Our Role in Local Government - Midland Independent School ...



Lesson Synopsis:Students learn how local, state, county and national groups make decisions on taxation. Students will also learn about the phrase “consent of the governed” and how leaders can be elected to fulfill the wishes of the people as designed by the Founding Fathers through the United States Constitution. Students also review traits of good citizenship and consider how they can help their own communities.TEKS:3.1History. The student understands how individuals, events, and ideas have influenced the history of various communities. The student is expected to:3.1CDescribe how individuals, including Daniel Boone, Christopher Columbus, the Founding Fathers, and Juan de O?ate, have contributed to the expansion of existing communities or to the creation of new communities. 3.10Government. The student understands important ideas in historical documents at various levels of government. The student is expected to: 3.10BDescribe and explain the importance of “consent of the governed” as it relates to the functions of local, state, and national government. 3.11Citizenship. The student understands characteristics of good citizenship as exemplified by historical and contemporary figures. The student is expected to:3.11AIdentify characteristics of good citizenship including truthfulness, justice, equality, respect for oneself and others, responsibility in daily life, and participation in government by educating oneself about the issues, respectfully holding public officials to their word, and voting. 3.11CIdentify and explain the importance of individual acts of civic responsibility, including obeying laws, serving the community, serving on a jury, and voting.3.12Citizenship. The student understands the impact of individual and group decisions on communities in a constitutional republic. The student is expected to:3.12AGive examples of community changes that result from individual or group decisions.Social Studies Skills TEKS:3.18Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:3.18BUse technology to create written and visual material such as stories, poems, pictures, maps, and graphic organizers to express ideas.3.18CUse standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.Getting Ready for InstructionPerformance Indicator(s):Explain in a paragraph what “consent of the governed” means and why it is important. Choose examples from the local community to illustrate ideas. (3.10B; 3.18B, 3.18C)5FKey Understandings and Guiding Questions:El gobierno local funciona en una democracia a través del consentimiento de los gobernados.?Por qué es importante “el consentimiento de los gobernados” para las funciones del gobierno local, estatal y nacional??Cuáles son las características de buen civismo??Cuáles son los actos de responsabilidad cívica y por qué son importantes?Vocabulary of Instruction:consentimiento de los gobernadosrepresentanteparticiparciudadanorepublicanismoMaterials:Refer to Notes for Teacher section for materials:Attachments:Handout: Questions for Engage Activity (cut into strips)Teacher Resource: Questions for Engage Activity KEYHandout: Signs (one sign per group)Handout: Consent of the Governed Chart (one per student)Teacher Resource: 6 Characteristics of Good CitizenshipTeacher Resource: The Founding Fathers Believed in Consent of the GovernedHandout: Civic Responsibility (1 per student, or create a large, easy to read Anchor Chart)Resources and References:InternetPublic LibrarySchool LibraryCity LeadersLocal NewspapersAdvance Preparation:Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson, including information about local taxes, fees, and services.Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.Prepare materials and handouts as needed.Background Information:Teacher must fully understand the process of local, county, state, and national government, the process of taxes, fees and services provided.Getting Ready for Instruction Supplemental Planning DocumentInstructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.Instructional ProceduresInstructional ProceduresNotes for TeacherENGAGE – Consent of the GovernedNOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutesSuggested Day 1 ? 15 minutes Briefly review learning from Lesson 1 the purpose of government and the three branches of government. Display student work from Lesson 1.Divide class into 4 groups. Distribute to each group one of the following questions to discuss (see Handout: Questions for Engage Activity). Also distribute to each group a sign that says national, state, county, and local or city (see Handout: Signs):What group decides how much income tax each American citizens will pay each year? (sign: national)What group decides how much sales tax and property tax each person in the state will pay each year? (sign: state)What group decides how much each person will pay in taxes to the county for hospitals, community colleges, schools, law enforcement? (sign: county)What group decides how much each citizen will pay in sales tax? (sign: local/city)Distribute the Handout: Consent of the Governed Chart.Introduce and discuss ideas and terms such as “agreeing with their vote” and “authority of the government” and “consent of the governed.”Students study information on the Handout: Consent of the Governed Chart and contribute to the discussion to check their understanding about taxes and fees levied by the government at each level.Students discuss and write down their final answer to the question to present to the classAttachments:Handout: Questions for Engage Activity (cut into strips)Teacher Resource: Questions for Engage Activity KEYHandout: Signs (one sign per group)Handout: Consent of the Governed Chart (1 per student)TEKS: 3.10B; 3.12AEXPLORE – Characteristics of Good CitizensSuggested Day 1 (continued) ? 