A Unit Study on Citizenship
Citizenship is an integral part of adult life. Here is a unit study approach to this important topic. This unit uses an across-the-curriculum approach and has many activities included in addition to the resources listed.
GENERAL RESOURCES:
CITIZENSHIP AND BASIC SKILLS By Larry Stevens. This four-part book emphasizes the development of skills essential in influencing government decisions: telephoning, letter writing, speaking, and campaigning skills. Activities permit students to make presentations to government agencies, write letters to officeholders, and role-play phone calls to government bureaucrats. A final simulation involves students in preparing a political campaign. The 40 simulated telephone calls, 33 public speaking situations, 28 letter-writing cases, and the final simulation enable all class members to participate and evaluate each other's performances. Grades 5-12.
ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP: Empowering America's Youth By John Minkler. This challenging curriculum teaches the rights, responsibilities, and civic values of U.S. citizenship in context as students analyze real-life community problems and develop solutions. It combines historical documentation (such as the meaning of the Great Seal) and analysis of current issues (such as youth violence) with political problem solving. Students are guided to practice responsible citizenship with role-playing, writing assignments, and cooperative group activities. Each of the 17 thematic chapters includes a lesson plan, handouts, and extension activities. Grades 7-12.
CITIZENSHIP DECISION-MAKING: Skill Activities and Materials By Roger La Raus and Richard C. Remy. These 25 self-contained lessons help students develop the skills to make, judge, and influence decisions in everyday life. Familiar contexts involving family, friends, school, and social issues help students understand the decision-making process as they gain confidence in making their own decisions. The lessons stress the idea that participating in group decisions is a task of citizenship faced by everyone. Background information, teaching strategies, and reproducible student handouts are provided for each lesson. Group goals, conflict, trade-offs, decision trees, personal values, political decisions, judgment, and influence are among the concepts developed. Grades 4-9.
CITIZENSHIP MINI-LESSONS Short and to the point, each of these 14 lessons can be taught within a class period from a single handout that contains a short reading, provocative questions for discussion, and (with most lessons) suggested activities. One example: Aliens from another planet take over the U.S., allowing citizens to retain only five of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Which five should be kept and why? How will our society be different? Among the other aspects of citizenship explored are policy analysis (boot camps for young offenders), being informed (newspapers), polling, propaganda, voting, getting involved (reporting a crime), and conflicting values (a Supreme Court case involving the right to privacy). Includes 11 pages of teacher materials. Grades 9-12.
CITIZENSHIP: Learning to Live As Responsible Citizens Role-playing, brainstorming, debating, playing word games, analyzing excerpts from primary sources, and other activities invite students to explore the concept of citizenship. Sections ask students to find their own answers to the questions "What Is Citizenship?," "What Attitudes and Actions Lead to Responsible Citizenship?," "What Is Responsible Citizenship?," and "What Is Communicating in Communities All About?" The final section is designed to promote class discussion about people--such as Marcus Garvey, Lucretia Mott, and Sacco and Vanzetti--whose actions demonstrate a wide range of citizenship issues. Grades 5-9.
GAMES, ACTIVITIES, AND SIMULATIONS FOR TEACHING CIVICS Citizenship skills are stressed in these enjoyable activities and simulations. Emphasizing policymaking and practical politics at local and national levels, the exercises comprise ten units: Budget and Taxes (a simulation in which students create a federal budget and tax policy), Liberal vs. Conservative (a questionnaire to stimulate discussion of liberal and conservative values), Meeting Game (Robert's Rules of Order), Interest Groups, The Bill, The Election Game (practice in choosing a candidate), Practical Politics, Minority Power Simulation (coalition politics), City Planning Game, and Plan Your Own City. Grades 7-12.
MOCK TRIALS Combining fun and drama with solid learning, these reproducible play scripts teach students how trials are conducted, what participants do, and how juries reach their verdicts. Each booklet includes a guide on using mock trials for lessons on justice and good citizenship. Grades k-6.
READY-TO-USE CITIZENSHIP ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 5–12 Made-to-order for class warm-ups, quick homework assignments, or extra credit, most of the 197 activities in this highly useful book can be done in 15 minutes or less. Each activity appears on a single page with a short lead-in followed by directions and space for writing, filling in answers, completing puzzles, summarizing or interpreting information, and much more. Topics include the Constitution, voting, structure of the federal government, the legislative process, the media, taxes and spending, federal economic policy, and state and local government. The appendix contains historic documents and listings of presidents, cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices, UN membership, and other data.
TEACHING GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENSHIP USING THE INTERNET Edited by George Cassutto. These reproducible lessons draw upon Internet resources to explore diverse issues including the branches of government, government agencies, current affairs, and global citizenship. Lessons direct students to specific Web sites, then engage them in critical thinking and high-interest activities. For example, in "The Death Penalty," students explore Internet sites to help them craft a "brief" for the Supreme Court. In "America's Minor Parties," students research political beliefs across the spectrum, present party platforms, debate issues, and hold a class election. Includes an annotated list of Web sites, as well as recommended print, CD-ROM, and video resources. Grades 7-12
WE THE PEOPLE--The Citizen and the Constitution: Grades 10-12 This well-organized book can serve as a complete text or valuable resource for history and government classes. Six units and 40 lessons examine the nation's philosophical-historical roots, our political system as embodied in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and what it means to be a citizen of the United States. Each 4-6 page lesson has a purpose statement, key terms in boldface, and subsections led by questions. A critical thinking exercise, review quiz, and learning extensions round out each topic. A reference section includes seven basic documents, biographical notes, and glossary. The 190-page guide has teaching suggestions and extra activities.
