1. Connecting Themes and Social Studies Essentials
Unit 1
Connecting Themes and Social Studies Essentials

2. Unit 1 Learning Targets
I can describe how beliefs and ideals of a society influence the social, political, and economic decisions of that society.
I can identify how legal procedures, force, and compromise are used in societies to resolve conflicts.
I can explain how documents and laws combined with contemporary values and beliefs influence the distribution of power in the United States and the most effective way to govern society.

3. Unit 1 learning Targets
I can explain how the decisions of individuals, groups, and institutions impact a society.
I can describe how rule of law in a democracy influences society.

4. Bell Ringer
In your spare time, why do choose to do certain activities?
How do your values or beliefs influence the friends you choose?
Do the beliefs and ideals of society have any impact on how you answered the previous questions? Why?

5. Bell Ringer Discussion
Pair with your candy partner and discuss your answers for the next 3-5 minutes.
Think about how a person’s beliefs and ideals can influence government.
Be prepared to discuss your answers with the rest of the class.

6. Textbook Scavenger Hunt
Learning Target: I can identify key parts of the textbook that we will be using throughout this semester.
Task: Complete the Textbook Scavenger Hunt using the textbook United States Government Democracy in action.

8. Closing
Ticket out the door: Explain 3 parts of the textbook that will help you find information.

9. Bell Ringer How do you resolve conflicts with your friends?
What advantages and disadvantages are there to different forms of conflict resolution?
How does the way you resolve conflicts with friends differ from resolving conflicts with your parents?

10. Conflict Resolution

11. Conflict Resolution Discussion
Discussion Questions:
How did the video say that conflicts should be resolved?
Are their ever conflicts in government?
How are conflicts resolved in government?

12. Conflict in government
Instructions: With your elbow partner look at the three conflicts in the article “Government and Conflict” and answer the following questions for each conflict:
What is the issue?
How is the government involved?
Do you think that the government should be involved?
What do you think can be done to resolve the conflict?

13. Closing Ticket Out the Door
Why is it important to be able to resolve conflicts in government?
If a conflict in government is not resolved peacefully what is the impact that it will have on the United States?
Do you think that government officials cause conflict on purpose? Why?

14. Bell Ringer How is power structured within families?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having power distributed versus having one person/entity making all decisions for a country?
How does the United States’ Constitution outline the distribution of power?

15. Bell Ringer Discussion
Based on your bell ringer answers come up with a definition for Distribution of Power.
Class definition for Distribution of Power:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. What is a political cartoon?
Regular Cartoon
Political Cartoon

17. Political Cartoons: A Definition
Political cartoons are drawings that express an opinion about public figures, political issues, or economic or social conditions.
They appear in magazines, newspapers, books, and on the internet.
They are intended to convince the readers of the artist’s or the publication’s opinion in an amusing way.

18. Common Elements within Political Cartoons:
Satire: Making fun of something or someone.
Caricatures: Intentionally drawing attention to a distinguishing physical feature of a well-known public persona.

19. Analyzing Political Cartoons:
Sometimes when you are given a political cartoon to analyze you need to have some measure of background information about:
The person involved
The events of the time
The historical context of the cartoon

20. Political Cartoons All political cartoons do not have to be funny.
Some are meant to elicit a visceral response. They might appeal to the public opinion of the time.
Some political cartoons appeal to shame/guilt of the group that it is targeting.

23. Cartoon Facts
The least secret fact about the federal government is that it keeps too many secrets.
In 1956, a congressional committee reported that a million people in government—military and civilian—were authorized to wield secrecy stamps.
A Defense Department official summed up: "I have never known a man to be court-martialed for overclassifying anything.“

24. Cartoon Facts What'll we stamp it—‘secret' or ‘top secret'?“
In March 1957, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon had recently stamped more documents secret than they had during World War II.
Much of the "secret" information consist of speeches and other public records.

25. How did the background information help with your understanding of the cartoon?
Would it have been easier to analyze if you had background information first? Why?
If you do not have any background information about the cartoon what can you use to determine the time period?

