Teacher Tips - Using Fasttrack Civics

Tips for teachers using
Fasttrack Civics

Here are some more ideas and suggestions
for using Fasttrack Civics

It is always a hectic week getting ready for the start of school, but it is also an exciting time! The students are eager, as anyone can see when the doors open that first day. The look of anticipation in their eyes is testimony to the unique opportunity we are given to play a role in their lives as teachers, administrators, and staff. Always remember that it is an honor to serve in our profession.

If you are using the binder / site license option, start with # 1.
If you purchased the printed paperbound workbooks, skip to # 3.

1. Job One: Help students get organized as school begins!

   Students are naturally excited as the year begins, so tap that enthusiasm and show them that staying organized will help them succeed in school and in life. The practice they get keeping their Civics class materials neatly organized builds this vital skill every day.

   Download and make copies of the supply list handout (click here for PDF file) to show students how to set up their binders with dividers and tabs. Tell students that they can make their own dividers and tabs from construction paper, or buy ready-made dividers.

   The handout pages for each new unit of Fasttrack Civics will go in the New section. After each unit is completed, it should be moved to the Old section.

   Homework, project papers, and other assignments will go in the Other section. Some lined notebook paper should go in the Paper section.

2. Get the unit packet pages ready to go!

   Copy and hole punch the pages for the first unit from your binder of master pages, and set them out for students to pick up assembly line style. Have them put the pages in the New section. Use pastel colored paper, if possible, for each unit's title page and (on the back) the list of the unit's pages. That will help indicate the starting page of each unit, with its focus questions and vocabulary list. The page list has a space where students can jot down any related textbook pages you want them to read.

Remember, you must have a current school-wide
site license to copy any pages from Fasttrack Civics.
Please contact us if you need to renew or
check the status of your school's site license.

3. Begin by linking to what students already know.

   The title page of each unit has several focus questions you should read aloud as you introduce that section. See if students can offer at least partial answers for some of them. Then, ask students to check off any words in the vocabulary list they already know something about. These are good ways to activate prior knowledge, and interest students in what lies ahead.

4. Use the Internet support site to get students interested and involved.

   The Internet support site has links to interesting sites and resources. Work these into your teaching and classroom activities. Use a variety of methods, such as direct instruction, individual work, projects, and group activities.

   Remind students to complete any maps by using the same colors as shown on the Internet site, and to shade land and water areas very lightly!

5. Use great DVD and YouTube resources.

   Start building your own collection of classroom video hits - there are some suggested sources on this web site. Create a three ring binder with dividers organized by unit. Each video you preview gets its own page (or pages for longer videos). Jot down running notes of the content, with the timing of the various scenes from the start of the video. Mark the best parts with a highlighter. As that notebook grows it will improve your classroom year after year!

    Preview all videos for classroom use carefully, then pick the segments that will best meet your instructional objectives. Shorter is often better than longer. Don't show boring or confusing video clips at all. If you show video clips longer than about eight or ten minutes, pause the playback at intervals to emphasize a point or ask a few questions to check for student understanding.

6. Be an inspiration!

   As a Civics teacher, your job is not primarily to create future presidents or Ivy League graduates. A much more vital purpose is to help all students find meaning and purpose in their own lives as active participants in their school, community, and nation. Knowing all about the Constitution is important, but equally important is developing wisdom about public life and personal responsibility that an open, democratic society requires.

   Share with students stories that carry our civilization's values and point the way to a worthy life. Let people from America's past and present share their inspiring words with your students. Students want help finding the path to a responsible and meaningful adulthood. Here are two examples of thought-provoking short videos you can find online:

Rev. Martin Luther King's advice for middle school students - Click here.
A man has "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries" - Click here

   Click here for additional thoughts: Students Want Help and Directions Along Life's Way.

7. Be an honest referee.

   In a Civics class, it is especially important that you avoid tilting instruction to one side of an issue or one side of the political spectrum. Make it a point of honor to balance the scale every time. Bring out the arguments supporting each side of an issue, and the arguments that go against each side. Tell students that you will always do this, and will avoid taking a position on one side or the other. That will help students feel secure speaking up in class discussions, and also learn to consider fairly the views of others.

   Remind students that political and economic issues are often very complex, and may not have one easy, simple solution. Political leaders and voters themselves almost always have a mixed bag of motives and life experiences that shape their views and decisions. That's why we have a democratic system of government.

8. Get your classroom Audio/Visual game on!

Great videos won't impress students if the picture or sound quality is below par. Don't project your videos on the classroom white board - it shows bad glare to the students near the center of the room, and won't show the video very well to anyone. Use a pull down screen, and adjust for the largest clear / bright image possible. Daylight from windows will wash out the screen image, so be sure you have blinds, curtains, or some other way to darken the room. There is a link from the Home Page that will give you suggestions for setting the best screen resolution of your LCD projector.

Sound matters just as much as the video image. A small stereo amplifier and a set of speakers will lift the presentation from blah to WOW! Those speakers in the LCD projector itself can't fill a classroom. The little speaker sets meant for desktop computers at home are not much better. You don't need to spend a lot - check with parents who might have an old amplifier or pair of speakers sitting in a closet, or get a deal at a local thrift store. Here's a diagram for an LCD projector setup with lots of flexibility:

    You can download (in PDF format) and print the diagram above by clicking here.

9. Begin each class with a warm-up activity.

   Have three to five review questions (fill in the blank or short answer) on the board or big screen that students can answer on paper as soon as they arrive. This gives students a specific, every day routine that helps them get settled and focused, and it gives you time to take attendance. Let them use their notebook binders to find any answers they don't know. Let them make corrections as you go over the answers. That way every class starts with success, and with everyone tuned into key points from recent lessons.

   Be sure to add a positive comment as you finish the warm-up: "Great, it's good to see everyone today, and that everyone is up to speed with yesterday's lesson." You can download a warm up sheet (PDF format) good for 6 class days by clicking here.

   It is also a good idea to end each class with either a written "exit ticket" or a few verbal questions to reinforce key points before the bell. Example: "Anyone in these two rows: What very old document helped England limit the power of kings and move toward the idea of "the rule of law"? "The Magna Carta!" "Great, next two rows . . ."   Before dismissing students, be sure to end on a positive note: "I really appreciate that everyone was on time and attentive today," or "Good questions and comments today - I enjoyed it! See you tomorrow!"

10. Don't forget to have fun!

   No one is going to enjoy a Civics class without some excitement, suspense, and fun. Make time to work in activities, videos, projects, and current events news stories that students will still be talking about when they get home.

   Encourage short class presentations by students - perhaps one each week - on public issues. You can keep presentations on controversial issues balanced by assigning students in pairs so both sides are presented. Clip, copy, or save links to printed items or Internet pages that might build interest in particular units. You can also create "web quests" to send students exploring some of the links on this web site or other good ones that you discover. As time permits, share short news stories and videos you come across in print or online that shed light on human life as it is lived and experienced through individual, family, and community life.

Below: A classroom showing a 60 inch wide pull down screen and LCD projector arrangement. This size works well for showing standard format (4:3 screen ratio) videos and web sites. A 72 inch wide screen, however, will offer better visibility for videos with wide screen (16:9) format.