Simulations of Democratic Processes Toolkit

Visit the Elections and Voting Toolkit for resources to ground electoral simulations.

• The Bicameral Congress from Crash Course Government
• Civics 101 Starter Kit – Legislative Branch from New Hampshire Public Radio
• Congress and the Constitution from the Bill of Rights Institute
• Congressional Committees from iCivics
• Congressional Hearings and the Legislative Process from EdSitement
• What is the Legislative Branch of Government video from the History Channel

• Civics 101 Starter Kit – Executive Branch from New Hampshire Public Radio
• Executive Branch, Presidential Power, How Presidents Govern, Presidential Power Part 2 from Crash Course Videos
• Executive Branch Lesson Plans, Video, and Games from iCivics
• Powers of the Presidency from PBS Learning Media

• American Bar Association Division for Public Education Teacher’s Portal
• Civics 101 Starter Kit – Judicial Branch from New Hampshire Public Radio
• Curriculum and Lesson Plans from Street Law
• Judicial Branch Lesson Plans, Video, and Games from iCivics
• Judicial Review, Structure of the Court System, Legal System Basics from Crash Course
• Supreme Court Document Based Questions from the Bill of Rights Institute
• US Courts of Appeals and Their Impact on Your Life from the U.S. Courts

• Civics 101 Starter Kit – Federalism from New Hampshire Public Radio
• Civil Society in Times of Crisis from the Bill of Rights Institute
• Constitution USA Federalism with Peter Sagal
• Crash Course Government Federalism
• Federalism Lesson Plans and Games from iCivics
• State and Local Governments Lesson Plans and Games from iCivics
• City Government Services, Departments, and Funding  from the Constitutional Rights Foundation
• Counties Work  from iCivics
• Land Use Simulation from the Foundation for Teaching Economics

• Federal Budgeting 101 from KQED
• FRED and the Federal Budget Interactive Lesson from EconEdLink
• Government Spending by iCivics
• Making Civics Real: Public Policy and the Budget from PBS Learning Media

Simulations should not be relegated to “dessert” at the end of a unit. At their best, simulations are the “meat and potatoes” of a rich learning experience in which students “do civics” in a safe environment. Student participation in simulations helps our youngest community members gain a deeper understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and institutions that gird our constitutional republic.

Successful simulations have students:

• Discern the multiple roles, motivations, and perspectives of others in the simulation and identify appropriate allies to build coalitions necessary in simulation.
• Anticipate challenges and employ systemic supports within the simulation.
• Employ appropriate norms of participation throughout the simulation consistent with their tasks.
• Identify and use appropriate means of communication consistent with the simulation (oral, digital, written, visual, other).

Choosing the Right Simulation from the Constitutional Rights Foundation-Chicago gives a thumbnail description of the various simulations of democratic processes to consider.

• The IllinoisCivics.org Election and Voting Toolkit has resources to help students take informed action around suffrage.
• The IllinoisCivics.org Media Literacy Toolkit has a plethora of resources to help students leverage technology to be producers on information to advocate and inform others.
• Register for the Civic Action Project facilitated by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. This resource is unique in that it not only connects teachers but also students engaging in service learning projects.
• Educating for Democracy Deep Dive, the Teaching Channel and CERG have curated a collection of videos, blogs, educational resources, and relevant research to support educators in and out of schools in preparing youth to participate fully and thoughtfully in civic and political life in the digital age.
• Empowering Youth for Positive Change program from the Center for Prevention Research and Development has both rubrics and checklists for informed actions related to local public policy projects.
• generationOn provides an overview of service learning and resources for each stage of implementation.
• Join the Generator School Network hosted by the National Youth Leadership Council to access free professional development, curriculum and a network of teachers ready to support your work. Topics such as assessment, management and inspiration for service learning projects are addressed.
• The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center has a Take a Stand exhibit and online toolkit for classroom use.
• Mikva Challenge has online resources to help scaffold successful action civics projects. Sign up for their educator network to access information for training and opportunities for students in your region.
• Become part of a network of practitioners committed to student-centered, project-based, high-quality civic education. Join the National Action Civics Collaborative. There is a toolbox of resources to help guide best practices.
• National Geographic Geo-Inquiry uses using a geographic perspective to have students begin to connect complex components, see patterns, and make connections that change their communities.
• Our American Voice connects middle-school students to the democratic process through active community problem-solving in a program that is engaging, interactive, and grounded in real life.
• Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen has both a middle school and high school program for service learning.
• StoryCorps gives people of all backgrounds, typically two at a time, the opportunity to record meaningful conversations and archives the recordings at the Library of Congress.
• We.org is an international organization that has toolkits for K-12 classrooms to engage in service learning around topics such as clean water, literacy, cyberbullying, and other issues.