10 minutesAfter the four short student presentations, teacher asks students this question:How do people get a “say” in the amount of taxes they are taxed? Provide hints such as: It is one of the ways to be a good citizen.You must be 18 years old to do this.Provide the correct answer (vote). (They vote for the representatives. They can talk to the elected representatives, or write a letter to the representatives, or even start a petition and have other citizens sign it.)Students consider the list of the Characteristics of Good Citizenship. (Refer to the Teacher Resource: 6 Characteristics of Good Citizenship, teacher can create as an Anchor Chart large enough to be seen by all students.)Encourage students to think about why it is important to vote for people who have these characteristics. Continue the discussion, guiding students to understand that it is important for our representatives to be trustworthy and responsible and do what they say they will do. Citizens, through our votes, indicate that we choose them to represent us. We trust them to make decisions for us. Read the Teacher Resource: The Founding Fathers Believed in Consent of the Governed aloud to students. (If available, display the resource using a document camera or interactive white board so students can follow along. After reading, encourage students to indicate key parts/words in the reading.)Attachments:Teacher Resource: 6 Characteristics of Good Citizenship (Create as an Anchor Chart large enough to be seen by all students)Teacher Resource: The Founding Fathers Believed in Consent of the Governed (1 copy to read aloud)TEKS: 3.1C; 3.10B; 3.11A Instructional Note:Correct answer to the question: How do people get a say in the amount they are taxed?”People vote for and choose representatives. This is called republicanism. That is why our country is called a republic. Voters then let the representatives know what they think so they can make decisions about what the people who elected them want. The people can talk to the elected representatives, or write a letter to the representatives, or even start a petition and have other citizens sign it and send it to the elected representative.EXPLAIN – Founding FathersSuggested Day 1 (continued) ? 15 minutesRemind students who the Founding Fathers were and what they did. (Show pictures if available.) Students have previously studies the Founding Fathers during Celebrate Freedom Week.Students choose one Founding Father and imagine that person has come to visit their community for one day. Students imagine a conversation they might have with the Founding Father about the idea of consent of the governed.Students discuss with a partner the conversation they envision, then act out a possible conversation they could have with the Founding Father to explain how consent of the governed works in their own community, and why it is so important. (Students make sure to use complete sentences and correct grammar.)Students expand their explanation to include what could be done if the representatives were not doing a good job of what they promised to do. (i.e., write letters to tell the representatives your thoughts and ideas; organize to send messages to the representatives; vote them out of office). Circulate, probing with questions, correcting and clarifying misinformation, and adding appropriate information as needed.Volunteers act out their conversations.Materials:pictures or other information on the Founding Fathers (perhaps in the textbook)TEKS: 3.1C; 3.18B, 3.18CELABORATE – Civic ResponsibilitySuggested Day 1 (continued) ? 10 minutesDistribute the Handout: Civic Responsibility (1 per student).Expand discussion to consider other scenarios such as:Why do city council members want citizens to shop in their own city rather than in other cities nearby or on the Internet? What else can we as citizens do to help our community?Use technology to help find the answers.Attachments:Handout: Civic Responsibility (1 per student)TEKS: 3.11A; 3.11C; 3.18BInstructional Note:Possible answer: The community depends on sales tax money to provide services. Spending money in the community where you live helps the city pay for the services. People can “vote” with their dollars.EXPLORE Suggested Day 2 ? 20 minutesStudents work together to create a list of the services that are provided by the local community. Make the list as extensive as possible.Create a list of people who have been elected to serve locally. What was their platform or interest in serving the community? Use technology to help find the answers.MaterialsInformation on services provided by the local community.TEKS: 3.11A; 3.11C; 3.12A; 3.18BEVALUATESuggested Day 2 (continued) ? 30 minutesExplain in a paragraph what “consent of the governed” means and why it is important. Choose examples from the local community to illustrate ideas. (3.10B; 3.18B, 3.18C) 5F TEKS: 3.10B; 3.18B, 3.18CInstructional NoteWays to extend the activity could include: send student work to local leaders or contact the city council and arrange for students to attend a council meeting and read their paragraphs, communicating that they understand the idea of consent of the governed and the responsibility that accompanies the idea, and exemplifying how one “holds elected officials to their word.” ................
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