UPDATED> Communicator Update: March 2004
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: NetHappenings <nethappenings@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 09:15:00 -0600
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From: "Cindy Koeppel" <ckoeppel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ckoeppel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Communicator Update: March 2004
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 14:10:00 -0600
Importance: Normal
COMMUNICATOR UPDATE: March 2004
Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator - a web-based
e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to enhance civic education
and improve the understanding of Congress --
<http://www.webcommunicator.org>http://www.webcommunicator.org
**STILL TIME TO APPLY FOR CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM® 2004!**
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Monthly Feature - Why Is It Important to Vote?
2. Monthly Theme - Political Parties: The Function
3. Featured Grant-funded Project
4. News and Views from The Center
5. Trivia -- Political Party Time!
6. Postscript Information
1. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO VOTE?
Steve Frantzich, Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Naval Academy,
answers this basic question on CongressLink --
<http://www.congresslink.org/whyvote.htm>http://www.congresslink.org/whyvote.htm
-- with this observation: You can't win if you don't play. Election outcomes
are determined by those who participate. Elected officials make important
(often life and death) decisions about how our society will expend its
collective resources and the restraints it will place on individual behavior.
The drinking age, the age at which you can get a driver's license, and the
amount of money your teachers receive are some of the decisions made by elected
officials. In making those decisions, elected officials respond to people who
bother to vote more than to those who abstain. Voting does not guarantee that
one's preferences will prevail, but choosing not to vote denies a person one of
they key tools of having a say in a democracy. Frantzich also explains how a
young person can get involved in the voting process, how to determine who to
vote for, and how to know if you are a Republican or a Democrat. This Expert
View has links to related Web sites, too.
2. POLITICAL PARTIES: THE FUNCTION -- Registering as a Republican or Democrat
makes people members of a political party, although many people do not think of
it this way. Nominating candidates for public office and getting as many of
them elected as possible is the basic purpose of political parties. The March
issue of Communicator will introduce resources that will help your students
understand the role and function of political parties in our democracy.
The people represented by elected officials, constituents (whether Republican
or Democrat), make their concerns known to their representatives. While
constituents expect Congress to represent their concerns, they also want
Congress to make decisions to pass laws. All of this requires skills to serve
effectively in Congress, but what are the skills needed and how do politicians
acquire them? Learn more, find An Effective Congress and Effective Members:
What Does It Take? at:
<http://www.congresslink.org/sinclair.html>http://www.congresslink.org/sinclair.html
Knowing that political parties organize both houses of Congress, including the
selection of leaders, is one of the most important points that a high school
student should know about Congress. Take a look at this key point and see if
your students can answer the related research questions. Find What Every
Student Should Know About Congress -- Item #6 at:
<http://www.congresslink.org/actfour.html>http://www.congresslink.org/actfour.html.
CongressLink offers a unit that will help teachers create a simulation of the
U.S. House of Representatives floor debate process. The simulation teaches
lessons about the various issues that factor in how lawmakers make decisions,
including parliamentary rules and procedures, the role of constituents,
political concerns and institutional concerns, and more. Find House Floor
Debate Simulation at:
<http://www.congresslink.org/simulationVance/index.htm>http://www.congresslink.org/simulationVance/index.htm.
Political parties represent groups as well as individuals and they are
essential to democracy. For example, parties help simplify voting choices and
translate public preferences into policy. Learn more about political parties
and interest groups and test your knowledge after reading the chapter overview.
Find Political Parties and Interest Groups at:
<http://www.aboutgovernment.org/politicalparties.htm>http://www.aboutgovernment.org/politicalparties.htm.
*NEW* In three centuries of spirited competition, which political party comes
out ahead? Take the trivia quiz, Smackdown: Democrats vs. Republicans at:
<http://www.congressforkids.net/games/Elections_politicalparties/2_politicalparties.htm>http://www.congressforkids.net/games/Elections_politicalparties/2_politicalparties.htm.
3. FEATURED GRANT-FUNDED PROJECT
This month our featured grant-funded project is a Robert H. Michel Civic
Education Grant of $5,000 awarded to Alan Rosenthal of Eagleton Institute of
Politics from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Alan's project,
Teaching Democracy Appreciation, will develop a package of teaching materials
that will focus on fundamental lessons about representative democracy. For
example, people do not themselves govern but delegate governance to
representatives whom they elect. In addition, political parties and political
interest groups provide representation. The package for teachers will include
explanation of concepts such as this one and others, three illustrative
simulations, and suggestions for resource materials. Learn more about this
project and others at:
<http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm#RecentGrants>http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm#RecentGrants
4. NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER
** SESSIONS ANNOUNCED: Congress in the Classroom® 2004 **
STILL TIME TO APPLY!
