Subjects: Civics, American Government, U.S. History
Grade Level(s): 8-12
Time Frame: 2-3, 50-minute periods
Objectives [What the student should know and be able
to do at the end of the lesson]:
1.0 Overall: The student will understand the qualities
that make a leader. More specifically, the student will understand
those qualities a Senate or House leader must possess. They
will also realize that leadership is not one dimensional but
reliant upon many different circumstances and attributes.
Bloom's Taxonomy: CongressLink lesson plans are built
around Bloom's
taxonomy. The purpose of the taxonomy is to provide a coherent
format for lessons and to make it easier for teachers to design
them according to CongressLink's standards.
2.0 Knowledge: Students will identify and list the
qualities they believe a leader possesses. Students will also
identify and list the qualities they believe are specific to
a leader in Congress.
3.0 Understanding: Students will compare/contrast the
qualities leaders possess in a classroom activity in which
they compile a class list of leadership qualities. Students
will also categorize the qualities of each of the four Congressional
leaders featured at the CongressLink site.
4.0 Application: Students will determine the circumstances
faced by each Congressional leader and answer the question, "Did
those circumstances affect the style of the leaders?"
5.0 Analysis: Students will analyze the various leadership
qualities of each of the four Congressional leaders to compare
their styles and identify their unique characteristics.
6.0 Synthesis: The student might be asked these questions: "What
leadership qualities must a Congressional leader possess?" "What
leadership qualities were unique to the time and situation
of each leader?" The student may refer to a specific historical
situation involving one of the leaders to support their conclusions.
7.0 Evaluation: Evaluate the four subject Congressional
leaders. Who would make the most effective leader? Why? Rate
the four leaders from most to least effective.
Procedure/Sequence
Class 1
1) Students will individually list those qualities they
believe made an effective leader.
2) Students, in groups of 3-4, will narrow their individual
lists to a group list of 5 leadership qualities.
3) The class will then develop a class list of the 5 major
qualities of leadership. The basic
reference material for this activity is the www.uwyo.edu/A&/comm/donaghy/linkpages.html web
page.
Homework - Read the statements at http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_histmats_congldrstatements.htm
made by the four Congressional leaders.
Class 2
The students will be asked to revise the class list after having
read the statements by the four leaders. In their groups
of 3-4, the students will summarize the leadership qualities
identified by the Congressional leaders. Students will compare/contrast
the qualities each of the leaders identified. How do the
qualities identified by each differ? How are they alike?
Questions to ask: What circumstances did each of the leaders
face? Which leaders had majorities while serving as leader?
Which leaders were in the minority while serving as leader?
Use basics_houseleaders.htm and www.senate.gov/learning/learn_history.html as
the sources for this information. How would their relative
situation effect their view of leadership?
Class 3
Students will return to the class list making any revisions
their new information will justify. As the concluding activity
students will evaluate each of the leaders at the Congresslink
site. Among the questions they should answer are: Which leader
was most effective? Why? Which would be least effective?
Why? Does leading Congress differ from other forms of leadership?
If so, how?
Materials:
Congressional
Leadership Statements
www.congresslink.org/print_basics_houseleaders.htm
www.senate.gov/learning/learn_history.html
www.uwyo.edu/A&S/comm/donaghy/linkpages.html
National Standards Addressed by Lesson [based on National
Standards for Civics and Government, Center for Civic Education,
1994. Citation based on section, subsection, standard of the
document]:
Standard II - What are the Foundations of the American Political
System?
Section D - What values and principles are basic to American
constitutional democracy?
Content Standard 3 - Fundamental values and principles.
Standard III - How does the Government Established by the
Constitution
Embody the Purposes, Values, and Principles of American
Democracy?
Section A -How are power and responsibility distributed,
shared, and limited in the government established by the
United States Constitution?
Content Standard 1 - Distributing governmental power and
preventing its abuse.
Standard V - What are the Roles of the Citizen in American
Democracy?
Section E - How can citizens take part in civic life?
Content Standard 1 - The relationship between politics and
the attainment of individual and public goals.
Content Standard 2 - The difference between political and
social participation.
Content Standard 3 - Forms of political participation.
Content Standard 4 - Political leadership and careers in
public service.
Content Standard 5 - Knowledge and participation.
Evaluation/Assessment: See: http://www.congresslink.org/rubric/pdf
Author(s):
Stan Mendenhall
Broadmoor School
Pekin, IL 61554
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