Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator - a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to improve the understanding of Congress -- http://www.webcommunicator.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Monthly Feature -- Dirksen Interviewed: Transcripts, 1940-69
2. Monthly Theme -- Resources: Civil Rights Acts, 1964 and 1965
3. Featured Grant-funded Project
4. News and Views from The Center
5. Trivia - Civil Rights: Test Your Knowledge
6. Postscript Information

1. DIRKSEN INTERVIEWED: TRANSCRIPTS, 1940-69

As one of the most visible politicians of his time, Everett McKinley Dirksen (R-IL) appeared on scores of interview programs during his long career. We have scanned and posted nearly 60 transcripts of these radio and television programs (and a few from print publications). Find Dirksen Interviewed: Transcripts, 1940-69 at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/emd_features.htm.

Taken together, these programs put you in touch with the pulse of the nation - the people, the public policies, the politics that grabbed our attention. The very first transcript, from the American Forum of the Air broadcast on March 3, 1940, is entitled Seven Years of the New Deal and features comments about government spending, unemployment, and monetary policy.

The last, an appearance by Dirksen on ABC's Issues and Answers on June 15, 1969, just three months before the Senate Minority Leader's death, addressed Richard Nixon's Vietnam policy and Senator Ted Kennedy's criticism of it, the ABM Safeguard Missile System, ethics in government, and tax legislation, among other topics.

During the nearly thirty years between these two programs, Dirksen was peppered with questions on all the issues of the day -- too many to list here. We make using these transcripts, which run from a few to over 25 pages each, easy by providing a subject listing for each program at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/emd_interviews/index.htm. Of even greater benefit is a search feature that will find any subject or name within the body of material. When you see the transcripts themselves, you will notice they are in an Adobe PDF format in order to preserve, to the extent possible, the look of the originals.

*INVITATION* We are eager to develop classroom materials based on the Dirksen interviews, so let us extend an invitation to you - send US your suggestions for how they might be used in the classroom. Perhaps you can design a WebQuest based on the transcripts, for example (see http://www.congresslink.org/print_teaching_webquests_intro.htm for examples of other WebQuests). Or maybe you can use the transcripts as an "ice breaker" for a lesson on congressional consideration of a law. All you have to do is send Frank Mackaman your idea in the form of an e-mail (Word attachments are okay, too): fmackaman@dirksencenter.org. He will send a token of our appreciation to the first five who submit an idea and a premium prize (well, it's a useful prize anyway!) for the best suggestion received by March 1, 2005.

2. RESOURCES: CIVIL RIGHTS ACTS, 1964-1965

In effort to achieve equality for all of its citizens, the United States has traveled a long road. Milestones along the road show how Americans dealt with civil rights issues at various points. The Dirksen Center has assembled a collection of resources and information from its Web suite to complement classroom topics related to Black History Month and civil rights.

Online resources emphasize historical materials about the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the U.S. Constitution -- http://www.congresslink.org/print_index6.htm.

*NEW* Frank Mackaman from The Dirksen Center delivered remarks on January 28, 2005, at a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 sponsored by the University of Tennessee and the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. Find Voting Rights Act of 1965 at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_histmats_votingrights_essay.htm.

The Communicator featured a unit on civil rights in April through September 2002, offering various resources that explained the connection between segregation and the institution of slavery, explored policies intended to bring equality to Americans quickly, and described resources about one of the most debated topics in civil rights, affirmative action.

April 2002: Slavery & Civil Rights:
http://www.webcommunicator.org/site%20resources/archives/april2002.htm#civilrights

June 2002: Studying Civil Rights & Segregation in the United States: http://www.webcommunicator.org/site%20resources/archives/june2002.htm#civilrights

July 2002: Studying Civil Rights & Breaking Down Segregation: http://www.webcommunicator.org/site%20resources/archives/july2002.htm#civilrights

August 2002: The Civil Rights Movement:
http://www.webcommunicator.org/site%20resources/archives/august2002.htm#civilrights

September 2002: Affirmative Action & Civil Rights: http://www.webcommunicator.org/site%20resources/archives/september2002.htm#civilrights

Teachers, if you're looking for a fun way to teach your students about the civil rights era from 1954-1968, have them take an interactive 3-tiered self-quiz which includes a vocabulary quiz and 2 multiple-choice quizzes. Students must pass each quiz to advance to the next level of questioning. Find Civil Rights Self-Quiz at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/makinglaws/civilrights-vocabulary.htm.