WEB RESOURCES:
The US Constitution: http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/3/82.03.03.x.html
Yahooligans: http://www.yahooligans.com/content/tg/constitution.html
Women’s Right to Vote: http://www.greatwomen.org/lcvt.htm
Women’s Rights in the 1800’s: http://www.uiowa.edu/~socialed/lessons/women/women.htm
Constitution Community: http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/main.html
The Civic Mind: http://www.civicmind.com/center.htm
Children’s Rights: http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/guides/1994/1/94.01.08.x.html
PREPARED LESSON PLANS:
http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst092.html
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/diversity.htm
http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu/CLA/LESSONS/659.html
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/jar/jartg.html
http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/chinese.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aohome.html
http://www.trinity.edu/departments/education/TCKC/s944rits.htm
http://www.trms.ga.net/~jtucker/lessons/ss/usconst.html
http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/lessons/fecg1.htm
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/ratification/
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/Byrnes/billrigh.html
http://youth.net/cec/cecsst/cecsst.155.txt
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1992/1/92.01.08.x.html#e
http://members.aol.com/MrDonnHistory/Government.html#system
ACTIVITIES:
1. Daily Living Skills: What are the procedures for registering to vote for an election? Who can register to vote? How can you lose your voting privileges?
2. Read a book or see a movie or television program about a fight or flight for freedom.
3. Daily Living Skills: Find out how to do the following:
- Obtain a passport
- Register a bicycle
- Get a “green card” or social security number
- Get a pet license
- Handle a parking violation
4. Research: Find out the name of your state and US congressional representatives. Find out when they come up for election again. Find out how they voted on a subject that affects you or your family or on a subject that you find interesting.
5. Writing: Write a letter to one of your congressmen or women expressing your opinion on an issue. Be sure to be polite and concise and outline your stance.
6. Civics: What is the Bill of Rights? How does the Bill of Rights affect you every day? What are some of the rights that are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights?
7. Research: Find out how the US Justice System works. Learn the difference between civil and criminal law. What are the rights and responsibilities of the judge, jury, prosecutor (or plaintiff), defendant (or accused)?
8. Besides being a citizen of your country, you can be a citizen in other ways. What do you think is would mean to be a citizen of the world? What other ways can you be a citizen?
9. Social Studies & Research: Read biographies on some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
10. Handwriting: Re-write the US Constitution. http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1776-1800/independence/doi.htm
11. Citizenship begins at home and in your community. What is a good neighbor? Make a list of 10 things you think make a good neighbor. How are these things related to citizenship?
12. Rights as well as responsibilities are associated with being a citizen of a country. Make a list of some of the rights and responsibilities that you think come with being a citizien of your country. What rights are guaranteed by your constitution?
13. Research: Talk with someone who has been a citizen of another country or who has lived and/or worked in another country. How do the rights and responsibilities of that country differ from your own country?
14. Design rules, regulations, or laws that might be needed for these situations:
- Pets in the first town on the moon
- An amusement park next to a school
- A toxic waste dump next to a farm
- A town where everyone owns boats and no one has a car
15. Each country has its own flag. Learn about your country’s flag. Are there any special ceremonies associated with your country’s flag? Are there special rules of how to treat your country’s flag?
16. Design and carry out a small project to show you are a good citizen. You may do the project on your own or with a group. Spend at least two hours on this project.
17. Play the Constitution Game from the National Archives: http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/constitution/game.html
18. Participate in a Webquest on school violence and the second amendment to the US Consititution. http://www.biopoint.com/WebQuests/BA1/Welcome.html
19. Find out how a bill becomes a law. How does this affect your citizenship? http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/civrights.html
20. Is there a way that you can lose or have your citizenship taken away from you?
VIDEOS:
SWEET 15 The effect of illegal immigration on Mexican-American families is reflected in this realistic story of Marta Delacruz, about to turn 15 and celebrate her quinceanara, a mass followed by a lavish party that symbolically ushers a Mexican girl into womanhood. To prove her maturity, Marta helps undocumented workers gain citizenship through her church's amnesty office, where she discovers that her own father is not a U.S. citizen. As she assists him, Marta learns valuable lessons about family and growing up. Stars Karla Montana, Tony Plana, and Susan Ruttan. 120 minutes. ©1990
THE TRUE STORY OF THE MOLLY MAGUIRES: In Search of History Useful for lessons on immigration, labor relations, and law, this stirring program examines the legendary group of Irish Catholic mine workers accused of inciting terror and violence during the 1860s and ’70s in northeastern Pennsylvania. The program traces the history of the shadow organization to its roots in 17th-century Irish-British labor disputes, examines how low wages and prejudice created an atmosphere of alienation and suspicion for immigrant mine workers, and reveals how 20 men could have been executed merely because they refused to accept second-class citizenship. Color. 45 minutes. A&E. ©1998.
FICTION/NON-FICTION:
Teaching Values and Citizenship Across the Curriculum : Educating Children for the World by Richard Bailey
The President : America's Leader (Good Citizenship Library) by Mary Oates Johnson
Rights and Responsibilities : Using Your Freedom (Good Citizenship Library)
by Frances Shuker-Haines
Taxation : Paying for Government (Good Citizenship Library) by Charles Hirsch, Lila Summers, Samuel D. Woods
The Vote : Making Your Voice Heard (Good Citizenship Library) by Linda Scher
The Dred Scott Case : Slavery and Citizenship (Landmark Supreme Court Cases) by D. J. Herda
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