• IllinoisCivics.org offers lesson plans in which students deliberate current and societal issue discussions in a legislative hearing using parliamentary procedure.
• Street Law has materials to support a Mock Legislative Hearing.
• The Citizen Advocacy Center also has materials for a Mock Hearing.
• The Edward R. Kennedy Institute has materials for Virtual Mock Senate simulations.
• In the iCivics Branches of Power online game, students learn how all three branches of government are involved in public policy.
• In the iCivics LawCraft online game, students select a district to represent in the House of Representatives. They then review letters from constituents, dig into survey data, and select an issue that’s important to the people that live in the district.
• Citizen Nebraska provides a guide to facilitate your own Committee Hearing Simulation.

• In the iCivics Executive Command online game, students can be President for four years and try to accomplish their agenda while facing the challenges and responsibilities that crop up along the way.
• Scholastic has an “If You Were President…” Simulation from grades 3-5.
• The National Museum of American Diplomacy Foreign Policy Simulations connects high school students with the world of American diplomacy, increasing their understanding of diplomacy and inspiring them to be involved in foreign affairs.
• The Robert H. Jackson Center has a Presidential Cabinet Simulation that reacts to events involving ISIS.

• The American Bar Association Division of Public Education has tools around simulations of judicial proceeding for all grade levels.
• The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement has Literature-Based Mock Trials
• Street Law has a robust resource library that features ready-to-go mock trials and moot courts.
• The iCivics Do I Have a Right? online game is available in English and Spanish. It also includes optional voice overs to support gameplay. Participants run a law firm who specialize in constitutional law. Decide if potential clients have a right, match them with the best lawyer, and win their case.
• The iCivics Arguments Wars online game is available to play in English and Spanish. Participants try out persuasive abilities by arguing a real Supreme Court case.
• The iCivics Court Quest online game explores state and federal courts as players help passengers navigate their path through the American judicial system. Resources are available to support ELL learners.

• The Constitutional Rights Foundation Civic Action Project has several simulations where students emulate local governments.
• Town Hall meetings are a great simulation to engage students in deliberation on local topics. Both Facing History and Ourselves and Read-Write-Think have clear instructions to facilitate this process.
• The Foundation for Teaching Economics has several simulations that marry financial literacy with public policy. Linked is a simulation of a local land-use hearing. Every 10 years, state legislatures play an important role in redistricting.
• Need a low-tech, 15-minute redistricting simulation? This Gerrymandering Exercise from Peter Pappas fits the bill.
• iCivics has a Media Moment Mini-lesson, students have the opportunity to try their hand at a simplified districting exercise and learn about the common gerrymandering practices of packing and cracking districts. Students then explore the media’s traditional roles as gatekeeper, agenda-setter, and watchdog.
• iCivics has an online game that simulates How Counties Work

• The JFK Library has a Federal Budget Simulation
• The Fiscal Ship from the Brookings Institute challenges students to put the federal budget on a sustainable course.
• PBS Learning Media has a Participatory Budgeting simulation that allows students to develop an Action Plan and Budget proposal that will address an issue in their community. Students will summarize and present their proposals to students and school administration in the form of an Elevator Pitch.

• Rewordify.com. to simplify text language
• Text to Speech Reader.– free Google extension
• Talk Points. is a free tool to communicate with families in their home language.
• Read Aloud. is a text-to-speech voice reader.
• Announcify is a Chrome extension that lets students listen to articles on the web.
• Voice In Voice Typing. allows students to voice in their keyboarding on any website.
• Dyslexia Friendly. increases the readability of websites by changing to easier-to-read fonts and adding visual enhancements.

Tools for Reflection on Simulations of Democratic Processes

It is important that students engage in reflective practices throughout the learning process to evaluate how thinking has evolved or been clarified and to assess the effectiveness of participation and opportunities for growth.

Safe and Reflective Classroom Resources