Title: Politics in the United States
Primary Content Addressed: United States Government
Grade Level: 12th Grade
Primary Standard: SS.USG.1.4 2007
Learning Objective: Students will define and contrast types of government including democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, and totalitarianism.
Bloom: This project will focus on both knowledge and analysis. Students will gather information and then distinguish facts against one another.
Lesson Part 1: Begin the lesson by showing the students a video of one of John F. Kennedy’s speeches, exemplifying the way in which a democratic leader would present his views. Then explain to the students some of the different types of government (democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, and totalitarianism).
Lesson Part 2: Break class into four groups (no more than 5 students) and give them a rubric of the project. First, the students will pick one of the four main types of government. Once each group has decided on a different type, they will need to create a PowerPoint presentation over there type. This must include a definition of the government, examples of countries, examples of famous rulers, key dates in history, and a small example of a famous speech. Students will have time to work on PowerPoint presentations in class, in which they have 3 days to complete. After their presentation which need to be at least 10 minutes (no longer than 15), students will sit with their groups, as the teacher begins a debate session. Each group will send one student at a time to debate differing topics. Topics may include how the people of your nation feel about your leadership style, your economy’s prosperity (or lack of), and their approach on wars.
Lesson Part 3: Students will be graded on presentation quality and information covered, as well as overall effort and how much work they put into the project. The idea is to improve each student’s presentation skills along with developing a deeper understanding for diverse governments.