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. People Who Served in Congress
2. Congress Defined
3. *New Lesson Plan* Noncompetitive Elections for Congress
4. *New* "Facing the Post-War World: Everett M. Dirksen Abroad, 1945"
5. *New* TheCongressBlog: News About Congress for Teachers and Students
6. *New* Dirksen Center Projects
7. *New* Editorial Cartoons
8. *Award* Congress for Kids
9. The Constitutional Convention: Facts and Figures & Trivia
10. Postscript Information

1. PEOPLE WHO SERVED IN CONGRESS
   Sketches of famous and not-so-famous Senators and Representatives 

Joe Biden (D-Delaware) Senator Biden grew up in New Castle County, Delaware.  He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, and from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968.  Prior to his election to the Senate, Biden practiced law in Wilmington, Delaware and served on the New Castle County Council from 1970 to 1972.

Since 1991, Biden has been an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.  He is a graduate of Archmere Academy, class of 1961.

Senator Biden lives in Wilmington, Delaware and commutes to Washington, DC when the Senate is in session.  He is married to Dr. Jill Biden, the former Jill Jacobs, an educator in Delaware's schools for over twenty years.  She currently is a professor teaching at Delaware Technical Community College. Senator Biden is the father of three children: Beau, Hunter and Ashley. Beau serves as Delaware's Attorney General, Ashley is a social worker and Hunter is a lawyer.  The Bidens also have five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel, Natalie, and Robert Hunter.

First elected to the Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, Biden currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sources:

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress:  http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000444    

Senator Biden’s official Website:  http://biden.senate.gov/

Many sites deal with Senator Biden’s selection as vice presidential candidate.  Here are two examples:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/joe-biden/

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/joe.biden.html

2. CONGRESS DEFINED
   Words and phrases that describe congressional processes

Morning Hour Speeches.  Beginning in the 103rd Congress, the House established a procedure for “morning hour speeches.”  On Mondays and Tuesdays, by standing order adopted by unanimous consent, the House convenes early to hear five-minute speeches.  No business can be conducted during this period.

Source:

Congressional Quarterly, American Congressional Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Washington DC;  CQ Press, 2001):  153.

3. * NEW LESSON PLAN * NONCOMEPTITIVE ELECTIONS FOR CONGRESS 

During our annual Congress in the Classroom® workshop –– http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm –– participants are asked to introduce the lesson plans, resources, and techniques that have proven successful in teaching about Congress in their classrooms. A 2008 participant, Misty LeClerc, Wando High School, Mt. Pleasant, SC, presented a lesson entitled, Noncompetitive Elections for Congress.

American democracy faces a crisis – the crisis of noncompetitive elections.  More and more, American elections consist of incumbents cruising to victory. In this lesson, students will be able to explain why congressional elections are noncompetitive, analyze the pros and cons of electing incumbents to Congress, and analyze the need for congressional term limits.

Find Noncompetitive Elections for Congress at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_lp_noncompelections.htm

4. * NEW * "FACING THE POST-WAR WORLD: EVERETT M. DIRKSEN ABROAD, 1945"

On February 21, 1945, then Congressman Dirksen set out on a world trip that would take him to twenty-one countries, logging 32,000 miles.  This was not an ordinary junket.  Dirksen traveled on behalf of the House Committee on Appropriations to inspect American embassies, reconstruction agencies, intelligence services, and the armed forces.  He had a bird’s-eye view of Europe and the Middle East as World War II neared its end.

His stops included London, Algiers, Tunis, Cairo, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Karachi, Teheran, Baghdad, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Palestine, Beirut, Damascus, Ankara, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Florence, Paris, Rheims, Augsburg, Dachau, Wiesbaden, and Leipzig, among many others.

The Dirksen Center has created a Web-based feature that will give you an idea of what Dirksen’s trip was like and how it affected his thinking about the state of the world in 1945.  This Web presentation consists of the introduction, a timeline of Dirksen’s trip with links to selective, digitized trip log entries and letters home, and a set of seven “anchor” documents with accompanying study questions.  The historical documents are drawn from The Dirksen Congressional Center’s archival holdings.

Our multi-media timeline about Everett Dirksen’s trip abroad has been made possible by a grant from The Fontaine Earle Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.  Additional financial support was received from Pekin Community Bank, Herget Bank, and CEFCU.

5. * NEW * THECONGRESSBLOG: NEWS ABOUT CONGRESS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

We at The Dirksen Congressional Center look forward to entering the blogosphere world.  TheCongressBlog presents information about the House and the Senate, both current news and historical tidbits.  We compile information from major newspapers, political blogs, and the official sites of the U.S. House and Senate.  This is our first blog, so think of it as a work in progress.

Find TheCongressBlog at: http://www.thecongressblog.org/

6. * NEW *  DIRKSEN CENTER PROJECTS

7. * NEW *  EDITORIAL CARTOONS

The Dirksen Congressional Center recently announced the completion of the Editorial Cartoon Collection project: http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/index.htm.

The editorial cartoons and related lesson plans from The Dirksen Center will teach students to identify issues, analyze symbols, acknowledge the need for background knowledge, recognize stereotypes and caricatures, think critically, and appreciate the role of irony and humor.

This month we have posted four new cartoons:

Caption: Dirksen Set to Trim President’s Program http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/chron1-10.htm #7

Caption: Congress Blocks Foreign Aid http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/chron11-20.htm #12

Caption: Reapportionment http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/chron21-30.htm #21

Caption:  A Change in House Republican Leadership http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/chron21-30.htm #23

 

8. * AWARD *  CONGRESS FOR KIDS

Congress for Kids was reviewed in the “Surfing the Net with Kids” newspaper column on September 3, 2008.  “Surfing the Net with Kids” is syndicated nationally and appears in many papers across the U.S. including San Diego Union-Tribune and The Boston Globe.

Thanks, “Surfing the Net with Kids”!

Find the Congress for Kids review at: http://www.surfnetkids.com/us_constitution.htm

9. The Constitutional Convention: Facts And Figures, Part 1 And 2 & Trivia

Test your knowledge of the Constitutional Convention by taking this two part quiz.  Part 1 requires you to fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. Remember, you will lose points if you ask for hints!  Move on to Part 2 and take the online multiple choice quiz including 10 tricky questions.  Good luck!

Find The Constitutional Convention: Facts and Figures, Part 1 and 2 at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/Constitution_delegates/1_delegates.htm

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution get a lot of attention, but what about the eleventh amendment?

Trivia:  In the Eleventh Amendment, the jurisdiction of what court is limited?

1. Federal courts only
2. State courts only
3. Federal and state courts
4. The Supreme Court only

*Find the answer in next month's issue.

Answer to August 2008’s Fun, Facts, and Trivia: http://www.webcommunicator.org/classroomresources/funfactstrivia_ans0808.htm

10. POSTSCRIPT INFORMATION

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