Phase: | Before/Engage |
Activity: | Attention Grabber: The teacher will say: Who is the Governor of (insert state)? Student responses should be the correct governor of the selected state. The teacher will say: In this activity, we will be learning about how our communities and governments function. The teacher will review the learning targets and objectives for the activity. The teacher will show the “We the People” presentation to discuss community-related terms. After each slide, the teacher and the students will discuss how each term relates to real-life situations. The teacher will ask the students to give examples of each term that they see in their community. The teacher and the students will engage in a class discussion about community. The teacher says: In your family community, what are you responsible for? Examples: household chores and being respectful to parents. In your school community, what are you responsible for? Examples: following the classroom and school rules, being a good student, and helping others. In your local community, what are you responsible for? Examples: following the laws, keeping the neighborhood clean, and respecting people’s property. The teacher says: Rules and laws are important, but we make our own choices. We can choose to follow the rules, but if we do not follow the rules there are consequences. In our school, what are some of the rules? Examples: No running in the hallways, no fighting, and no bullying, In our classroom, what are some of the rules? Examples: Raise your hand to speak, be respectful, and stay on task. In our community, what are some of the laws? Examples: Obey stop signs and no stealing from people. |
Assessment Strategies: | The teacher will evaluate the student's understanding of the objectives during the class discussion. The students will independently complete the My Responsibilities worksheet. The teacher will assess the accuracy of student responses. |
Advanced Preparation: | The teacher will need to display the learning targets. The teacher will need to have the “We the People” presentation ready for viewing. The teacher needs to have the Expansion question on flip chart paper. "Research the name of their town’s mayor, the name of their state’s governor, and the name of the president." The teacher needs to pre-print the My Responsibilities worksheet for each student. |
Variation Tips (optional): | Intervention (Small Group/Reteach) For the students who need assistance, the teacher work with them in a small group to reteach and review. Expansion The students will research the name of their town’s mayor, the name of their state’s governor, and the name of the president. |
Notes or Recommendations (optional): | This learning activity would be most beneficial in a whole class, teacher-led instructional setting. The assessment can be used as an individual activity or a partner pair activity. Links to Related Activities: We the People: Introduction to Civics and Government: Part Two We the People: Introduction to Civics and Government: Part Three |
Keywords and Search Tags: | Branches of Government, Citizen, Civics, community, Government, governor, Laws, mayor, president, Rules |