Potential Essential & Compelling/Leading Questions:
Essential Question:
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What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States?
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What does it mean to
not
be a citizen of the United States?
Leading/Compelling Questions
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How much does one’s identity determine his or her interpretation of what it means to be a citizen? How have group identities hindered or advanced in the court of public opinion?
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What examples in history can we look to of groups overcoming bias? How do I overcome my own biases toward different groups to help society as a whole?
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When is the individual allowed to point out the flaws of the government?
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How do the people we choose to represent us or judge our laws affect our perception of what it means to be a citizen? Why is it important to have a functional and transparent free elections system?
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How does access to education promote citizenship and safe guard a true representative democracy?
Week 1: Exploring interpretations of Citizenship over time
How have these interpretations changed over time? Are they progressing toward equality, freedom, or both?
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SWBAT Create a timeline that correctly places events and recall key legal terms
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SWBAT Reenact the roles of slaves, immigrants, women and those that hold power during different periods of time, discuss and record the trends observed over time
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SWBAT Analyze how their roles force them to interact with the world and how the court of public opinion influences their behavior with their world then write notes in reflection after watching Judge Judy clips.
Do Now: Are you a citizen? How do you know? Can your citizenship change?
Activity: Teacher would design an activity where students are identifying citizens using pictures, statements, and possible accomplishments (eg. Built a business, own a home, have kids). Students would then engage in a Think-Pair-Share Activity where they would reflect on the activity.
Students would then read an article about citizenship and identity. Students should mark up the text as a way to draw up personal reflection questions that they will reflect on throughout the unit.
Students will watch a brief clip from the show Judge Judy. Before watching the clip we will breakdown her identity and attempt to understand why people might trust her judgement over someone else’s.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3361334/The-jury-s-Straight-talking-Judge-Judy-gives-verdict-Donald-Trump-tells-tone-speeches-down.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3-3yNylAcw (Judge Judy Season 20 Episode 209)
Activity Questions:
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How does identity affect interpretation of what it means to be a citizen?
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How does acceptance by the larger culture help? How does rejection by the larger culture hurt?
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What is tolerance? Why is tolerance not good enough anymore?
Closure/Reflection: Teacher can lead the class in a brief discussion about what they learned through the activity and connect it back to the Essential Question directly or indirectly. Students should answer the following question as an exit ticket:
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How have group identities been hindered or advanced in the court of public opinion?
Students should know the following before moving on:
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The definition of citizenship, identity, and have and understanding of the “court of public opinion”
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Students should have written questions during each class and answered them during the reflection time in class or for homework
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Students should have an opinion on whether the court of public opinion that is created based on individual cases is an accurate conscience to have on issues that affect the masses?
Week 2: Comparison by Ethnic/Cultural, Gender and Community based biases
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SWBAT Create a timeline that correctly places events and recall key legal terms
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SWBAT Play the roles of slaves, immigrants, women and those that hold power
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SWBAT Analyze how their roles force them to interact with their world and write notes in reflection of the experience
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SWBAT Conclude and discuss how their level of citizenship affects their interactions
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SWBAT Students will play the roles of former slaves, women who can vote, and the Japanese who are freed as the timeline moves forward and identify how these interactions change
Review impact of acceptance by larger culture followed by rejection and tolerance.
Week 3: Calling out injustices
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SWBAT Research a Supreme Court case about a topic of your choice and identify how things like public opinion, race, religion, time period, etc. have affected the case and explain what would happen if the case were tried again today.
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SWBAT recall the laws that govern our country and identify whether they are local, state, or federal laws
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SWBAT Identify instances where the law was unclear
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SWBAT Analyze how courts have influenced the decision of lawmakers
Review Group comparisons and answer the following questions:
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Which group do you feel deserved citizenship most? Why?
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Which group do you feel deserved citizenship most? Why?
Week 4: Citizenship as a tool for representation in government
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SWBAT Research different groups as they sought to gain access to promised and protected freedoms and create a timeline to understand the legacy of that groups struggle
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SWBAT Present findings to classmates using an art medium they feel comfortable with to connect struggles of previous groups to groups students can identify with today.
Watch “Citizen Koch” a documentary about the influence of money in politics and write a proposal of action then answer the essential question.