ERIE, Pa., Sept. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celebrating National Citizenship Day and October’s Civics Awareness Month, today Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit and izzit.org, an online resource for educators, released Civics Fundamentals with Judge Douglas Ginsburg, an online treasure trove of rich, inquiry-based materials to help teach the basics of civics in the U.S.
“Civics education in the U.S. needs to improve and teachers say they want and need materials to help,” said Dean Graziano, vice president of izzit.org. “This new course, which is open and free to anyone, will certainly help solve the current problem.”
According to a RAND Corporation survey, only 20 percent of U.S. social studies teachers report feeling prepared to support students’ civics learning, adding that they need additional aid with instructional materials and professional development.
Civics Fundamentals with Judge Douglas Ginsburg consists of a series of 100 two-minute videos with Judge Ginsburg not only answering the questions, but providing the “why?” to the 100 questions on the U.S. Citizenship Test. In addition Civics Fundamentals also features:
- A Teacher’s Guide with five sample lesson plans;
- Discussion questions/prompts for group activities and essays;
- Downloadable flash cards;
- An online Civics Jeopardy-like quiz-whiz game;
- Critical terminology and vocabulary;
- Pre-and post-assessment;
- Four test banks and badges to help monitor and chart progress;
- Supplemental videos and materials for a deeper dive.
Civics Fundamentals is standards aligned and available at no cost to everyone at www.civicsfundamentals.org.
“According to a survey conducted by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, two out of three Americans would not pass the U.S. Citizenship Test,” said Graziano. “Judge Ginsburg is offering one of the best prep courses for taking that test. His approach goes beyond the rote memorization of facts to understanding the context and reason.”
izzit.org is also the exclusive licensee of Judge Ginsburg’s three-part series on the Constitution, A More or Less Perfect Union, which aired nationwide on PBS stations in 2020, and was selected by PBS for special At-Home Learning programming during the quarantine. Judge Ginsburg and izzit.org developed much of the material from that series into a library of Constitution Resources consisting of two, week-long courses on The U.S. and Black History and The First Amendment; two teaching units and quick, to-the-point Teachable Moments® on the Constitution, landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Plessy v. Ferguson, Dred Scott, and Brown v. Board of Education; civil rights, slavery, women’s suffrage, eminent domain, the Magna Carta and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
To help educators teach civics and other subjects, izzit.org also offers professional development webinars, current events and more – all at no cost to educators. Izzit.org also offers personal assistance to teachers with questions about content, curriculum, usage rights, DVD orders, mailing lists, Current Events questions, professional development, and supporting individual educational resources.
“Throughout izzit.org’s 15 years, we have always been on the educator’s team – providing compelling and entertaining video-based lessons that capture students’ attention and encourage critical thinking and civil debate,” said Graziano. “All of our management staff has teaching experience, so we are very keen to be a strong partner in the classroom.”
About izzit.org
izzit.org specializes in creating free, standards-aligned content for teachers that fosters critical thinking and respectful debate among students. It is estimated izzit.org videos generate over 11.3 million impressions annually. In addition to its library of almost 70 video-centered teaching units, Teachable Moments and online courses. izzit.org also offers a Current Events service, with two daily articles, discussion questions, and vocabulary, all at no cost to educators. Each school year, U.S. educators can receive one free DVD from izzit.org’s library as well as unlimited downloads and streaming. For more information, visit the website, www.izzit.org.
Media Contact:
Marjory Hawkins | 512.838-6324 | mhawkins@hawkinspr.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4591885-1087-4418-be36-46c7453caeea
