Volume 4, No. 3
3 September, 2004
[To view this newsletter on line:
http://www.emck.net/eline/04_09_03.htm]
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"Why did I receive this?"
This newsletter is sent to all past attendees of
the Kentucky Summer Teacher Academies (and other educators) as a free service of
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The Politics of Dancing
"...We got the message...
I heard it on the airwaves
The politicians
Are now DJ's
"The broadcast was spreading
Station to station
Like an infection
Across the nation
"Well you know you can't stop it
When they start to play
You gotta get out of the way
The politics of dancing..."
[Paul Fisherman, Re-Flex,1983] |
 "Well,
you know you can't stop it when they start to play, you gotta get out of the
way..." No doubt that, when Re-Flex released their synth-pop hit back in
1983, they were just singing about the importance of having fun at the
dance clubs where their music was (briefly and somewhat) popular. Little did they know that
the title of their song would be getting "air play" as a catch-word of the new
style of politics (see
this article by Kevin Canfield in TheJournalNews for an example). In a
political season with a lot of hardball being played, "getting out of the way"
might not be a bad idea!
With the end of the Republican National Convention, the
presidential campaign has officially gotten underway. As a result, this month's E-Line pays homage to the world of politics.
We hope we've
found some resources you can use in your classroom. If you're looking for
lesson plans and resources on political cartoons, take a look at our
October 31, 2003 edition,
which includes Slate's Daryl Cagle's excellent
political cartoon sources.
Politicians aren't DJs, but they are spin doctors - watch as they try
to avoid the fate of Re-Flex, this edition's featured one-hit-wonder musical act. "...Is this
message understood?" [the song's last line].
Don't forget: Our latest grant funding source
review is at the bottom of this newsletter!
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Political Sources |
By the People, from PBS
http://www.pbs.org/elections/kids/educators.html
This cluster of lesson plans from PBS covers all grade
levels, and includes several plans from the Democracy Project (see
below). |
The
Living Room Candidate - Campaign Commercials
http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us
From the American
Museum of the Moving Image, of New York comes this incredible
collection of political TV ads, from 1952 to the present day.
Completely free and streamed from their site, with comments. It's a
great historical resource! |
 C-Span
in the Classroom
http://www.c-span.org/classroom/
"...Teaching public affairs with primary sources" says
this page from the Washington, D.C. pubic service cable feed. This is quite a rich
resource, offering lessons and media from the conventions, amongst
other things. Some of the resources require registration (including an
offer of a free 44" Electoral College poster), but it's free. |
White
House Scandals - from Discovery
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/watergatebreakin/
This cluster of high school lesson plans is meant to accompany the
Discovery Channel's documentary of Watergate. Offered also in
printable form, the page includes suggested strategies, study
questions, assessment ideas, and suggestions for further readings. |
On
the Issues
http://www.govote.com/
This ambitious site is the work of several professors of political
science, a handful of graphics designers, and a small pool of
volunteer workers. The goal is to scour the press for indications of
candidates' positions on a variety of important issues, and post the
results on a graphically-organized website. They cover the minor as
well as major candidates, and any state-level race of consequence.
It's a very rich resource! |
| Content Area
Resources |
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Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies |
 The
Democracy Project, from PBS
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/
The Democracy Project is a cluster of online interactive
activities for students grades 3-6 which incorporate language arts,
math, and social studies. The developers have included a statement of
educational goals, and related printable lesson plans in support of the
activities. |
| Science |
 Lesson
Plans from MII
http://www.mii.org/
A not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with strong support from the
mineral resource industry, this site has a cluster of five complete
lesson plans on mineral and natural resources, with access to posters as
well. The organization also offers resource kits for laboratory use
inexpensively. |
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Social Studies |
Lesson
Plans from First Amendment Schools
http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/resources/lessonplans_speech.aspx
A project of the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development and The First Amendment Center, First Amendment
Schools provides this cluster of lesson plans aimed at a variety of
First Amendment issues, including some historical controversies, and the Internet.
Some of the lessons are cited here, others are links to other sites.
Printable versions are provided. |
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Writing |
Speech Writing lessons, from the Web English Teacher
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/speech.html
This is just a cluster of links, but this collection
covers the gamut of possible high school speech-writing lessons,
including analyses of well-known historical figures, and step-by-step
speech writing instructions. From the
Web English Teacher,
featured in our June
21, 2002 edition. |
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Grants |
 Good
Neighbor Service Learning Grants
http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm
From State Farm and Youth Service American comes this
offering - 100 $1,000 grants available to students as well as teachers
and service-learning coordinators in schools, for projects to be
implemented on YSA's National Youth Service Day in April, 2005. The
application process is online, with a deadline of October 18th. |
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