This past Thursday, I had the privilege of serving as a judge for the Simulated Congressional Hearing that took place at Running Brook Elementary School. It was such a great day! I want to thank Mr. Todd for inviting me to participate in this wonderful program.
What is a Simulated Congressional Hearing? It is a Performance Assessment for upper elementary students to show their knowledge about the U.S. Constitution that has been created by the Center for Civic Education. The Center for Civic Education is a nonpartisan educational corporation dedicated to promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles.
At Running Brook Elementary, all of the 5th graders participated in a simulated congressional hearing as the culminating activity for the We the People program after they had studied the U.S. Constitution in social studies this year. The entire class, working in cooperative teams, prepared and presented statements before a panel of community representatives who acted as congressional committee members. Students served as experts on the U.S. Constitution and answered questions posed by the committee members. The format provided students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles while providing teachers an excellent means of assessing performance. Click here to find out more about the program: http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=content_types
All of the judges were so impressed by the preparation and knowledge of the students. It was great to hear students explaining concepts like "separation of powers", "judicial review", "how a bill becomes a law" and "balance of powers". I know all of the guest judges were very impressed!
I am thrilled that all of these 5th graders will be attending Wilde Lake Middle School next year! Congratulations to all of the students and the teachers who did such an outstanding job organizing this important event.
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