Earlier today my department head, one of the nicest technophobes I know, forwarded to me an email about the Dirksen Congressional Center. The Dirksen Center offers students a number of online activities and resources for learning about the functions of US government. Congress for Kids is a part of the Dirksen Center’s suite of online resources. On Congress for Kids students can take a tour of the federal government then test their knowledge in online quizzes.

The Dirksen Center’s Editorial Cartoon Collection offers sixty editorial cartoons and eighteen lesson plans based on editorial cartoons. The Dirksen Center also hosts a half-dozen webquests designed for middle school and high school use.

Applications for Education
The Dirksen Congressional Center’s activities and lesson plans seem to be best suited for middle school and high school use.