Reach and Teach - CIVIO Teacher Resources

CIVIO and the AP US Government and Politics Exam

Note: AP and Advanced Placement are trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board which does not endorse nor was involved in the development of this article or the CIVIO game. CIVIO is a registered trademark of Reach and Teach.

In designing CIVIO, a civil rights game, inventor Derrick Kikuchi was inspired by the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties chapter in The Princeton Review's Cracking the AP US Government and Politics Exam. The game (not too surprisingly) acts as a good review for many key concepts and facts tested in the exam.

Of material discussed in Cracking, CIVIO along with its associated resource materials develops understanding of the following...

"A new national study, the largest of its kind, says America's high schools are leaving the First Amendment behind."

- John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 1/31/2005

How sure are you that your kids understand their constitutional rights and how the Supreme Court affects them? A recent report by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation reveals that kids are weak when it comes to knowledge about the constitution.

Maybe you teach social studies, civics, government, or AP. Perhaps you lead a community service organization, a non-profit, a congregation, or a foundation. Bring in our CIVIO team for a few hours and we'll have your students, volunteers, staff, donors, or audience engaged in lively conversations while having fun playing CIVIO.

CIVIO was the perfect way to to bring to life the concepts 7th and 8th grade San Carlos students had been studying about the U.S. Constitution. "No one wanted to quit playing when the time was up!" according to Carol Drace, Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at the school.

These three CIVIO cards form a three card set or precedent...


Brown v Board of Education	Lemon v Kurtzman	Zelman v Simmon-Harris

How are these cards related to each other?

One of the best resources on the Reach and Teach website for teachers is the Case/Law cards section of the website which gives more detailed information about many of the cases and laws that are part of the CIVIO deck. This includes a CIVIO Card of the Week which relates to current news events.

CIVIO lesson plan links

This article contains a list of links to various lesson plans available on the web which we feel would work well with the cases and laws covered in CIVIO. We encourage you to let us know about other lesson plans you find on the web, and would especially appreciate you sharing your own lesson plans with us so that we can make them available to other teachers. Please contact us if you'd like to share a great lesson plan!

A common argument given by some folks is a claim that the concept of "separation of church and state" is not part of the Constitution or its intent but is in fact a fabrication of Supreme Court Ruling in 1947 and a source of abuse by organizations like the ACLU. As recently as August 28th, 2003, Joe Scarborough on MSNBC's Scarborough Country said, "[Separation of church and state is] not in the Constitution... It was created whole cloth in 1947 by the United States Supreme Court." Is this statement true?

CIVIO - A civil rights game

Think inside this box! Civio, a fascinating strategy card game, shows how civil rights challenges become landmark Supreme Court decisions. (2-4 players, Ages: 13 - Adult) Learn more...

CIVIO Teacher's Packs

CIVIO is an interactive and engaging way to enhance your current civics and history curriculum. With a Teacher Pack it's easy to start using CIVIO today. This game makes a perfect activity for an hour or more of classroom time. Select your Teacher Pack based on the number of students in your group. Teacher's packs include:

Games and "Easy Play" instruction student handouts (one handout per game for 3-4 students)
Printed and fully-scripted lesson plan, transparencies, and score sheets
A master copy of a CIVIO "Law Diploma" handout where you can record each student's name and rank at the end of play
The "Your Constitutional Rights" CD-ROM (see below)
An easy to store and robust plastic portfolio that will fit right on your favorite bookshelf

You can purchase with either a credit card or a school purchase orders. Simply mail or fax purchase orders directly to Reach And Teach and we will ship the teacher pack and invoice your school.

Five Game Pack: Perfect for up to 20 students. Comes with one boxed game and four additional decks with Easy Play instructions (plus all materials listed above).

Ten Game Pack: Perfect for up to 40 students. Comes with one boxed game and nine additional decks with Easy Play instructions (plus all instructional materials listed above).

Your Constitutional Rights CD

Each teacher's pack now includes, at no extra charge, “Your Constitutional Rights” a CD-ROM developed by the ACLU of Montana. Covering 50 landmark Supreme Court decisions, this audio CD's first edition received national acclaim from the American Bar Association for exemplary radio work. Each case is summarized in a 60-second spot teachers can use as an adjunct to classroom or other live presentations on civil liberties.

Order your teacher's pack today while supplies of these wonderful CDs last!

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How to Play CIVIO

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CIVIO and the AP US Government and Politics Exam

America's youth ready to abandon free speech?

"A new national study, the largest of its kind, says America's high schools are leaving the First Amendment behind."

Got Some Time and A Room Full of People? The CIVIO Team is On the Way!

San Carlos Middle School Civil Rights Lesson

Learn history with CIVIO

CIVIO Cases and Laws

CIVIO lesson plan links

Is Separation of Church and State "Constitutional"

How to get CIVIO

CIVIO - A civil rights game

CIVIO Teacher's Packs

Your Constitutional Rights CD