The 19
th
amendment gave women the right to vote which allowed them to share in the rights and responsibilities that have been afforded to men for centuries as citizens. After discussion about the events leading up to this amendment, pose an issue for students to vote on. The issue should be generic and not gender based. The ballots should have a box for the students identify their gender. When sorting the ballots, make 4 piles, two on each side, keeping the girls votes separate. After tallying the votes, identify the winning side. Discuss what would be different if girls (women) were not allowed to vote. How would this have changed the outcome? Would this have been fair? Have students write a journal entry to voice their feelings on the topic and share their journal with a partner who will give a response to their entry.
Possible research persons:
Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Angela Davis, Sojourner Truth
Take Action activity:
Part of our philosophy at King Robinson is that students should be able to apply what they learn through their actions in the community. These actions take the form of community service, with the students volunteering in a myriad of ways. Following a discussion about citizenship and what the students can do to show they are productive citizens, students will decide on an activity they can do and present it to the class. Their means of presentation will be left up to them. Some suggestions could be a short video (phone recorded), poster, skit, or report. The objective is for students to show an act of good citizenship and discuss how it made them feel to perform it. Possible tasks could be:
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Helping someone with their homework
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Helping a neighbor with groceries/yardwork
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Helping to clean the kitchen
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Taking out the trash
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Cleaning their room
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Helping with the laundry
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Compromising to solve a problem
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Helping someone solve a problem
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Following rules in school or the community
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Respecting the rights of others
Providing a few examples will ensure that all students understand what they are to accomplish.
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Connect student activities to those of adult responsibilities in the community***