Review of the Interactive Constitution app
AL Social Studies 12.3: Analyze major features of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights for purposes, organization, functions, and principles, including rule of law, federalism, limited government, popular sovereignty, judicial review, separation of powers, and checks and balances.
This app allows students to explore the constitution section by section. The layout of the app helps students access the document quickly and easily. The app also provides interpretations of the various articles and clauses located in the document.
This app can be used by students in all grade levels however, the interpretations seem to be best suited for the secondary grades.
Cost: FREE
This app is available on both iPhone and iPad as well as Android devices. There is also a web-based version.
LearningReviews.com is a site dedicated to reviewing free web tools and apps for educators. This is a website for educators with curated reviews from educators who have had hands-on experience with these tools. This review is credible because it comes from educators in the classroom, not educational bloggers or writers who have been out of the classroom for several years.
AL Social Studies 12.13: Evaluate constitutional provisions of the judicial branch of the government of the United States, including checks by the judicial branch on other branches of government, limits on judicial power, and the process by which cases are argued before the United States Supreme Court.
• Explaining the structure and jurisdiction of court systems of the United States, including lower courts and appellate courts
• Identifying the impact of landmark United States Supreme Court cases on constitutional interpretation
Examples: Marbury versus Madison, Miranda versus Arizona, Tinker versus Des Moines, Gideon versus Wainwright, Reno versus American Civil Liberties Union, United States versus Nixon, McCulloch versus Maryland, Wallace versus Jaffree, Wyatt versus Stickney, Powell versus Alabama (Alabama)
This app allows students to research Supreme Court cases by simply searching the name of the case. Students can access information such as the background of the case, the argument, and the decision. Students even have access to the written opinions for the cases as well as audio recordings of the case being argued in some instances.
This app is best suited for upper secondary students 10-12/Advanced Placement students.
Cost: FREE
This app is only available on iOS devices. There is also a web-based version available.
The review for this app comes from a site that curates user reviews of various applications. User reviews are more reliable because they tell the whole story of the app. Some users may have a positive experience and others may not. These reviews provide the reasons behind all experiences not just the positive.
This app correlates to the entire 10th and 11th U.S. History course of study as well as the AP U.S. History Curriculum.
This provides timelines of events for various periods in U.S. History, along with articles and cartoons about different historical events and concepts. There is also a section with rubric breakdowns for the essays on the AP U.S. History exam. Lastly, there is a Flashcard review section that is currently in development.
This app is designed for upper secondary students in grades 10 -12 as well as AP students, but some of the content such as the cartoons are accessible to middle and upper elementary students.
Cost: FREE
This app is only available on iOS devices. There is also a web-based version available.
The review site is credible because it includes a review written by the website owners which includes very specific details including screenshots. The site also includes user reviews which are the most reliable.
Adam, I cannot wait to try these apps with my students! I just looked at Interactive Constitution and that will be so much easier for them to access rather than their textbook or even searching through an online copy of the Constitution. My government classes will find the interpretations so helpful in their understanding of the document.
ReplyDeleteMy students have used Oyez on their Chromebooks, but I had no idea there was an app for their phones.
Apprend will be a lifesaver for my Dual Enrollment history students. Thank you for introducing me to it. That will help them so much when they need an easily accessible review.
This app review post caught my eye because of the challenge of teaching these standards. While I teach special education preschool, early childhood, and elementary-aged students, I appreciate a teacher in secondary subjects that put a lot of effort into engaging older students. It is easier to rely on secondary students to be instructed through text or online research alone since they are of age to be proficient readers. It is another level of effective teaching to utilize hands-on applications that help text come to life in a creative way. These apps are each unique in the way a student can interact with the standard's content. I know my teenage son will be interested in these and I plan to bring them up with him as an extra resource for him soon.
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