Teacher: Julia Robinson

16, 2015
School: Franklin Middle School in Greeley, CO
6
Content: Social Studies
Various Governments

Date: November
Grade Level:
Lesson Title: Structure of

Rationale:
In this lesson, students will learn about two different forms of government and
their relationship to its citizens. According to Ovando, the primary purpose of the social
studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned
decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an
interdependent world (Ovando, 278). By teaching students about different forms of
government, the students will be able to make an informed decision on which form of
government is best for the public good. They will also learn what type of government
the U.S. functions under. This is important because it is the country in which they reside
in and go to school in. This will help them understand the role of a democratic
government so that they can understand their rights as diverse individuals. Ovando
further supports this when he states that, understanding the historical development of
structures of power, authority, and governance and their evolving functions in
contemporary U.S. society and other parts of the world is essential for developing civic
competence (Ovando, 282). In other words, in order for students to be functioning
member of society, they must be competent in their knowledge of their rights. This
means that in order for students to understand their rights and role as a functioning
member in society, they must understand how government systems are formed, how
they are structures, and the role of the government system. The ultimate goal of this
lesson is to grant students the opportunity to be leaders in the movement to prepare
children of all language, ethnic, and racial backgrounds for this reality (Ovando, 284).
This means that the ultimate goal of the lesson is to help students become
knowledgeable of government systems and the role of those systems so that they can
lead people of all colors and backgrounds.
In the lesson, students will focus on key vocabulary, they will work
collaboratively, and they will learn through multiple modalities. This will help ELs better
comprehend the matter because they are receiving the material in multiple ways. The
use of the multiple modalities will creates opportunities for students to use the
language in ways that society at large requires: not just to read textbooks, but to
write reports, argue theories, develop evidence, and solve meaningful problems
(Rosebery et. all, 65). Ultimately the goal of using multiple modalities will help students
understand key vocabulary in multiple ways. This will then allow them to utilize the key
vocabulary words in different contexts. When they can utilize the academic language
then they can be viewed as knowledgeable on the subject. Also, in the lesson there will
be multiple discussion and collaborative work. According to Rosebery et. all, discourses
are always in conflict with one anothersome more or less soin their underlying
assumptions and values, their ways of making sense, their viewpoints, even the objects
and concepts with which they are concerned (Rosebery et. all, 67). This means that
through discussion and collaboration, students will be able to express their opinions
while listening to others opinions. Also, it allows students to work out questions

together. By discussing the questions, students can work through problems and
inquiries together so that they can determine the answer. By listening to one another
and expressing their own views, students will better understand the concepts being
addressed. Overall, through collaboration and the use of multiple modalities, students
will understand how a government functions and how to be a functioning member in
society.

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

Standard 4.2 (civics): Compare multiple systems of government.
Prepared Graduates: Analyze the origins, structure, and functions of
government and their impacts on societies and citizens.
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of
instruction, select applicable questions from standard)

How do you define an effective government system?

What type of government system would you choose for your country?

What are the similarities between a Democracy and an authoritarian

government and how they relate to their citizens?

Evidence Outcomes:
- Students will be able to identify various types of governments and how they
relate to their citizens by completing Cornell Notes and performing a play on
a form of government.
- Students will be able to compare and contrast the various types of
governments and how they relate to their citizens by completing a Venn
diagram on authoritarian form of government and a democracy.
- Students will be able to compose a written response to determine which
form of government they prefer by
Key Vocabulary:
Key vocabulary will help students focus on certain words within the lesson. Also,
vocabulary helps students begin to speak the language of the social studies
curriculum. According to Roebery, Warren, and Conant, They [the students] must learn to
use language, to think, and to act as members of a community (Ovando, 65). This means that in
order to be considered functioning members of society, students must be able to use the academic
language involved in their dialogue.
1. Government
2. Citizens

3. Democracy
4. Authoritarian
5. Power

Name and Purpose of

Lesson
Should be a creative title
for you and the students to
associate with the activity.
Think of the purpose as the
mini-rationale for what you
are trying to accomplish
through this lesson.
Approx. Time and
Materials

Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab
students attention. These
are actions and statements
by the teacher to relate the
experiences of the students
to the objectives of the
lesson, To put students into
a receptive frame of mind.
To focus student
attention on the
lesson.
To create an
organizing
framework for the
ideas, principles, or
information that is to
follow (advanced
organizers)
An anticipatory set is used
any time a different activity
or new concept is to be
introduced.
Procedures
(Include a play-by-play
account of what students
and teacher will do from
the minute they arrive to
the minute they leave your

