1. ~ What’s the difference?
Power and Authority:
~ What’s the difference?
Taken from:

2. Focus Questions: What is authority?
What is the difference between authority and power?

3. POWER
If one person makes another do something, that person is using power.

4. Let’s Play!
We will play the “paddle” game. Draw a “thumbs up” on one side of your paddle and a “thumbs down” on the other side.
Listen to the following scenarios. If the scenario shows a person acting on his/her own, raise your thumbs up paddle. If the scenario shows a person acting because someone had power over him/her, raise your thumbs down paddle.
Stop to discuss each scenario

5. Scenario 1:
Tim is going swimming after school

6. Scenario 2:
Julia’s mother made her wait an hour after eating before going in the pool.

7. Scenario 3:
Isaiah could not watch the baseball game because his brother kept changing the channel.

8. Scenario 4:
Grace gave a dollar to her friend to buy a snack

9. Scenario 5:
Kyle’s father said he could not go outside to play until his homework was finished

10. Discussion…
Now you can turn and talk to a partner about the scenarios in which someone acted on his/her own and when the person acted because someone had power over him/her.
Next, please respond to these two questions in your empowerment journals:
1.) Describe a time that you acted on your own when you made a choice.
2.) Describe a time when you acted because someone had power over you.

11. AUTHORITY
The right to use power to influence or control the behavior of others.
Note the difference between power and authority: Authority involves the right to tell others what to do.

12. Who has authority… In your home? (parents) At school?
(teachers, principal)
In our community?
(police officers, mayor)
Tell me…how is authority different from power?

13. Role Play!
In groups, you will create a skit to demonstrate a particular scenario. You will have minutes to prepare your skit.
Other students will be asked to tell whether they feel your skit accurately demonstrates power and/or authority. Make it count!

14. Scenario 1:
A teacher assigning homework/class work to his/her class.

15. Scenario 2:
A parent telling a child to do their chores.

16. Scenario 3:
A student demanding money for recess from another student.

17. Scenario 4:
A police officer giving someone a ticket.

18. Scenario 5:
A thief robbing a bank.

19. Discussion… How did you feel creating and watching those skits?
Do you feel you have a greater understanding of power and authority?
Let’s see…

20. In which scene is the person using person using power without authority? Explain…
Students should identify the bullies as the people using power without authority. The explanation should include the ideas that the bully is making someone do something but he doesn’t have the right to.

21. WRAP UP!

22. Concluding thoughts… Why is authority needed?
Why is it important to know the difference between authority and power?
* The teacher who created this lesson then read the book “The Cat in the Hat” to her students and asked them to tell who was using power without authority (the cat) and who is using authority (the mother).

23. Check out these Heritage Minutes and consider how authority and power influence the events.
Governor Frontenac
Orphans
Jennie Trout
Louis Riel
Nellie McClung
In your empowerment journal, state the types/sources of power you see people using to achieve their goals, and critique the use of the power.