Teaching with Controversy Supplemental Materials

2011 Summer Institute
A four-day exploration of one of the six pillars of the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition’s Democracy Schools Initiative, "Structured Engagement with Current and Controversial Issues." Educators heard from experts in the field, participated in related lesson plan demonstrations, and developed lesson plans for immediate use in secondary classrooms.


Institute Materials

Institute Agenda (PDF)
Graduate Course Syllabus (PDF)
Discussion Question Readings (PDF)

Civic Mission of Schools
McCormick Foundation. 2009. Educating for Democracy: Creating a Civic Blueprint for Illinois (PDF)
CIRCLE and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 2003. The Civic Mission of Schools. (WEB)
The Role of Controversy in the Civic Mission of Schools presentation (PDF)

Controversy in the Classroom
Hess, Diana. 2009. Controversy in the Classroom: The Democratic Power of Discussion. NY: Routledge. (WEB)
Teaching the Tip Activity (PDF)
School Policy Example (PDF)

Controversy and the First Amendment

LESSON PLAN: A Burning Issue: A Structured Academic Controversy Concerning Flag Desecration (PDF)

News Literacy
Freedom in the News presentation (PDF)
LESSON PLAN: Introduction to News Literacy: Structured Engagement with Current and Controversial Issues (PDF)

To Keep and Bear Arms
To Keep and Bear Arms presentation (PDF)
Resources suggested by Nina Vinik, The Joyce Foundation (PDF)
LESSON PLAN: To Keep & Bear Arms: An Individual or Collective Right? Grades 9-12 (PDF)
LESSON PLAN: To Keep & Bear Arms: An Individual or Collective Right? Grades 6-8 (PDF)
To Keep and Bear Arms Lesson Plan demonstration (PDF)
Second Amendment Lesson Discussion Questions (PDF)

What is an American?
Primary Sources Activity Resources (PDF)
What is an American? Exploring the Melting Pot Myth presentation (PDF)
Resources suggested by Josh Hoyt, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (PDF)
LESSON PLAN: What is an American? An Immigration Policy Seminar (PDF)

Civic Reflection
The Project on Civic Reflection (WEB)

Freedom Express
(www.FreedomExpress.org)