Author:
Leslie Heffernan, Jerry Price, Kari Tally, Barbara Soots, Margit McGuire
Subject:
History, U.S. History
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
Upper Primary
Tags:
  • Citizenship
  • Civic Responsibility
  • Civics
  • History
  • wa-social-studies
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Downloadable docs

    Education Standards

    The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Chapter 11 - What does it take to be a good citizen?

    The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Chapter 11 - What does it take to be a good citizen?

    Overview

    To be good citizens, we have to think about the whole of our lives—about how we treat the people around us, how well we take care of the natural world, and what impact all our actions will have on the future. 

    This is the teacher guide companion to The State We're In: Washington (Grade 3-5 Edition) Chapter 11. The resource is designed to engage students with a launch activity, focused notes, and a focused inquiry.

     

    Introduction

    After reading the chapter, students will understand that they will become “civic minded” when they show concern for the well-being of one’s classroom, school, community, and state. 

    In the focused inquiry, students will investigate the process of registering to vote with the Washington State Secretary of State’s office. Students will engage in deep reading and analysis of text, examine the voting process, and read statistics. Students will communicate their understanding by writing an argument that includes a claim, evidence, and reasoning.

    Back to Teacher Guide Menu

    What does it take to be a good citizen?

    General Overview

    Enduring Understanding

    Students will understand that they will become “civic minded” when they show concern for the well-being of one’s classroom, school, community, and state.

    Supporting Questions

    Students consider these questions - finding and using evidence to support the Enduring Understanding.

    • What are my rights and responsibilities in my class, school, or community and the United States?
    • What impact can I have on the issues that affect my community or state?

    Learning Targets

    Students will be able to…

    • C4.5.1 Demonstrate how civic participation relates to rights and responsibilities.
    • C.3.1 Recognize civic participation involves being informed about public issues, taking action, and voting in elections.

    Key Vocabulary

    A list of key Tier 2 vocabulary words is included here for your students. Teach these using whatever strategy you find works best for your students. Encourage students to incorporate these vocabulary words as they work through the components of the chapter guide and intentionally use them as appropriate in their final products.

    • iceberg, a large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier and carried out to the sea. There is usually more of the iceberg below the water than above (p. 175)
    • pluralism, when a society eludes and embraces people who have a variety of backgrounds and beliefs (p. 175)
    • democracy, a government run by the people who elect people to government positions (p. 177)
    • civics, the rights and duties of citizenship (p. 177)
    • common good, describes a specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all (or most) members of a given community (p. 177)
    • optimism, the successful outcome of something (p. 178)
    • faith, complete trust or confidence in someone or something (p. 179)
    • conscience, sense of right and wrong (p. 179)
    • minorities, a number less than half of the population (p. 179)

    Task 1: Launch

    Hooking students into the content of the chapter.

    Distribute the Student handout: Launch to students.

    • Guide students in answering the prompts on the handout individually and in partners.
    • There is no “correct” answer. Encourage the students to explain their thinking with each other.

    Task 2: Focused Notes

    Activating student thinking about the content of the entire chapter.

    Distribute the Student handout: Focused Notes to students.

    • As students read, they will record their understanding, thinking, and questions about the content using the handout. This can be done individually or collaboratively in pairs or small groups.

    Task 3: Focused Inquiry

    A focused inquiry is a one-to-two-day lesson that will have students engaging in the C3 Framework’s Inquiry Arc. The link below includes both teacher and student documents.

    Compelling Question

    How does a person become a good citizen?

    Attribution and License

    Attribution

    This Teacher’s Guide for Chapter 11: The State We’re In Washington was developed by Nancy Lenihan, Sumner-Bonney Lake School District.

    The downloadable digital version of The State We're In: Washington (Grades 3-5 Edition) by Jill Severn for the League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Print copies of The State We’re In: Washington, may be purchased from the League of Women Voters of Washington website.

    Cover image by Venita Oberholster from Pixabay 

    License

    CC BY logo
    Except where otherwise noted, Teacher’s Guide - Chapter 11: The State We’re In: Washington, copyright Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.