Subject: Civics; Social Studies
Lesson Length: 40 - 45 mins
Topic: Democracy
Grade Level: 5
Standards / Framework:
Brief Description: Students will explore ways in which citizens can participate in the democratic process in the United States.
Know Before You Start: 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.
Hook:
- 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.
Activity:
- 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.
Closure:
- 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.
Differentiation:
- 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.
Resources:
- Comic to print or display
Suggested Content Packs:
Make a comic about the Legislative Branch
