Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator -- a web-based newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to enhance civic education and improve the understanding of Congress. Communicator is one of the five sites that make up The Dirksen Center's Web suite. Each monthly Communicator provides information about any changes to the other four sites in The Center's Web suite, share classroom uses of the information posted on them, and highlight any Center related accomplishments.

Go ahead, take a peek -- http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org/

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VIEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER
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Teaching about Congress can affect attitudes and positions that our American students hold on particular issues facing the country. What we teach them and how we teach them, will influence how they form their ideas about politics and acquire political values. Families, educational systems, the mass media, and peer groups all play a role.

How does The Dirksen Congressional Center teach about Congress? -- The Center sponsors a national, award-winning education program -- Congress in the Classroom® -- in cooperation with Bradley University in Peoria, IL that is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress.

What do participants say about the program? -- http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm#say

You can learn more about Congress in the Classroom® at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm.

Congress -- The legislative branch of government made up of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Our families help shape our first political beliefs, although most families rarely talk about politics. Casual remarks made by parents can have an impact. In Everett Dirksen's case, his memoir makes clear the impact of his family on his future career. Read The Carefree Halcyon Days at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/emdbio.htm#Carefree.

According to experts, students typically display an appalling lack of knowledge about Congress despite the time they spend in American government and history classrooms. Former Congress member Lee Hamilton, currently Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, offers ten lessons he hopes scholars will teach their students. You can read his feature, What I Wish Political Scientists Would Teach about Congress, posted at: http://www.congresslink.org/HamiltonFeature.htm.

Much of our political information comes from the mass media: newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. The media helps students learn about Congress by providing news and analysis. The media also addresses important issues in the political arena that affect students' ideas and beliefs. Teachers, you can get your students involved in the media, too. Your students can create an advertisement persuading people that representative government is the best form of government. Using our highlighted CongressLink lesson plan, Lessons from the Roman Republic, students will learn about the influences of the Roman Republic on our government today. You can download this lesson and a handout at: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/HCRomanRepublic.htm.

Teenagers know all about peer pressure. But do they know that members of Congress are subject to peer pressure, too? There, it takes the form of constituent pressure, or lobbying. The AboutGovernment Web site includes a "hot link" to an online Infoplease.com encyclopedia article offered by Learning Network, explaining pressure groups and their relationship to lobbying. Visit: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/politics.htm.

Hilary Conklin, who teaches social studies to middle school students, shows how to trace the connections between family, schools, the media, and peer groups when teaching about Congress. She received a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grant of $3,000 for her project entitled Understanding Representative Government. This project is designed to engage middle school students in a 10-week unit of creative and multi-disciplinary activities that will help them understand representative government. You may find information about this project and others at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm#2001.

Become a Fun, Facts, and Trivia champion and answer this month's trivia question.

For what reason is the family losing influence as an agent for teaching about Congress?

A) Young people tend to be Democrats and older people Republicans.
B) Women tend to be Democrats, but men tend to be Republicans.
C) A concern for "family values" has led relatives to stop discussing controversial subjects.
D) Institutions have taken increasing responsibility for childcare.

Can your students fill-in-the-blanks?

1 - __________ provide information to and put pressure (sometimes subtle, sometimes not) on a legislator to vote one way or another. (Link to answer and definition: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#L)

A) Solicitors
B) Lobbyists
C) Procurers
D) Petitioners

2 - A more comprehensive way of looking at the public's understanding of the U.S. Congress is through the concept of a ___________. (Link to answer and definition: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#S)

A) sketch
B) pattern
C) schema
D) diagram

Teachers, here's an essay question to engage your students in some critical thinking:

Many Americans form their political ideas and gain political values based upon self-interest. Do you think using political activity to promote one's own interests is a healthy or an unhealthy feature of the political system, and why?

Answers to September' s issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia link here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0901ans.htm

The October update is done! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel at ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org. Your feedback makes a difference!