STATEHOUSE NEWS

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Through a partnership with iCivics and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Capitol Square Foundation, is offering a free interactive web-based civics curriculum that will be available to students, teachers and families.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 5, 2020 -- With the 2020 election right around the corner—and the country in the midst of a health crisis, economic uncertainty, and social unrest—the Capitol Square Foundation, through iCivicsOhio, is providing free online resources to help teachers, students, and families better understand the news that they are reading in the headlines and learn about how the local and federal government works, including the presidential election.

The resources, which were created in partnership with iCivics, the civic education nonprofit founded by Sandra Day O’Connor, and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs have been designed specifically to align with Ohio’s state standards and to meet the needs of Ohio educators through content that is tied to the Buckeye State’s history and Constitution.

They have been created to use both remotely, as many schools have not yet opened their campuses to students, as well as in the physical classroom. Completely nonpartisan, they are available for free and for anyone to use at https://www.icivics.org/teachers/oh.

“We are especially proud of our unique partnership with iCivics, the John Glenn College and the Ohio Statehouse to provide this important resource at this challenging time,” said Charles Moses, Chair of the Capitol Square foundation.

iCivics, which has created 20 digital games and hundreds of digital lesson plans that are used by more than 120,000 teachers and 7.5 million students every year, has worked with the Capitol Square Foundation to make the following resources available for Ohio at a time when civic education has become increasingly important:

• The iCivics Ohio Website: This includes a guide to lesson planning that is custom to Ohio’s state Scope & Sequence, as well as two Ohio-specific lesson plans for high school students, Comparing Constitutions: Ohio and United States, and History of Ohio's Constitution.


• An Ohio Statehouse Virtual Visit: While the Ohio Statehouse remains open to the public, in-person guided tours have been suspended until further notice due to COVID-19. Self-guided tour brochures are available for groups or individuals in the Map Room. The Ohio Statehouse Virtual Visit allows educators to use digital resources to help students explore remotely the history, government, civics, and architecture of the Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building and Atrium. This includes Digital Resources for Educators, an exploration of the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House, and information from the Secretary of State.


• General civic content from iCivics: This includes access to all of iCivics’ renowned online civics games and lesson plans that teach middle and high school students key topics such as how the three branches of government interact, how to be an informed voter, how the judicial system works, and how laws are made. As the election nears, this also features a guide to Teaching the 2020 Presidential Election, which includes games, lessons, WebQuests, and more.

While initially designed for use in schools, students and families can also access iCivics’ resources on their own. For example, Win the White House is a popular free online game from iCivics that can inspire at-home civic learning and some friendly family competition -- and iCivics has created guides specifically for at home learning for both educators and families.


Ohio Statehouse Connection


The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center is excited to partner with iCivicsOhio to teach Ohio students about government. Teachers and students may use the iCivicsOhio website with online games and activities as an engaging way to prepare to participate in civic life.


“The Ohio Statehouse is the center of state government,” said Laura Battocletti, Executive Director of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB), “Guided tours of the Ohio Statehouse are not available due to an abundance of caution. These virtual experiences may take the place of a school visit to the Capitol to experience how their government works.”
“This is a crucial time to educate students on civics and the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center and iCivicsOhio offer unique, engaging ways to experience both state and national governments online.”

About Capitol Square Foundation

The Capitol Square Foundation was established in 1987 to increase public awareness of and to involve citizens in the history of the Ohio Statehouse. Its purpose is to raise funds to obtain, restore and maintain artifacts and other items related to the history and enhancement of this grand monument and its adjoining grounds, so that the seat of Ohio's government may reflect the dignity of the state and its citizens.

About iCivics

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor founded iCivics in 2009 to transform the field through innovative, free educational video games and lessons that teach students to be knowledgeable, curious, and engaged in civic life. Today, iCivics is the nation’s largest provider of civic education curriculum, with its resources used by over 113,000 educators and more than 7.1 million students each year nationwide. Visit icivics.org to learn more.

About the Ohio Statehouse


The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it’s where history happens! The Ohio Statehouse is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on state holidays.

The Ohio Statehouse Museum is currently closed for health and safety. Virtual resources for learning at home are online at ohiostatehouse.org/Assets/Files/1005077.pdf.

Guided tours are suspended until further notice, but visitors are welcome with safe and healthy practices. Face coverings and social distancing of at least six feet are encouraged. Cell phone tour and self-guided tour brochures are available in the Map Room, which is easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. The Capitol Café and Statehouse Museum Shop are closed until further notice. For education and museum information, contact 614-728-2697 or OhioStatehouse.org.


Contact:
Charles Moses, Chair
Capitol Square Foundation
614-221-5825 / CSF@AssnOffices.com / www.capitolsquarefoundation.org

Laura P. Battocletti, Executive Director
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
614-752-9777 / laura.battocletti@ohiostatehouse.org / ohiostatehouse.org