• Civic involvement
• Methodology
• Connecting constructivism and citizenship
• Teaching challenges
• Building consensus and closure
• Student challenges
• Informal assessment
• Getting started
• Forming groups
• Students' presentations
• Lessons learned
• Advice to other teachers
• Newark mayoral campaign
• Remaining neutral
• His background

Jose Velazquez: I think what I would do differently next time is broaden discussion on the powers of the mayor as opposed to the city council, so that we could tie in exactly what the mayor can do about certain issues. For example, a group was talking about the minimum wage. The minimum wage is a federal issue, but it’s also a state and local issue. [Another] issue came up around the Board of Education and the powers of the mayor over education in the city of Newark. If I had to redo the lesson I would give them background information on the whole debate over who should control the Board of Education. The reason I brought it up in this discussion is not that I expected them to know about that debate, but to get their views as to whether they felt the mayor should have input and decision-making power over issues of education. I think we made the connection but if we had to do it over again, I would probably bring in a more formal discussion of the powers of the mayor in relationship to the Board of Education as an example of the limits of the power of the mayor and also highlight the powers of the mayor in a mayor-council relationship. I think students understand that there is a city council and there is a mayor but the limits of the mayor’s power would be something I would introduce in a much more formal way.