3. FEATURED GRANT-FUNDED PROJECT

On January 21, 2005, The Dirksen Center awarded a Robert H. Michel Special Project Grant in the amount of $3000 to Stephanie Vance, AdVanced Consulting, for her project entitled, The Congressional Hearing Toolkit. This project will help students understand the role of the congressional hearing in the policy process, i.e., how committees operate and influence legislation, through an interactive model. The deliverables include written materials, video of committee hearings, and two committee hearing simulation models for student use.

To learn more about the Robert H. Michel Special Project Grants, visit: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_grants_specialprojects.htm.

4. NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE CENTER

** SESSIONS ANNOUNCED: Congress in the Classroom 2005 **

DEADLINE: March 15, 2005

Congress in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program now in its 13th year. 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 teachers who teach U.S. history, government, civics, political science, or social studies. Forty teachers from throughout the country will be selected in 2005 to take part in the program.

You will gain experience with The Center's educational Web site, CongressLink - http://www.congresslink.org -- which features online access to lesson plans, student activities, historical materials, related Web sites, and subject matter experts.

Throughout the program you will work with national 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.

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 Congress.

The 2005 program theme will be Our New Congress -- the 109th. Confirmed session titles are:

• A View from Capitol Hill
• The Importance of Teaching Democracy Appreciation
• George W. Bush's Second Term: What's in Store for Congress?
• Reporting on Congress: The Role of the Media
• How Congress Members Decide (Hint: It Looks Like a Game of Billiards)
• Teaching Congress through Visuals
• The Struggle to Reform Congress and Its Consequences
• What are the Ten Most Important Things High School Students Should Know about Congress?
• Congress Has a Humorous Side
• How to Get Your Point Across to Congress Members
• The Dirksen Center Web Suite as a Resource for Teachers
• Congressional Insight: A Computer Simulation of a Member's First Term in the House of Representatives, and more.

The workshop will take place from Monday, July 25 through July 28, 2005, at the Radisson Hotel in Peoria, Illinois. Teachers who are selected for the program will be responsible for (1) a non-refundable $135 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 $25,000 and $30,000 to host the program each year.

Those teachers who are not selected for the program will have an opportunity to register for the Web-based Congress in the Classroom course -- http://www.congressclass.org.

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2005. Enrollment is competitive and limited to forty. Selection will be determined by The Center. Individuals will be notified of their acceptance status by April 1, 2005.

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 and to learn more about the scheduled sessions and presenters.

If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom 2005 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm.

** Professional Development Workshop Updates **

Congress in the Classroom Online -- http://www.congressclass.org -- helps participants understand today's Congress and suggest ways to teach about it.

Below are a few recent updates to the self-paced workshop which is organized around the twin responsibilities of Congress members: representation and lawmaking.

1) New work product for Assignment 2 -- http://www.congressclass.org/print_workproduct2.htm

2) New work product for Assignment 19 -- http://www.congressclass.org/print_workproduct19.htm

3) New work product for Assignment 20 -- http://www.congressclass.org/print_workproduct20.htm

We invite you to register -- http://congressclass.org/print_registration.htm --to participate in Congress in the Classroom Online to help you understand today's Congress and discover ways to teach about it -- with all the convenience and speed of the Internet.

For more information, visit -- http://www.congressclass.org/courseinformation_contents.htm -- for a complete online professional development workshop overview.

5. CIVIL RIGHTS: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

1. Which president signed the first major civil rights act of this century?

A) John F. Kennedy
B) Lyndon B. Johnson
C) Richard M. Nixon
A) Ronald Reagan

2. Which civil rights activist gained notoriety in the late nineteenth century for her editorials denouncing racial injustice?

A) Sojourner Truth
B) Zora Neale Hurston
C) Ida B. Wells

Answers to January's issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0105ans.htm.

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