New
Directions for the EL/Civics
Education Resource Center
We are excited to be continuing work this year on the English Literacy Civics Education Resource Center, a website designed for EL/Civics teachers and students. This website is made possible through an English Literacy Civics Education Grant funded by the US Department of Education and the Texas Education Agency. The Center is administered by Brenham Community Education (a partnership between Brenham Independent School District and Blinn College), in conjunction with the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University, with support from the Texas Center for Adult Literacy and Learning at Texas A&M University. This site is now an archive and is no longer hosted on the TCALL website. Resources for EL Civics can be found at http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/litresources/elcres.htm
As we enter this new year of funding, we have several new and continuing goals for the Center. First, as a response to data collected in focus groups with practitioners and learners, we will strive to make the site more user-friendly and useful, especially to adult learners. In order to achieve this goal we will be working on translating a significant portion of the site into Spanish, starting with the links and materials for adult learners. We also wanted to make the site more navigable to adult learners, and have begun by adding a link on the home page specifically for adult learners which will take them directly to activities designed for them.
Our second goal is to help facilitate other individuals and programs working on obtaining or carrying out EL/Civics projects. To meet this goal we will provide resources about the Federal EL/Civics program and information about writing grants for this program. We will also facilitate communication between EL/Civics programs by providing contact information and program descriptions.
Finally, we want to continue adding materials and links that will be relevant to EL/Civics educators and learners both in Texas and throughout the nation. We will continue searching the web for relevant sites, and also welcome suggestions from readers and site visitors for EL/Civics-related websites they find particularly engaging.
SOME SAMPLE LINKS
We want to encourage you to visit the site if you have not already done so, and to come back if you have not been in a while. Here is a sample of some of the resources you will find when you come see us!
Parent and School Involvement Activities
Helping Your Child Series
http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/succeed/index.html The Helping Your Child publication
series aims to provide parents with the tools and information necessary
to help their children succeed in school and life. These booklets feature
practical lessons and activities to help their school aged and preschool
children master reading, understand the value of homework and develop
the skills necessary to achieve.
Civic Participation and Community Action Activities
On-line Learning Activities From The Change Agent
http://www.nelrc.org/ This link takes you
to on-line interactive learning activities designed for students. Currently
there are activities addressing three issues of social justice: Economic
Security and Justice, Immigration, and The Media and You. These activities
include quizzes, reading and writing lessons, and web projects.
Civic Participation and Community Action Activities
Activities for Integrating Civics in Adult English Language Learning
http://www.cal.org/ This site, sponsored by the National Center for ESL Literacy Education,
hopefully should be growing soon as teachers submit more lesson plans.
So far there are several lesson plans centered on using music to integrate
civics education into the ESL classroom, as well as activities centered
around Black History Month. In both of these areas, there are activities
geared towards beginning, intermediate, and advanced learners. You can
also contact NCLE and submit your own civics lesson plans.
Voting and Government Agencies Activities
The PBS Democracy Project
http://www.pbs.org/elections/ This extensive site offers information
related to democracy and voting in the US. Here you will find a timeline
exploring the history of voting in America, a place to discuss
current issues, and an extensive glossary of campaign and voting-related
vocabulary. In the "Read Between the Lines" section of the site, you will
find information about how to dissect a candidate's political ad, how to
interpret a political debate, how to evaluate a candidate's platform, how
to assess a candidate's
website, and how to view news critically.
More Feedback, Please!
Visit our new site and then tell us what you think! We welcome suggestions for new websites or resources to include on the site, as well as feedback about site navigation or content.
Please contact Jenny Sandlin, for feedback regarding content and to suggest new resources and Melaney Dodson, Webmaster for technical feedback.
About the Author
Jenny Sandlin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of EAHRD at TAMU. Her academic interests inlcude critical literacy, workforce education, and curriculum in adult education.
