This week retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced a free online videogame project called “Our Courts” to teach students about the three branches of government and promote civic education in the classroom. While America’s first female justice is not exactly the video-gaming type, she has teamed with Georgetown University law school and Arizona State University, hoping the program will curb public ignorance about the judiciary.
The “Our Courts” project will include curriculum supplements for 7th to 9th graders, but will also serve as an online-environment for teachers to share resources and for students to play games in their free time. Interactive elements will be added in September. Look for the site to be fully functional in the fall of 2009, but teachers can already find key judicial terms, information on state government, court structure, and links to resources. http://www.ourcourts.org
