We the People Full Unit Plan

8/6/2019 We the People Full Unit Plan

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³We the People´

Grade: 8th Grade Students

Purpose: Learn about the American Government by

having a hands on approach.

Time Period: A Semester

Brittany Balash



Part One: Contextual Factors

Unit Theme:

The theme of this unit is the American Government. The purpose of this unit is to allow

for the students learn about their national, state and local government. They will then have the

opportunity to use the knowledge they have gained and form their own classroom government.

Grade Level and Estimated Time:

This unit will be targeting the 8th

grade level and will approximately take a full semester

to complete. Within this semester there will be field trips and guest speakers, thus allowing the

students to have a first-hand experience.

Unit Description:

This unit is entitled ³We the People´. In this unit the students will experience many

different aspects that make up the American government. They will learn the foundation of our

government how it was developed and the different roles of each branch. The students will also

be exposed to the separation of local, state and national government. They will learn about their

local representatives and hopefully have the opportunity to meet and ask some of them questions.

The students will also learn how the laws they follow actually become laws. They will then have

the opportunity to create their own legislation for the classroom.

Since this unit is going to be taught in a history or social studies classroom setting the

students will begin learning about the American Government by first targeting the primary

documents. They will learn about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Then

they will have an opportunity to create a constitution for their own nation.



Significance/rationale for the unit:

1) The middle school curriculum should focus on general education.

This unit plan will target the students both as a whole and personally. They will be able

to embrace their individuality through many different activities including the creating

of their own constitution. This unit will show the students that they are a vital part of

the American society and they should be able to speak their voices. It will also allow

them to be more informed on what people really vote for, thus allowing them to feel

more obligated to vote when they are of age.

2

)

The central purpose of the middle school curriculum should be helping early

adolescents explore self and social meanings at this time in their lives.

This unit will allow the students to understand that they have an important role in their

society. They will have the opportunity to explore the political world through the eyes

of local, state and national government. They will also be able to attend field trips that

will show them the importance of political roles. They will be able to explore their own

personal beliefs and engage in debate over social and classroom issues.

3 ) The middle school curriculum should respect the dignity of early adolescents.

In this unit the students will be treated at a normal citizen. They will not judged by

their age level. Instead we will embrace their age. They will be able to participate in

discussions focused on recent current events and issues; they will also have the task of

brainstorming different ways we can solve current debates and conflicts.

4 ) The middle school curriculum should be firmly grounded in democracy.

One aspect that is both crucial for society and for those at the middle school age level is

the importance of democracy. In this unit the students will have the opportunity to



develop different laws and legislation for the classroom and they will have the chance

to vote on them. This will allow the students to not only witness what true democracy

is but it will also expose them to the system of checks and balances; which is another

huge aspect of the American Government.

5 ) The middle school curriculum should honor diversity.

Since a lot of the work that is done during this unit is based on the opinion and beliefs

of the students they will be able to embrace their individual diversity and learning

diversity. When it comes to their writing, I want them to write whatever they feel

necessary in order to get their point across.

I also want to embrace the cultural diversity in my classroom. Thus having a lesson

that would revamp our current constitution and asking them what they feel should be

added in order to allow our society to be more excepting of others differences.

6 ) The middle school curriculum should be of great personal and social significance.

The book ³Is Voting for Young People?´ written by Martin P. Wattenberg, shows a

drastic problem in regards to young citizens being involved in not only politics but voting

in general. Many have said that it is because our young society is not fully educated

enough to understand who and what they are voting for, thus they do not even attempted

to get involved.

In this unit the main goal is to not only educate the students, but to also get them

involved. If they are exposed at such a young age they them will feel more comfortable

to take part when they are of age. By teaching them the background of our society they

will understand that they too can have their voices heard and make a difference.



7 ) The middle school curriculum should be lifelike and lively.

This unit will allow the students to experience the intensity that a politician faces. They

will engage in debates, be able to write letters to the editors of newspapers and take part

in a mock political election. When taking part in these assignments and projects they

will be assessed on their ability to use political vocabulary and the amount of personal

belief and intensity they put into their work. As the teacher, I want them to feel

comfortable expressing their opinions and beliefs. In our society debate is very crucial

and as young Americans they should be able to have that experience.

8 ) The middle school curriculum should enhance knowledge and skills for all young

people.

The students will be able to use their own background knowledge and combine it with

the different skills and materials taught in this unit to allow them to understand the

basis of American politics and government. At the end of this unit they will have a

better understanding as to who had control over what and why it is important for them

as young citizens to take part in what happens with our nation. They will have a better

understanding of the voting system and learning the importance of having that right to

vote.



