Lesson 8: How Can I Affect Government and My Community?
In this lesson, students will wrestle with the tension between the promises of American ideals and the experience of living in this country — and begin to understand their own power and responsibility as citizens. Students will consider what it means to be a “good citizen,” and reflect on their actions and goals as members of their community.
NOTE: When we use the word “citizen,” we define it in the broadest sense: someone who helps make up the fabric of their community. We are not referring to any official documentation a person may or may not have. You may want to clarify this definition for your students.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2
Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
D2.CIV.2.9-12.
Analyze the role of citizens in the U.S. political system, with attention to various theories of democracy, changes in Americans’ participation over time, and alternative models from other countries, past and present.
D2.CIV.9.9-12.
Use appropriate deliberative processes in multiple settings.