These sites have been prioritized in terms of the importance and completeness of the information they provide. No one site is sufficient to meet all the ISBE standards. Each site has also been annotated to help you locate the relevant content.
Wikipedia
This on-line encyclopedia also contains extensive content on Illinois >>, Illinois History>> and Chicago >>
Illinois Handbook of Government >>
This publication is available both on line and as a booklet. (Booklets are available in the History and/or Education Departments.) You should become familiar with the basic organization of Illinois government and who holds the six elected executive offices (pp. 3-11), the budget (pp. 12-13), and Illinois at a Glance (p. 98).Under the legislative (p. 14f), executive (p. 55f), and judicial (p. 68f) branches there are organizational charts and some basic information. Finally, study the History and Highlights of the Illinois State Constitution (p 100-102) and glance through the Illinois Constitution (p. 103-132), noting unique characteristics such as certain rights, retention of judges, home rule, education, etc. Note that the on-line IL Handbook of Government includes an internal search engine that makes it relatively easy to locate sections of the handbook containing specific topics or words.
General Illinois History and Government
The following sites are optional for anyone preparing for the certification test. They are, however, very helpful in planning lessons on Illinois history and government and for student research.
State of Illinois Official Web Site:
General Information About Illinois >>
Illinois Government Information >>
Aspects of Illinois government including biographies of executive branch officers, how to contact state Senators and Representatives, Illinois statutes, information on local governments, etc.
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (HPA) >>
Illinois Gallery contains a large number of photographs grouped in categories. There is a limited selection of on-line videos. You can access selected articles from Illinois History magazine. Visit Illinois puts you in touch with 22 historic sites in the state. You can study the papers of Abraham Lincoln. Under Additional Resources, you can access the history fair site and the Illinois History Teacher magazine.
Illinois History Resource Page >>
This site contains a very large number of links to sites relevant to Illinois History and Government.
Illinois Geography >>
This site has a wealth of knowledge about Illinois geography.