Part Two: Provide and justify the objectives for the unit

1. Students will review the history of our independence, and analyze the Bill of Rights

to gain a better understanding of their basic rights and freedoms.

a. Understanding, Summarizing, Remembering, Listing, and Paraphrasing

i. C.8.1 Identify and explain democracy's basic principles, including

individual rights, responsibility for the common good, equal opportunity,

equal protection of the laws, freedom of speech, justice, and majority rule

with protection for minority rights

ii. C.8.2 Identify, cite, and discuss important political documents, such as the

Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and landmark decisions of the Supreme

Court, and explain their function in the American political system

2. Students will be introduced to the structure of local government and other positions

utilized by the government.

a. Applying, Implementing, Outlining

i. C.8.4 Describe and explain how the federal system separates the powers of

federal, state, and local governments in the United States, and how

legislative, executive, and judicial powers are balanced at the federal level

3. Students will have an understanding of services provided from community taxes.

a. Creating, Designing, Understanding, Applying






4. Students will actively participate in local government by having a simulated

classroom election and community handling problem.

a. Creating, Devising, Judging, Evaluating, Reviewing

5. Students will study the structure of the state government. They will have the

opportunity to research and name their governor, senators and district

representative.

a. Evaluating, Checking, Critiquing, Analyzing, Understanding, Remembering




6. Students will have an understanding of the term ³capital´ in the sense that this is

where the state government is housed and that all 50 states have a capital.

a. Understanding, Summarizing, Comparing




7. Students will explore the other capitals of the fifty states.

a. Comparing, Understanding, Remembering, Recognizing, Listing, Locating






8. Students will observe the structure of the National Government. Students will be

informed about where the President lives and works by visiting the White House via

the internet.

a. Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Remembering, Recognizing, Locating,

Summarizing

i. C.8.5 Explain how the federal system and the separation of powers in the

Constitution work to sustain both majority rule and minority rights

9. Students will understand the importance of their role in society by learning how,

where and why to vote.

a. Evaluating, hypothesizing, experimenting

10. Students will learn how a bill is passed and be able to write and submit their own

bill.

a. Creating, Designing, Constructing





ii. C.8.3 Explain how laws are developed, how the purposes of government

are established, and how the powers of government are acquired,

maintained, justified, and sometimes abused

11. Student will be able to establish their own government, by constructing their own

constitution and legislation.

a. Creating, Inventing, Making, Hypothesizing







ii. C.8.7 Locate, organize, and use relevant information to understand an

issue of public concern, take a position, and advocate the position in a

debate

iii. C.8.8 Identify ways in which advocates participate in public policy

debates



2, 3, 4,5,6, 7

State Government

The students will be assigned a stateand be instructed to put together a presentation that targets their form of government. They will look at who

the elected officials are and see whatthey have passed so far. They will beable to put this together as an oral presentation however there is no limitas to what forms of media they mayuse.

The studentswill be able tolook at a stategovernment thatis not their own.T

hey willresearch andidentify the political figuresfrom that area.They will learnhowgovernment isrun andunderstand howthe community

is served bythose people.

y The students will be assigned anindividual state

y They mustresearch and

identify the political figuresinvolved in thestategovernment.

y They must prepare an oral presentation thatshould be aboutfive minutes.

y They must

provide crediblesources.

10, 11 Creating a Bill

The students will design a bill thatthey want to be passed in theclassroom. They will then present this bill to the class and indicate why theyfeel we need it vote on it.

By creatingtheir own billthe students will be able to seethe process of how a bill is passed. Theywill understandwhy it takes

congress solong to establishnew bills andthey will learnthe format of bill writing.Students willalso be able tohave theopportunity toexpress what

they feel needsto be changed inthe classroom.

y They mustdesign a bill thatthey feel needs to be passed for theclassroom.

y They must createthe bill usingsome type of computerized

program, such asWord or Publisher.

y They must have justifications asto why this billmust be passed.

2, 3, 4, 5,10

Weekly Newspaper Article Students must bring in aweeklynewspaper article that they

y Students must bring in anarticle of their choice

y Have some



feel is related toan important political issue.

understandingand proof thatthey read thearticle

y Share their

informationduring aninformalclassroomdiscussion

1 Amendment AssessmentStudents will be assigned anamendment per week. They have theability to choose which one theywould like to look over. Then at theend of the week they must either write

about it or create a piece of art work that reflects the meaning of thisamendment

Students will beaware of whateachamendmentmeans and howthey are

affected bythem

y Students pick one amendment

y Read it andeither write whatthey feel itmeans in their

own words or create an art piece based onhow they feelwhen they readit.

1, 2, 6, 8,11

Vocabulary Quiz Students will bequizzed on thedifferentvocabulary usedwhen working

with politicsandgovernmental positions

y Each quiz willhave the wordand then thestudents mustdescribe what the

term means.

2,4, 10 Community Involvement Students willhave to do threeacts of communityinvolvement.These can either be politically

related or community based. Therewill bevolunteer opportunitiesavailable in theclassroom so

y Each studentmust volunteer three differenttimes throughoutthe semester

y They must havea signed sheet of

paper from each place indicatingwhat they didand where theyworked





Oral Presentation Rubric : State Government

CATEGORY

4

Exceeds Criteria

3

Met Criteria

2 Missing Some

Criteria

1 No Criteria

Present

Preparedness Student is completely

prepared and has

obviously rehearsed.

