Unit 5: Citizenship and Government
Embedded Files
Impact Chapter: 5
ReadyGen Alignment: Module 4B
Text Alignment: What is Government? Who Really Created Democracy? A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution
Unit Overview: Why do governments and citizens need each other?
In this unit, students will explore the concepts of citizenship, civil discourse, and government. They will learn how to apply elements of civil discourse, such as respectful listening, understanding, and speaking in a respectful manner. Students will delve into the relationship between rights and responsibilities and identify important personal rights within a democratic society and how these rights relate to others. They will understand the significance of restating opposing viewpoints or opinions to promote understanding. Students will investigate how government impacts the community, with a specific focus on local government. They will gain knowledge about the branches of local government, their functions, and how they operate. Students will explore the various roles of government leaders and understand the interconnectedness between citizens and their government. They will examine the services provided by local government and learn about their funding mechanisms. Additionally, students will explore the origins, structures, and functions of local government, as well as the services they provide and how they are funded. They will learn about the diverse roles played by leaders, citizens, and others within the local government and understand how the government provides opportunities for people to exercise their rights and initiate change. Lastly, students will discuss the role of elections in selecting representatives who uphold the public interest within local government.
Prepared Graduates:
Apply the process of inquiry to examine and analyze how historical knowledge is viewed, constructed, and interpreted.
Analyze historical time periods and patterns of continuity and change, through multiple perspectives, within and among cultures and societies.
Express an understanding of how civic participation affects policy by applying the rights and responsibilities of a citizen.
Analyze the origins, structures, and functions of governments to evaluate the impact on citizens and the global society.
Grade Level Expectation(s):
History and 4. Civics
Compare primary and secondary sources when explaining the past. (1.1)
Identify how people in the past influenced the development and interaction of different communities or regions. (1.2)
Respect the views and rights of others (4.1)
Describe the origin, structure, and function of local government (4.2)
The highlighted evidence outcomes are the priority for all students, serving as the essential concepts and skills. It is recommended that the remaining evidence outcomes listed be addressed as time allows, representing the full breadth of the curriculum.
Students Can (Evidence Outcomes):
Compare primary sources with works of fiction about the same topic. (1.1.a)
Use a variety of primary sources such as artifacts, pictures, oral histories, and documents, to help determine factual information about historical events. (1.1.b)
Compare information from multiple sources recounting the same event (1.1.c)
Compare past and present situations and events. (1.2.a)
Give examples of people, events, and developments that brought important changes to a community or region. (1.2.b)
Describe the history, interaction, and contribution of various peoples and cultures, including African American, Latino, Asian American, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ, and religious minorities that have lived in or migrated to a community or region and how that migration has influenced change and development.
(1.2.c)
Identify and apply the elements of civil discourse. For example: listening with respect, speaking in a respectful manner, and restating an opposing viewpoint or opinion. (4.1.a)
Identify important personal rights in a democratic society and how they relate to others’ rights. (4.1.b)
Give examples of the relationship between rights and responsibilities. (4.1.c)
Restate the view or opinion of others with their reasoning when it is different from one’s own. (4.1.d)
Identify the origins, structures, and functions of local government. (4.2.a)
Identify and explain the services local governments provide and how those services are funded. (4.2.b)
Identify and explain a variety of roles leaders, citizens, and others play in local government. (4.2.c)
Describe how local government provides opportunities for people to exercise their rights and initiate change. (4.2.d)
Discuss the role of elections in choosing specific candidates to represent the public interest in local government. (4.2.e)
Colorado Essential and Nature of Skills
Articulate the most effective kinds of historical sources to access information needed for understanding historic events (Media Literacy).
Ask questions to develop further understanding of reliability of various kinds of historical sources (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
Recognize how members of a community rely on each other and interact to influence the development of their communities (Civic Engagement).
Appropriately express one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and identify how they influence behavior (Self-Awareness).
Regulate reactions to differing perspectives (Adaptability and Flexibility).
Connect knowledge from personal experiences in schools and communities to civic engagement (Civic Engagement).
Historical thinkers use primary sources to distinguish fact from fiction.
Civic-minded individuals recognize the value of respecting the rights and views of others.
Civic-minded individuals understand that a respect for the views of others helps to learn and understand various perspectives, thoughts, and cultures. For example: Environmentalists, industry, and government work together to solve issues around energy and other resources.
Civic-minded individuals understand that virtues, such as honesty, mutual respect, cooperation, and attentiveness to multiple perspectives, should be used when they interact with each other on public matters.
Civic-minded individuals are involved in their local government.
Civic-minded individuals know how personal advocacy and involvement can lead to change in communities.
Inquiry Questions
How do historical fact, opinion and fiction uniquely influence an individual's understanding of history?
How do historical thinkers determine the accuracy of history?
What types of questions do historians ask about the past?
Why do historians use multiple sources in studying history?
How have different groups of people both lived together and interacted with each other in the past?
What types of questions do people ask to learn about the past?
How has the region changed and yet remained the same over time?
What are the essential elements of compromise that enable conflict to be transformed into agreement?
Why is personal advocacy important in a community with diverse views?
What would a community be like if individuals from various groups did not respect each other's rights and views?
How are local governments and citizens interdependent?
How are local governments and citizens independent?
How do individuals get involved in their local government?
How do local governments and citizens help each other?
Why do people create governments?
Why is it important to vote?
Disciplinary, Informational, and Media Literacies
Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration the different opinions people have about how to answer the questions.
Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, structure, and context to guide the selection.
Use distinctions between fact and opinion to determine the credibility of multiple sources.
Academic Vocabulary and Language Expectations
legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, federal, rights, volunteer, jury, compromise, activist, constitution, preamble, democracy, government, capitol, emancipation, proclamation, civil discourse, personal rights, democratic society, rights and responsibilities, origin, function, structures, opportunity, conflict, equality
Possible Assessments:
Inquiry Project from Chapter 5
Lesson Tests (1-5) and Chapter Overview Assessment Chapter 5
Stop and Check, Check For Success, Report Your Findings, and Talk About It is throughout the lessons
More to Explore (Research Companion)
Connections In Action (Research Companion)
Instructional Resources & Notes:
Chapter 5 from Impact Lessons 1-5
Research Companion
Inquiry Journal
Explorer Magazine
Lesson Videos
Impact News
Supplemental Resources
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