Congress in the Classroom 2005

Posted by on February 18, 2005

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: 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 – <a href="http://www.congresslink.org">http://www.congresslink.org</a> — 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?
* Congress Has a Humorous Side
* How Congress Members Decide (Hint: It Looks Like a Game of Billiards)
* Teaching Congress Through Visuals
* The Struggle to Reform Congress and Its Consequences
* The Civil Rights Act of 1964: Using Document Analysis to Tell the Story
* 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.

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 – <a href="http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm">http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm</a> — 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: <a href="http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm">http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm</a>.

Questions? Contact:

Lynn Kasinger – mailto:lkasinger@dirksencenter.org
The Dirksen Congressional Center
2815 Broadway
Pekin, Illinois 61554
Phone: 309.347.7113
Fax: 309.347.6432