27. Cartoon Facts
During the postwar anti-communist campaign hundreds of elementary and high school teachers were investigated and lost their jobs.
Some individuals compiled and circulated their own blacklists, which were accepted by frightened employers and casting directors who feared being blacklisted themselves if they sought facts and fair play.
The motives of some self-serving or vindictive accusers were summed up by Herb Block in a phrase: "If you can't crush the commies, you can nail a neighbor."

29. Cartoon Facts
Throughout his political career, Dwight Eisenhower refused to take a public stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's aggressive anti-communist campaign.
Eisenhower even struck from a 1952 campaign speech in Wisconsin a defense of his mentor, George C. Marshall, a McCarthy target.

30. It’s Your Turn
Create your own cartoon using the political cartoon assignment sheet OR
Create your own cartoon using

31. Closing
Based on what you learned about political cartoons answer the following:
What did we learn today ?
So What ?(relevancy, importance, usefulness?)
Now What? (how does this fit into what we are learning, does it affect our thinking, can we predict where we are going)

32. Bell Ringer How is power structured within families?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having power distributed versus having one person/entity making all decisions for a country?
How does the United States’ Constitution outline the distribution of power?
How are school's governed?
How are families governed?
What are some similarities and differences between how schools and families are governed?

33. Bell Ringer Discussion
Here is a short video on governance in society:
Why is it important to know why and how our society is governed?

34. Citizenship Test What if being born here counted for exactly nothing?
What if, in order to earn citizenship, Americans whose families have been here for generations were subject to the very same requirements as newcomers?
In order to see who would be a citizen we are going to take a citizenship test. This test is a sample of the actual test people take that are attempting to gain citizenship.

35. Closing
On your index card write your parents a “post card” explaining today's lesson.
Make sure you explain how requiring citizenship helps make governing society easier and tell them about the citizenship test.

36. Bell Ringer
How do the decisions of individuals, groups, and institutions impact a society?
How can an individual's decisions differ when they are alone versus when they are in a group?
How does societal pressure influence the decisions of individuals, groups, and institutions?
How do an individual's decisions impact those around them?

37. Bell Ringer Discussion
ipartners on speed dial:
When the music stops write down the name of the person that you are near. Repeat 3 times.

38. Bell Ringer Discussion
With your contact 3 discuss your bell ringer answers
Think about how decisions can impact government

39. Building Timelines
A Timeline Tells a Story…

40. Good Timelines…
Are sequential (years and events are labeled in correct order!)
Are easy to read (neat) because they were PLANNED, drafted, and THEN published!
Represent periods of time in a PROPORTIONALLY accurate way
Make effective use of color without overdoing it
Use blank s p a c e to keep things easy to read: space on borders, space between labels… not…

41. Good Timeline TIPS:
Label years of events in parentheses example: (1965)
Use a couple colors for a color theme. Use RED only for urgent highlight
Fonts: choose 1 and stick with it.
Do not use “caps lock” or fonts that are all capital letters– hard for the brain to read!

42. Timelines
Let’s look at a few examples and decide if they are GOOD or BAD and why.

43. Timelines

44. Timelines

45. Timelines

46. Timelines

47. Timelines

48. Your Turn….
Instructions: You are to create a timeline of the major events in your life. ***You DO NOT have to create this on the computer, but you MUST include the following items whether it is hand drawn or computer generated.

49. Timeline Instructions
Title
One picture
No less than 5 and no more than 7 MAJOR EVENTS.
Colors and Symbols
Brief explanation of why this event was important.

50. Closing
Your Name
What you Learned
Trending Topic about the lesson

51. Bell Ringer
Find your picture partner (match the piece of picture you were given as you came in the door), answer and discuss the following questions:
Why are laws accepted by society even though they at times limit the actions of individuals?
What are some advantages and disadvantages to having your rules and laws written?
How do you think that rules and regulations influence the decisions that you make?

52. Map Skills

53. MapSkills

54. Map Skills

55. Map Skills

56. Map Skills

57. Map Skills

58. Map Skills

59. Map Skills

60. Map Skills

61. Map Skills

62. Map Skills

63. Your Turn Complete your own Maps and Globes booklet.
Directions are on each page of the book.

64. Ticket Out The Door 3 – Things you learned during today’s lesson
2- Maps that you think are the most important and why
1- Thing that you would change about this lesson.