Citizenship & Participation
Students will learn what it means to be a U.S. citizen and how citizenship is obtained. They will compare and contrast personal and political rights with social responsibilities and personal duties. Students will explore global citizenship, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens in other countries. They will also learn about community engagement by selecting a problem of their own and creating a plan to solve it.
teacher files
teacher files
Students learn that they are citizens at many levels of society: home, school, city, state, and nation! Students create a graphic organizer that diagrams rights and responsibilities at these different levels of citizenship. They also learn the sources of their rights and responsibilities at each level. This lesson stands alone or may be used to reinforce the iCivics game Responsibility Launcher. We also recomment following with the iCivics lesson, "The Global You."
In this lesson, students get the basics of U.S. citizenship. As a foundation for studying the rights and responsibilities of citizens, they’ll learn what it means to be a citizen and how people become U.S. citizens. Students also look at related symbols and traditions, such as the flag, U.S. holidays, and patriotism, and they examine how the right of U.S. citizenship has changed over time.
teacher files
What ocean is off the east coast? Who is our southern neighbor? What are the U.S. territories? Can you draw the Rocky Mountains on a map? In this lesson, students answer these questions and more as they learn the basics of United States geography.
What ocean is off the east coast? Who is our southern neighbor? What are the U.S. territories? Can you draw the Rocky Mountains on a map? In this lesson, students answer these questions and more as they learn the basics of United States geography.
teacher files
teacher files
Students learn how citizens can influence the government. They measure the impact of their "citizen power" on each of the three branches and learn how to target the right government official with their concerns. (Note: This lesson will be most effective if students have some background knowledge of the three branches of government.)
teacher files
Students brainstorm a list of local problems and action steps that they might take to solve these problems. After analyzing the concept of problem/solution alignment, students select a problem of their own and create an action plan to solve the problem. Ultimately, students are left with a deeper understanding of action steps they can take to address problems in their communities.
teacher files
teacher files
teacher files
teacher files
teacher files
Should schools require mandatory community services for graduation? Or does requiring volunteer service defeat the point? Through this Drafting Board issue, students will study a policy that may already apply to them or their friends. Should students have maximum flexibility to develop their talents and skills? Or does mandatory service help students develop skills and discover interests? Students will learn to connect claims, evidence, and reasoning to ultimately produce a structured and effective argument on this issue!
Should schools require mandatory community services for graduation? Or does requiring volunteer service defeat the point? Through this Drafting Board issue, students will study a policy that may already apply to them or their friends. Should students have maximum flexibility to develop their talents and skills? Or does mandatory service help students develop skills and discover interests? Students will learn to connect claims, evidence, and reasoning to ultimately produce a structured and effective argument on this issue!
Students play international detective as they read accounts of international pollution issues. Students also complete an activity tracing ocean currents and discussing the paths of pollution. These activities prepare students to identify the mindset of a global citizen and to define global citizenship. This lesson reinforces concepts from “Citizen Me” and can be followed by “Students Engage!” but can also be taught independently. Note: This lesson contains an optional PowerPoint presentation (see Lesson Prep).
Students learn about the rights and responsibilities held by citizens in several countries around the world and compare them to the rights held by U.S. citizens. Note: This lesson contains an optional PowerPoint presentation (see Lesson Prep). We've recently updated this lesson!
Make your students’ gameplay more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Immigration Nation. This easy-to-use Extension Pack helps you give context and purpose to the game, as well as reinforce and assess the game concepts. That means deeper learning for students and best practices around game-centered learning for you. This Extension Pack includes English language learner (ELL) supports. We've included tips and practice that help make differentiated instruction a breeze.
Make your students’ gameplay more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Immigration Nation. This easy-to-use Extension Pack helps you give context and purpose to the game, as well as reinforce and assess the game concepts. That means deeper learning for students and best practices around game-centered learning for you. This Extension Pack includes English language learner (ELL) supports. We've included tips and practice that help make differentiated instruction a breeze.
America is often described as a 'land of immigrants'. So how do they get here? In this lesson, students learn about the U.S. process of immigration, including requirements for legal permanent residence and how some are pushing for immigration reform.