Authoritarian or Democracy?
Purpose: Students will examine two types of government. They
will be able to determine the similarities and differences
between the two types and then determine which one they find
to be more effective. This will help them understand that
government structures and how they relate to their citizens
differ around the world.
Approx. Time: 120 minutes.
Materials: Prezi Presentation, Venn Diagram worksheet, AVID
Cornell Notes, Role playing guidelines.
Prezi: https://prezi.com/cubzzibgf4en/edit/#163_45341393

Narrative writing quick write: Respond to the following

questions on a separate piece of paper. Use your personal
opinions and stories to present your answers. This anticipatory
set will allow students to connect to the lesson before hand.
According to Ovando, making connections with students lives,
using student knowledge about home countries, activating
background knowledge (Ovando, 298) is a way to help ELs
better understand and retain more information about the
lesson.
1. Who is in charge in your house?
2. Who is in charge at school?
3. Do you wish you had more power over what rules are
created in your home and at school? Why?
4. Do you think it would be fairer if you had more say? Why?

-Anticipatory set, which is described above (10 minutes)

- Have students set up Cornell Notes. They will get out an AVID
Cornell Notes paper, which you can see at the end of the lesson.
This concept is also discussed on page 302 of Ovandos text. It
is a notetaking activity that requires students to get a piece of

classroom. Indicate the

length of each segment of
the lesson. List actual
minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other

paper and divide it vertically, they write down their questions

on the left-hand side. Then students read with a purpose in
mind, that of answering their questionsthen record them on
the right-hand side (Ovando, 302). Also, on the Cornell Notes
the students will have to write down the essential question at
the top of their notes. The essential question is: how do
authoritarian and democracy forms of government relate, and
which do you prefer? The essential question will allow students
to know what the presentation is focused on and what question
their notes will be answering.
(5 minutes).
-Next, we will begin the Prezi presentation. This presentation
can be viewed via the link next to course materials. The
presentation will contain the key vocabulary word with text,
visuals, and videos. This Prezi is designed to be
comprehensible to language minority students through the use
of multiple modalities (Ovando, 301). The various modalities
include visuals, text, and videos as stated above. This will allow
the students to see various representations of the meaning of
the key vocabulary words. Also, during the presentation, the
questions for the Cornell Notes will be stated at the top of each
slide. Then, as the presentation progresses, students will
answer the questions in presentation orally and then record
them on their Cornell Notes, after they analyze the texts and
visuals for the vocabulary words. When the students have to
write their response, I will write the answer on the board so that
the students can see the answer and know how to properly
record it.
(20 minutes)
- After the discussion, I will ask students how the government
was run in their country. Was their voting? Was their choice in
their political leader(s)? This will allow students to connect to
the lesson personally. It will also show them that their opinions
and country matters as well. It will also teach the other students
how governments run differently around the world.
(5 minutes)
- After the discussion, the students will work with their notes
and their shoulder partner to complete a Venn diagram, which
can be seen at the end of the lesson plans. We will collectively
review the purpose of a Venn diagram and how to use one.
Ovando discusses the concept of a Venn diagram when he
states, Venn diagrams are composed of intersecting circles.
Each circle represents a distinct subject, with characteristics of
the subject listed inside the circle. Characters within the
intersecting areas are common to all of the subjects, while
characteristics outside of the intersections are unique to each

separate component (Ovando, 304). This is a form of a graphic

organizer. Graphic organizers allow the students to visualize the
task, and it displays their comprehension of the material. For
the Venn diagram, the students will compare and contrast
authoritarian and democracy forms of government.
(15 minutes)
- After they are finished completing the Venn diagram with their
partner, we will collectively discuss the students answers for
the Venn diagram as a class. I will call on each pair to share a
similarity or difference between a democracy and an
authoritarian government. I will also instruct students to record
the information their peers share, and that they did not have,
on their own Venn diagram. I will be recording the students
thought on the board so that they can see how it should be
done. In other words, I will be modeling the graphic organizer
completion on the board for the students to visualize.
(15 minutes)
- Next, the students will get into two groups. Each group will be
assigned a form of government. They will have to work together
to create a script and play about their form of government. This
will show the value of collaborative inquiry (Rosebery et. all,
63). I will explain the guidelines for this. Each person will be
assigned a role in the process so that cognitively, students
share the responsibility for thinking and doing, distributing their
intellectual activity so that the burden of managing the whole
process does not fall to any one individual (Rosebery et. all,
63-64). Through role playing students can display their
understanding of the material. This will also be another
modality for ELsthey will be acting and they will be watching.
Ovando states that, through activities such as case studies or
role-playing, students would explore the attitudes, beliefs, and
feelings associated (Ovando, 286) with the key vocabulary
terms. This helps them better internalize the meaning of the
terms.
(10 minutes)
- After the students are given instructions for the play, I will
provide the students time to plan and practice their play. They
will then have them perform the play in front of the class.
(30 minutes)
-Last, the remainder of class will be the closing activity. The
closing activity will require students to determine which form of
government they prefer. This will require students to make
their own decisions about the issue and take a variety of
options and their consequences (Ovando, 286). This means
that they must state their position/opinion about whether they

