At a Glance:
| Grades: | 5 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Civics; Social Studies |
| Topic: | Democracy |
| Lesson Length: | 40 - 45 mins |
Standards / Framework:
What will students learn in this activity?
Students will explore ways in which citizens can participate in the democratic process in the United States.
What should students know before this activity?
Students should understand what a democracy is and that the United States is a Representative Democracy. Students should know the terms: democracy, politics, representative democracy, and democratic process.
How can teachers introduce this lesson?
- Read and discuss the sample comic.
- Have you ever gone with a parent to vote? What was it like?
- Have you ever participated in a democratic process at school?
- Lead a discussion about the different ways students can get involved at school.
- Discuss the similarities and differences between school involvement and citizen involvement in the democratic process of the United States.
What will students do?
- Using the sample comic as a guide, have students create a one-panel comic illustrating a way they can participate in the democratic process in the United States.
How can teachers wrap up the lesson?
- Have students print or digitally post their comics.
- Have students work together in teams to categorize each participatory activity as something that is done at the local, national, and/or federal levels.
How can teachers differentiate this activity?
- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
- Provide visuals and definitions of terms.
- Display examples of ways students can participate in the democratic process and allow students to choose one to illustrate.
- Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
U.S. Legislative Branch
