Citizens Rights

Submitted by: Michael Feher EDEL 453: Teaching Elementary School Social Science Nevada State College Spring 2013 Instructor: Karen Powell

Citizens Rights

Summary of the Lesson Plan: This social studies lesson is created for first graders and it is designed for them to learn that citizens have certain rights. This lesson uses the Houghton Mifflin Social Studies textbook School and Family (p. 244249). Target Population: First grade Students at all learning levels. Whole group reading and individual assessment. Materials: Houghton Mifflin Social Studies textbook School and Families. Paper, colored pencils, markers, crayons, pencils. Voting box, ballots, marker board. Objectives: C13.1.3 Participate in class decision-making, i.e., individual responsibilities in the classroom and school. C13.1.3 I can be involved in the decisions of the classroom.

Procedure: 1. Read together as a class pg. 244 Have the students create a poster board of three rights that they have. Some students will share the ideas they came up with. The poster board should also be decorated. The students will evaluate each others posters to determine if all three things in ea ch others posters are rights. 2. Read pg. 245 together as a class. Ask the students what are some ways to be a good citizen? Then ask the opposite; what are some ways that people may consider you to be a bad citizen? The teacher will then ask a question where the students to vote; if we were to go on a field trip, where would you want to go? A museum, a zoo, or an aquarium? The students will then cast their votes on a piece of paper. The teacher will explain that voting is a choice and peoples choices vary. The students will then write a couple sentences explaining where they would go and why that place would be a good choice. 3. For review the teacher will lead a class discussion on why the students think its important that citizens vote. The teacher will write the answers on the board.

Citizens Rights
The teacher will also discuss the consequences if citizens didnt vote. (voice wont be heard, elections could go differently) The teacher will do an activity in which only the girls will vote. The question will be would you guys rather watch Beauty and the Beast or Space Jam. Most girls will pick beauty and the beast and the boys will realize that the outcome of the vote is different when they dont vote.

Assessment: The teacher will collect the posters and observe what each individual student considers to be a right and if there is a problem, teacher will make note on the poster. The teacher will also observe classroom discussions and make sure that all students are sharing their opinions on each topic. Reflection: Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? I think the easiest part of the lesson will be to teach what is a good citizen is because most students should find this concept easy to understand. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? Explaining the consequences of not voting might be difficult for them to understand, especially if the vote is very one-sided. They may not be able to see that their vote was important. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? I would hold classroom votes for other classroom activities. What can you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? For students who dont grasp the concept I could pull them aside for additional help. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? I may be surprised by the vote between Beauty and the Beast and Space Jam when the girls are voting. I am assuming that most girls will pick Beauty but I may be wrong. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? The most difficult part was coming up with activities that I felt would be engaging.