would prefer an authoritarian form of government or a

democracy. They then must state why, using their notes.
(15 minutes)
Closure
Those actions or
statements by a teacher
that are designed to bring a
lesson presentation to an
appropriate conclusion.
Used to help students bring
things together in their own
minds, to make sense out
of what has just been
taught. Any Questions? No.
OK, lets move on is not
closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to
the fact that they
have arrived at an
important point in
the lesson or the end
of a lesson.
To help organize
student learning
To help form a coherent
picture and to consolidate.

Students will have to answer the following prompt:

Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is
too advanced for a child,
how will you modify it so
that they can be
successful?

Modification:
1) Use of visuals and videos in the presentation: This allows
students to not only read the vocabulary definitions, but also
see visuals and videos.
2) Different modalities: Students will discuss, listen to a
presentation, see visuals and videos, act out the forms of
government, provide their personal opinion on forms of
government, and compare and contrast government.
3) Group work: students will use a partner for the Venn diagram
and they will complete the role-playing activity in groups.

Assessment
How will you know if
students met the learning
targets? Write a description
of what you were looking
for in each assessment.

- The Venn diagram is a form of assessment because it shows

that students comprehend the terms enough to find the
similarities between the two forms of government and the
differences between the two forms of government.

- Using your notes and Venn diagram, which form of

government do you think is best for the country you want to live
in? Why?
- Think about the positive aspects of the government that you
chose. Think about the negative aspects of the government that
you did not choose.

- The role-playing is a form of assessment because it allows

students to display their knowledge on the material. It will
display how they comprehended the term. Also, it will show that
the students are able to work effectively in a collaborative
setting.

- The closure activity is an assessment because students will

have to select a form of government and explain why they think
this form is more effective. It will require them to use their
knowledge of the two forms in order to make an educated
decision. It will also require them to explain why, which shows
that they can defend their reasoning.

Role-playing Guidelines and Roles:

Purpose: Students will be able to identify various types of governments and how they relate to
their citizens by performing a play on a form of government.
Guidelines:
1. Create a play that shows the feelings, thoughts, and structure of you assigned government
system.
2. Work together as team. In order to do this successfully, you must work together! Each
person should remain on task.
3. Your play should be approximately three minutes long. Each actor must talk and each
person must have a role (look at the roles below).
Roles:
1. Leader: The leaders job is to make sure that every group member is participating and on
task. When someone gets off task, it is the leaders job to remind the group member of
the guidelines and the purpose of the task.

2. Time Keeper: The timekeeper will make sure that the group is getting everything done
in the allotted amount of time. They will make sure the script is completed in the allotted
amount of time so that the group has time to rehearse and practice their play.
3. Recorder: the recorders job is to write down the groups script. They will include the
actors names and what each actor will say and when they will say it.
4. Director: The director will be in charge of the actors movements in the play. They will
direct the actors where to move and when to move.
5. Actors: Some of the above positions may have to take on this role as well. The actors
will say the lines written by the recorder. They will also make the movements that the
director directs them to do.
6. All Roles: All roles are required to help produce the script and assist the director with
movements. Each person is responsible for keeping himself or herself on task. Remember
this is a group task. Work together!

Works Cited
Ovando, Carlos Julio., and Virginia P. Collier. Bilingual and ESL Classrooms: Teaching in
Multicultural Contexts. Fifth ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985. Print.
Rosebery, Ann S., Beth Warren, and Faith R. Conant. Appropriating Scientific Discourse:
Findings From Language Minority Classrooms. 2nd ed. The Journal of the Learning
Sciences: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992. Print.