Mikva Challenge's
Center for Action Civics Bulletin
Mikva Teachers & Students at Work
  • Your Social Life: This anti-cyberbullying video made by the Mikva Education Council in partnership with Beyondmedia Education is now available for purchase! (And for free to CPS teachers.) Click here to view the film's trailer and for more information about how to order your copy today. 
Current Events for the Classroom
  • ProCon.org: This non-partisan site recently created a page dedicated to the cataloguing 2012 Presidential Candidates' positions on various issues. For each issue question posed, the website provides a quote from each candidate on the subject and designates him/her as Pro or Con. 
  • Springfield Primer: Wondering if your students' issue is already on Illinois lawmakers' docket this session? Click here to see the Chicago News Cooperative's informative summary of some key issues likely to come before the IL legislature in the coming weeks.
Lessons & Resources
  • Neighborhood Online Portals: Five neighborhoods in Chicago have community online portals (via the Smart Communities Initiative) where teachers can find community resources (to help with students' research) and potentially share their students' work with members of that community. Click here to find links to each.
  • Foreclosures 101: Are your students considering tackling the issue of home foreclosures and vacant lots in Chicago? Click here for a Chicago News Cooperative article that provides a useful summary of both the problem's scope and some existing efforts to combat it. 
  • Teaching with Primary Sources: Love the idea of teaching with primary sources but lack the time to hunt them down? Click here to check out the Barat Foundation's online collection of themed source sets and lesson plans created around Library of Congress sources.    
  • Opportunities for Students: Looking for essay contests, scholarship applications, and college/career readiness programs to share with your students? We're on the case. Click here to access our growing collection of opportunities.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Click on any of the events below for more information and to find out how to register.   

  • Saturday, November 19th, 9:00am - 2:00pm: Project Soapbox Citywide Competition (Illinois Institute of Technology, Hermann Hall Ballroom) Note: Spectators are welcome beginning at 12:30 for the final rounds. 

 

Program Announcements & Updates

 

Issues to Action/Project Soapbox Teachers: 

  • Resources for Soapbox Students: While Project Soapbox is an academic activity to build students' public speaking skills, sometimes students share personal narratives in their speeches that relay deep trauma they have experienced. Click here for a list of various resources to provide students in these circumstances. 
  • If you have not already, please return Pre-Program Student and Teacher Surveys to emma@mikvachallenge.org! Click here to find blank copies of the surveys. 

 

Elections in Action Teachers:                                                          

  • The Campaign Kick-Off Event is this Saturday, November 5th! Teachers planning to bring students to this event (as requested by the grant agreement) must click here for more information about what the day will entail, permission slips, and RSVP deadlines. 
  • As the election season continues, Cristina and Kyle hope to visit each EIA classroom and club with an activity to introduce students to this cycle's elections and candidates. Email cristina@mikvachallenge.org to schedule your visit as soon as possible!
  • The great Campaign Don't Complain Essay Contest has begun! Students interested in participating in the December 9th - 11th campaign trip to Des Moines may submit essays between now and Friday, November 18th at 5:00pm. Click here for essay prompts and more information about the trip. 
If you have a lesson, activity or upcoming event you'd like to share - or suggestions for additions to this newsletter or our website - please submit them to meghan@mikvachallenge.org
CFAC Quick Links
In This Issue
Mikva Teachers and Students at Work
Current Events for the Classroom
Lessons and Resources
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Program Announcements and Updates