Happy New Year! While most teachers are familiar with Student Vote, CIVIX has many other resources and activities available. Below are a few upcoming opportunities as we kick off 2024.
CTRL-F: DIGITAL MEDIA LITERACY
Strategies to evaluate information and identify credible sources
Since 2020, more than 4,000 educators have signed up for CTRL-F and have brought contemporary digital media skills to their classrooms. The CTRL-F: Verification Skills module designed for grades 7-12 teaches students how to distinguish false and misleading information and identify credible sources online. Teachers report that these skills are transferable and improve students’ research and writing assignments.
We’re offering workshops to prepare teachers for delivering the CTRL-F: Verification Skills module. The workshop introduces the concept of lateral reading, offers guided practice investigating a range of online sources and claims, and reviews program resources for use in the classroom.
Upcoming workshop dates:
- Tuesday, January 16th @ 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM AT
- Thursday, February 8th @ 12:30 PM PT / 3:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM AT
- Tuesday, February 27th @ 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM AT
Register
POLITALKS
Strategies and activities to facilitate effective classroom discussion
What can we do to improve political discourse in our country? PoliTalks resources are designed to help students practice active listening, perspective-taking, and respectful self-expression skills, and build relevant contextual awareness about perspectives, values and cognitive biases.
The PoliTalks workshop introduces educators to best practices for facilitating discussion about any topic and reviews the Constructive Discussions handbook and PoliTalks classroom lessons.
Upcoming workshop dates:
- Thursday, January 18th @ 12:30 PM PT / 3:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM AT
- Tuesday, February 6th @ 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM AT
- Thursday, February 15th @ 12:30 PM PT / 3:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM AT
Register
STUDENT BUDGET CONSULTATION
Giving students a voice in our democracy
Looking for a great way to teach students about government and active citizenship between elections? Join us for the 2024 Student Budget Consultation (we promise, it is not math heavy!)
The program provides students with an opportunity to learn about the basics of budgeting, explore how the federal government affects their lives, discuss important issues facing the country, and compare different political perspectives. In the culminating activities, students offer their insights on the priorities of the upcoming budget and learn about ways they can advocate for issues they care about. The program is best suited for grades 6 and higher.
This year, we’re pleased to be working again with Wyatt Sharpe, Canada’s foremost youth journalist, to produce student-focused video content.
Register
It’s going to be an exciting year and our team is hard at work on many other events and programs.
- We’ll be offering Democracy Bootcamp events in British Columbia and Ontario for elementary and intermediate teachers, and in Saskatchewan and Manitoba for high school teachers. Look for an invitation to arrive in your inbox!
- The CTRL-F Search Skills Module will finally be released this spring, targeting grades 4 and up. This new module teaches students online search skills, including techniques to improve search results and better understanding your search results.
- We’re working towards our first trial for a youth parliamentary simulation program for students aged 16-20 in Ottawa this summer.