Student understands

the material and does

not stumble on it

when giving

presentation.

Posture and EyeContact

Stands up straight,looks relaxed and

confident. Establishes

eye contact with

everyone in the room

during the

presentation..

Comprehension Student is able to

accurately answer

almost all questions

posed by classmates

about the topic.

Students are able to

provided informationabout their topic of

government.

Vocabulary Uses vocabulary

appropriate for the

audience. Extends

audience vocabulary

by defining words that

might be new to most

of the audience.

Content . Shows a full

understanding of the

topic.



Role of State Government (5, 6, 7)

State Political Figures Difference from states to state

Role of National Government (8)

Presidencial Role Checks and Balances

Review the History of Our Independence (1, 10)

Bill of Rights Freedoms and Rights

Create your own government (11)

Take prior knowledge to create their own classroom goverment

Effect on Us (10, 9, 4)

Role of voting Importance of being involved

Role of Local Government (2, 3, 4, 5)

Mayoral Duties Community Figures



Lesson Plan 1

Objective: Students will review the history of our independence and analyze the Bill of

Rights to gain a better understanding of their basic rights and freedoms as an American

citizen.

Standard:

C.8.1 Identify and explain democracy's basic principles, including individual rights,

responsibility for the common good, equal opportunity, equal protection of the laws,

freedom of speech, justice, and majority rule with protection for minority rights

C.8.2 Identify, cite, and discuss important political documents, such as the Constitution, the

Bill of Rights, and landmark decisions of the Supreme Court, and explain their function in

the American political system

Materials Needed:

Bill of Rights

Computer Access

Know Your Rights Worksheet

Activity:

Warm Up: Students will be asked to write down as many rights as possible.

As a class we will have a discussion about what rights we have as Americans. Students will

begin to understand how the Bill of Rights has power over what happens to them. They

will then be given a worksheet entitled Know Your Rights

Students will have the opportunity to get with another classmate and use the computer to

find the Bill of Rights online. They will then work in groups to complete this worksheet.

When completing this worksheet they will be instructed to indicate what rights they have

for each of the situations listed.



To wrap up this lesson we will come back together as a group and they will share with the

class which rights they had. Thus allowing the classmates to have an open debate about

what the Bill of Rights means, and how it can mean different things to different people.



Lesson Plan 2

Objective: Students will be introduced to the structure of local government and other

positions utilized by the government and community

Standard:

C.8.4 Describe and explain how the federal system separates the powers of federal, state, and

local governments in the United States, and how legislative, executive, and judicial powers are

balanced at the federal level

Materials Needed:

Computer Access

Activity:

Definitions: Students will be given the following definitions/terms:

Mayor

City Council Member

Police Chief

Fire Department Chief

Heath & Social Services

Appoint

Approve

Elect

As a class we will go through each term and position. We will talk about what they are in

charge and what they are currently doing in our community. The students will then be

instructed to go online and look up who their local members are and create a chart

showing how the power flows through community government.



Lesson Plan 3

Objective: Students will observe the structure of the State Government.

Standard:

C.8.4 Describe and explain how the federal system separates the powers of federal, state, and

local governments in the United States, and how legislative, executive, and judicial powers are

balanced at the federal level

C.8.5 Explain how the federal system and the separation of powers in the Constitution work to

sustain both majority rule and minority rights

Materials Needed:

Internet Access

Activity:

Definitions:

As a class we will discuss the following branches of government: Executive, Legislature, &

Judicial. We will go through the roles of each branch and talk about how they are all

affected by the system of Checks and Balances. Then we will decide if the politicians are

elected or appointed. Finally we will talk about our local elected officials that fall under

these categories.

Then students will be instructed to complete an internet activity in which they complete a

worksheet by naming the governor, two senators and district representatives.



K nowing Your Rights

Worksheet

1. You are accused of robbing a local 7-11 store. You are tried and found innocent. Two years later more information is found. They decide to try you again for the same crime.

2. The government passes a law that states that all newspaper articles must be read by a judge beforethey can be published.

3. Julie, found guilty of staling candy, has her right hand cut off.

4. It is against the law for anyone to own a gun.

5. You have been accused of stealing a car and bail has been set for $100,000.

6. Your property, where your home is located, is needed for the building of a new school. The statetakes your land from you and tells you that you must move, but they pay a fair price for the land.

7. In order to save money, the army decides to place soldiers in your home for six weeks, eventhough there is no war going on.

8. You have been accused of a crime. You are put in jail. You are in jail for three years before you

have a trial.

9. Police officers search your home to see if you have any stolen item, and present you with a searchwarrant.

11. John was accused of a crime and given a quick trial but he was not allowed to have any defense.12. All guns are called in by a local judge to be kept in a safe holding area. The people were allowedto use their guns only when they went hunting.

14. A warrant was issued to search your house for a large sofa. While searching for the sofa, a small painting was found in a closet. The painting has been stolen, so the police took it with them.

Documents

We the People Full Unit Plan