About Us
Congress: The Context
SUBJECTS
Government, Social Studies, Citizenship
GRADE LEVEL
10-12
OBJECTIVES
After completing the lesson, students will gain a working knowledge of what it means to be part of a group that is responsible for establishing a government.
LESSON PLAN
Students are put into groups of 4 to 6. The groups are determined by the teacher to help mix up the genders and ethnicities. The goal is to have groups that are as diverse as possible to encourage new ideas and opinions. East student is encouraged to give his or her opinion and take a stance for that belief. This helps students to understand the basics of civil argument and debate.
The students should have already studied and taken notes on the 3 different types of government, specifically Autocracy, Oligarchy, and Democracy, and the 6 forms of governments and modern examples (Dictatorship, Absolute and Constitutional Monarchies, Communist, Direct Democracy, and Representative Democracy).
Read the story, Background Belief, together and answer any questions for clarification. The students each have a packet and their notes to use for reference. As a group, discuss, debate, and agree upon which government they can successfully live under for an indefinite time period; they will create the constitution, duties, and laws for their community. As an individual they are responsible for completing his or her own packet and contributing to the drafting of the group’s laws, duties, and constitution and having an equal role in the group’s presentation.
Students’ grades are determined by the completion of the packet (20 pts.), the finished constitution product by the group (50 pts.), a five-minute group presentation (10 pts.), and a peer grade given to each group member (20 pts.).
RESOURCES
Work packet for each student.
Establishing a Government: Activity Sheet 1A - Background Belief
CREDIT
Adapted from “Survivor Island” presented by a Congress in the Classroom® 2006 participant, Amanda McKeever, McCluer North High School, St. Louis, MO.