The 2004 program theme will be Election 2004. Individual sessions and
presenters that will be offered include:
* The Honorable Ray LaHood, U.S. House of Representatives, Election 2004, A
View from Capitol Hill
* Steve Frantzich, U.S. Naval Academy, What if They Held an Election and No
One Came? Citizenship, Cynicism, and Participation in American Elections
* Stephen Brooks, University of Michigan and University of Windsor, Foreign
Coverage of U.S. Elections: What It Reveals about Us, Them, and America's
Relations with the World
* Tom Terraccino, Carnegie Mellon University, Politics in the Internet
Age
* Frank Mackaman and Cindy Koeppel, The Dirksen Congressional Center, A
Teacher's One-Stop Shop for Information About Congress: The Dirksen Center's
Web Suite
* Jody Baumgartner, East Carolina University, Competition in Congressional
Elections: A Thing of the Past?
* Lauri McNown, University of Colorado at Boulder, Campaign Finance 101
* Rick Pearson, The Chicago Tribune, Covering the Campaign: A Reporter's
View
* Rebecca C. Harris, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Behind the
Curtain: Voters and Voting Behavior in American Elections
* Robert C. Bradley, Illinois State University, Analyzing and Designing
Political Buttons and Campaign Flyers
* Thomas F. Schaller, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Electoral
College Strategy in 2004
* Allan Lichtman, American University, Thirteen Keys to Predicting the
Outcome of Presidential Elections
* Gabraelle Lane, National Association of Manufacturers, Congressional
Insight: A Computer Simulation of a Member's First Term in the House of
Representatives
Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site -
<http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm>http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm
-- to see what participants say about the program. If you are interested in
registering for the Congress in the Classroom® 2004 workshop, you can complete
an online registration form found at:
<http://www.dirksencenter.org/CiCapplication.htm>http://www.dirksencenter.org/CiCapplication.htm
**FIRST CHOICE 2004 -- Know WHAT you want before your choose WHO you want**
Many citizens, especially young people, say they don't feel knowledgeable
enough to cast an informed vote. Public Agenda's new unbiased, nonpartisan
voter guides are designed to help users think through some of the toughest
issues facing our nation so they can proceed to making decisions about who to
support in the upcoming elections.
Available online now and through November, First Choice 2004 election guides
help readers decide "what" they want, before deciding "who" they want. First
Choice 2004 guides on terrorism and foreign policy, health care, race and
affirmative action, gay rights, paying for college, the environment, jobs and
the economy, taxes and the deficit, and immigration are designed to help all
voters, but especially young people, better understand tough issues from
multiple perspectives.
First Choice 2004 is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and has
project partners in the New York Times Learning Network, MTV's Choose or Lose,
the Youth Vote Coalition and Kids Voting USA.
You can check out the issue guides by clicking on this link:
<http://publicagenda.org/firstchoice2004/index.cfm>http://publicagenda.org/firstchoice2004/index.cfm
5. Political Party Time!
1. Elected officials must not only reflect the concerns of their own political
party but must also try to attract support from people in their districts or
states who belong to the other party. They can attract this support by
supporting __________ issues, matters of concern that cross party lines, and
___________ issues, matters that have nothing to do with party allegiance.
2. If a candidate wins office by a large majority, it may mean that the voters
have given him or her a _______ to carry out the program outlines in the
campaign.
Answers to the February issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia link here:
<http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0204ans.htm>http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0204ans.htm
Spring is Here! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator. If
you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact
<mailto:ckoeppel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Cindy Koeppel. Your feedback makes a
difference!
6. NOTICE REGARDING E-MAIL ADDRESSES: Communicator's mailing list has over
13,000 names and is still growing. Please follow the instructions below to help
us with list editing:
TO SUBSCRIBE to the Communicator, please follow these instructions: Send an
e-mail to <mailto:ckoeppel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Cindy Koeppel with the phrase -
subscribe Communicator - in the body of the message. Your e-mail address will
be added to our mailing list.
If you experience any problem, send an e-mail to
<mailto:ckoeppel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Cindy Koeppel.
<http://www.webcommunicator.org/index.htm>Communicator<http://www.webcommunicator.org/index.htm>
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