Lesson Planning Template

Lesson Title: Civic duties in the U.S. and Beyond

Environment: blended classroom
Grade: 11 Content Area: Civics
Central Focus: This lesson will be part of a unit on civic duty.

Rationale: As students reach their high school years their civic responsibilities become
more prevalent in their lives. A civic duty is initially the actions taken by citizens to
promote the common good. This topic is often overlooked in the classroom and should
be taken more seriously especially as students are preparing to graduate and enter the
real world.

Objectives:
1. Students will be able to understand what civic responsibility is.
2. Students will be able to compare the civic duties that are in a constitutional
democracy.
3. Students will be able to evaluate and defend issues regarding personal and civic
duties in a constitutional democracy.
4. Students will articulate reasons on why there is a problem regarding civil
responsibility
Content Standards: Write the number of the standard and the text of the standard to
describe what the learners will be doing.

National Standards for Social Studies Teachers Civic Ideals and

http://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/NCSSTeacherSta Practices
ndardsVol1-rev2004.pdf An understanding of
civic ideals and
practices is critical to
full participation in
society and is an
essential component
of education for
citizenship, which is
the central purpose of
social studies.

Common Core State Standards (if applicable) CCSS.ELA-

www.corestandards.org LITERACY.RH.6-
8.6 Identify
aspects of a text that
reveal an author's
point of view or
purpose (e.g., loaded
language, inclusion or
avoidance of
particular
facts). CCSS.
ELA-
LITERACY.RH.6-
 8.8 Distinguish
among fact, opinion,
and reasoned
judgment in a text.

ISTE NETS-S Standards Global

http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016 Communicator
We will skype with a
high school class from
Austria and discuss
the similarities and
differences between
our civic
responsibilities.

Assessment: What will students do to show what they have learned? How good is
good enough to meet standards? Describe the tools and techniques you will use.

Type of Description of assessment Modifications to Evaluation Criteria-

assessment What will students do to show the assessment How good is good
(formal or what they have learned? so that all enough to meet
informal; students may standards?
formative or demonstrate (related to the learning
summative) learning objectives) Include
scoring guide, rubric or
other criteria

informal They will fill out handouts based Students who are Completion of
on case studies involving civic deaf will be able worksheets and
responsibility. interview a to have the participation points
school in Europe to learn more interviewing during the interview.
about civic responsibility. signed to them.

Materials: List materials for both Student Needs and Teacher Needs
(this includes all technology needs, websites, exemplars, instructional materials, etc.)
Lesson Plan
Opening: To kick start the lesson we will have a discussion of the differences between
rights and responsibilities. This can be done in purley discussion form or by writing it on
the board. We will discuss the following questions, what rights do you have? What
responsibilities do you have for yourself, family, friends or neighbors? Where do these
responsibilities come from? How do you know what is expected of you? After we have
discussed these questions we will then move into a second brainstorming activity that
will be a part of the presentation and practice.

Presentation and Practice: I will define “civic responsibility” with the students. I will
then have the students work in pairs to brainstorm a list of things they think should be
included in these responsibilities. This portion of the lesson will take about five minutes. I
will then hand out a case study on civic responsibility and in their pre-assigned squads
the students will read the case study out loud and will answer the question with a
solution to the problem. From there we will look over the National Standards for Civics
and Government from the United State. We will read this all together and then the
groups will break up to form questions about civic responsibilities. We will then skype a
school in Austria and both classrooms will discuss the differences they have found about
civic responsibility. They will perform this interview style. They will discuss the
worksheets both classrooms have completed and discuss their differences in answers.
This will take 2 class periods the second class period will be dedicated strictly to skyping
the other school in efforts of global communicaiton.

Closure: At the conclusion of the class I will ask them if they think that citizens need to
change their idea of civic responsibility. We will discuss what they can do to change it in
their current position as high school students.

Resources:
Skype or Google Hangout- whichever the other school prefers
Handouts: in progress http://www.classroomlaw.org/files/posts-
pages/resources/lesson_plans/civitaslesson2_lesson.pdf
 What does it mean to be a responsible citizen?
Problem: 1.
Your local government decides to build a new freeway which will cut through the
heart of your neighborhood and 2 others. What do you do? 2. Does it make a
difference if: a. there is a better route farther north but that route would cut
through a wealthy neighborhood of beautiful homes? b. the government pays
more for the homes than they are valued?

A. Your Solution:

B. How do you support your position and what personal or civic responsibility does
this address?

Problem 2:
Your school board passes a resolution which requires every student to complete
at least 40 hours of community service before they are eligible to graduate. What
do you do? 2. Does it make a difference if: a. you are assigned to a particular
place? b. you can choose where you go (as long as it is not for your family and
you are not paid)? c. there is a critical need in schools for children with special
needs, a Suicide Hotline, the Red Cross or nursing homes for the elderly, and
your city is desperate for help?

A. Solution:

B. How do you support your position and what personal or civic responsibility does
this address?