Transcript Unit I - OCPS TeacherPress

Florida Joint Center for
Citizenship
Middle School Civics
Unit I
American Citizenship
Lesson 1 Citizenship
 What is a U.S. citizen? What
are the characteristics of
good citizens?
 SS.7.C.2.1 Define the term
‘citizen’ and identify legal
means of becoming a U.S.
citizen.
 This introductory activity
asks participants to think
about and discuss the
qualities of an effective
citizen in four areas:
knowledge, skills, attitudes
and action.
Introduction
 Take 1-2 minutes to silently
write down what you know
about what makes
someone a legal citizen of
the United States. Share
your responses.
Who Are Citizens in the U.S.?
People are considered legal U.S.
citizens by birth if they are:
born in the United States (jus soli)
OR
born to U.S. citizens
(jus sanguinis)
Who Are Citizens in the U.S.?
Eligible candidates for naturalization must:
 Be 18 years old
 Have already been granted legal permanent residency
 Have continuous residency in the U.S. for five years
 Be of good moral character
 Be able to speak and read basic English
 Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government
 Be faithful to the principles of the U.S. Constitution
 Have a favorable disposition toward the U.S.
 Take the Oath of Allegiance
Good Citizenship Word Web
What Words Do I Associate With
This Concept?
Carousel Activity
Give them 3-5 minutes to brainstorm ideas for their station. Remind them of brainstorming
 Explain
that theideas
classare
willaccepted,
try and brainstorm
concretely
what
basics – evryone's
all are listed, more
consensus
is not necessary.
good citizenship means by looking at four important areas:
 What does a good citizen know [KNOWLEDGE]?
 What skills does a good citizen have [SKILLS]?
 What attitudes (beliefs, disposition, outlooks) does a good citizen
have [ATTITUDES]?
 What does a good citizen do [ACTIONS]?
Carousel Activity
 PROCEDURE:
 To begin the Carousel activity,
have students count off by
fours (unless you prefer to have
them pre-assigned to groups
you have organized in
advance). Assign each group
[1, 2, 3, or 4] to one of four
flipchart stations positioned
around the room –
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ATTITUDES,
and ACTIONS. Each group will
start at a given station and
then progress to the other
stations by way of a carousel.
You may wish to use different
colored markers for each
group.
Give them 3-5 minutes to brainstorm ideas for
their station. Remind them of brainstorming
basics – everyone's ideas are accepted, all
are listed, consensus is not necessary.
After 3 minutes, call “time” and ask all groups
to move clockwise to the next station [the
direction is not important so long as it is the
same direction each time]. At their new
station have them put a check mark next to
ideas they agree with, and add their own
ideas; ideas they do not share they are to
leave on the paper without any mark next to
them. Have the groups repeat this process
at each station until they are back in front of
their “home” station.
Whole Class Discussion
 When everyone is back at their original
station, ask each to select the three most
important things on their list. (You can
explain that they are using a time-honored
democratic power sharing structure – the
committee – to reach these decisions.) Ask
each group to reach consensus on the
decision and to select a spokesperson.
When all the groups are ready, have the
speakers report out to the rest of the
groups.
Some Possible Responses
 Knowledge – the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, U.S. history,
how our government works, what democracy means, how
to vote, understanding of current events and issues
 Skills – communication, working together, intellectual, critical
thinking, problem solving
 Attitudes – respect, tolerance, cooperation, compromise,
caring
 Actions – participating, voting, keeping up with the news,
volunteering, community service
Debriefing Questions
 What do you think makes a
good citizen?
 Do you have any new ideas
about how you understand
citizenship from this activity?
 Did you find most of what you
consider good citizenship in
one area more than others? If
so, why?
 How does your understanding
of citizenship now compare
with what we wrote at the
beginning of the carousel
activity?
 The groups’ understanding of
citizenship represents what
they think today and may
change over time, but this will
be the starting point for the
7th grade civics course and
for an exploration of U.S.
citizenship and government.
 Extension idea: Have some
artistic students take the
main points from the
discussion and create a
poster or mural for the
classroom wall.
Lesson 4 Civic Virtue
 Washington, as one of the
founders of our nation, was
admired as a leader and for his
character while Commander in
Chief and President. He
recognized the importance of
character and civic virtue as
necessary to preserving a strong
constitutional republic. This lesson
focuses on George Washington’s
character and civic virtues and
examines the connection
between those virtues and
fostering a democratic and free
society in the United States.
S.S.7.C.2.3. Experience the
responsibilities of citizens at
the local, state, or federal
levels.
S.S.7.C.2.2 Evaluate citizen
obligations.
 Two 45-50 minute class
periods
What do we mean by…
 Good character?
 Manners?
 Civic virtue?
 What do we know about George
Washington?
 Nerd Alert! Ron Chernow’s Washington: A Life is a
terrific book.
Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent
Behaviour In Company and Conversation
 110 Rules
 Some real gems:
 2d When in Company,
put not your Hands to any
Part of the Body, not
usualy Discovered.
 24th Do not laugh too
loud or too much at any
Publick Spectacle.
 70th Reprehend not the
imperfections of others for
that belong[s] to Parents
Masters and Superiours.
In groups…
 You will be assigned one of George
Washington’s Rules of Civility.
 Discuss and define it using the Frayer Model
graphic organizer.
 Write the actual rule in the top left, write your
interpretation of the rule in the top right, give at
least 3 examples of the rule in the bottom left,
and at least 3 non-examples in the bottom right.
Frayer Model Graphic Organizer
Definition
Examples
Interpretation (In Your Own
Words)
Civic
Virtue
Non-examples