine Larson, Education and Outreach Training, Center of Congress at Indiana University CONFIRMED * "What is Most Important to Teach about Congress?" Teachers 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 Phone 309.347.6432 Fax Web site: http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dirksen-Congressional-Center/144144304380 Twitter: http://twitter.com/dirksencenter