Lesson 7

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2. Essential Concept: CitizenshipHow Can Citizens Participate? Page 23 Lesson 7

3. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? GRAPHING ME! NAME: ____________________________ Make a bar graph or pictograph rating how well you know. . . 5 Out of Sight 4 Better than Most L 22 3 Better than Some 2 Needs Some Work 1 Not So Hot I am most concerned about what affects me. I put others’ needs before my wants? I am involved in my community. I read the newspaper. I watch the news. NOTE: I will not attempt to answerthisquestionforyou. The answer is one you must arrive at yourself! Complete the “Graphing Me” activity.

4. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? R LEARNING TARGETS: • I can identify various ways that citizens can participate in government. • I can explain and support why and how much a citizen should participate.

5. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? L Citizen Participation Checklist In the first column after each item below, RANK the importance of each item. The most important item will be 1 and the least important 17. In the second column, place a M by items you would likely do. Importance Likely to do? Form of Participation Keeping informed Voting in local, state, national elections Initiating a political discussion Trying to persuade someone to vote a certain way Signing a petition Wearing a button or putting a sticker on the car Writing letters to elected representatives Contributing money to a party or candidate Attending meetings to gain information, discuss issues, or lend support Campaigning for a candidate Lobbying for laws that are of special interest Demonstrating through boycotts, parades, sit-ins, or other forms of protest Serving as a juror Running for office Holding a public office Serving the country through the military or other service Disobeying laws and paying the consequences Problem Solving Activity Citizen Participation Checklist Step 1: Read individually the list of ways citizens can participate. Write a M by items you would be most likely to do. Rank the each item: 1 most important, 17 least important.

6. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? Form of Participation Importance Likely to do? Keeping informed Voting in local, state, national elections Initiating a political discussion Trying to persuade someone to vote a certain way Signing a petition Wearing a button or putting a sticker on the car Writing letters to elected representatives Contributing money to a party or candidate Attending meetings to gain information, discuss issues, or lend support Campaigning for a candidate Lobbying for laws that are of special interest Demonstrating through boycotts, parades, sit-ins, or other forms of protest Serving as a juror Running for office Holding a public office Serving the country through the military or other service Disobeying laws and paying the consequences Citizen Participation Checklist

7. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? L Problem Solving Activity Citizen Participation Checklist Step 2: As a group, • Share what you ranked as the TOP 3 and BOTTOM 3. • Why did you rank these this way? • Can your group decide on a TOP three you all agree on? Step 3: As a group, discuss the following question: • Are all these forms of participation equally important in protecting our basic rights? Why or why not?

8. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? • Who Is a Citizen Again? • Anyone who is born in the United States or whose parents are U.S. citizens is a citizen of the United States. An alien is a person who is not a citizen. Many aliens can become citizens by following certain rules and procedures. • The government protects many rights for anyone who lives in the United States. But citizens have one right aliens do not have. That is the right to vote and be elected to public office. Many people say that citizens also have important responsibilities to their country that aliens do not. We will examine what those responsibilities might be in this lesson. • Should Citizens Participate? • Many citizens do not participate in our government. They don’t vote or participate in most of the other ways you have just discussed. Some people, however, believe that citizens have a responsibility to participate. • Deciding whether to participate and how much time to spend participating is important. To make good decisions, you must think about several things. Some of these are: • the purpose of government • how important your rights are to you • how satisfied you are with the way the government is working An example might help. Imagine that you have hired a company to repair your bicycle. Before you hired them, you would want to be sure they could repair bicycles. Then you would want to make sure that they did what you hired them to do. Suppose the company did a good job. Then you would not worry about checking on them if your sister’s bicycle needed repairs a few weeks later. Suppose the company did a bad job on your bicycle. Then you might want to replace them or watch them even more closely when your sister’s bicycle needed work. The same is true with the government. We should be sure the people we “hire” (elect) can do the job we are hiring them for. Once they get the job, we should keep an eye on them to make sure they are doing that job. If they do a good job, we may not watch them as closely. If they do a bad job, we may watch them very closely and may even decide to replace them. Participation in government is in our own self-interest. The amount of time we spend participating will probably depend on how well we think our elected officials are doing. If everything is going well, we will spend less time than if we are concerned that someone is violating our rights. If we are pleased with the government, we may vote and do little else. If we are dissatisfied, however, we will probably take other types of action. R Attach the Reading on “How Can Citizens Participate?”

9. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? Who Is a Citizen Again? Anyone who is born in the United States or whose parents are U.S. citizens is a citizen of the United States. An alien is a person who is not a citizen. Many aliens can become citizens by following certain rules and procedures. The government protects many rights for anyone who lives in the United States. But citizens have one right aliens do not have. That is the right to vote and be elected to public office. Many people say that citizens also have important responsibilities to their country that aliens do not. We will examine what those responsibilities might be in this lesson. What makes someone a citizen? What is an alien? What rights does a citizen have that an alien does not?

10. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? • Should Citizens Participate? • Many citizens do not participate in our government. They don’t vote or participate in most of the other ways you have just discussed. Some people, however, believe that citizens have a responsibility to participate. • Deciding whether to participate and how much time to spend participating is important. To make good decisions, you must think about several things. Some of these are: • the purpose of government • how important your rights are to you • how satisfied you are with the way the government is working What do you need to think about in order to make good decisions about participating in the government?

11. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? An example might help. Imagine that you have hired a company to repair your bicycle. Before you hired them, you would want to be sure they could repair bicycles. Then you would want to make sure that they did what you hired them to do. Suppose the company did a good job. Then you would not worry about checking on them if your sister’s bicycle needed repairs a few weeks later. Suppose the company did a bad job on your bicycle. Then you might want to replace them or watch them even more closely when your sister’s bicycle needed work. An example of how participating is in your own self-interest.

12. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? ! The same is true with the government. We should be sure the people we “hire” (elect) can do the job we are hiring them for. Once they get the job, we should keep an eye on them to make sure they are doing that job. If they do a good job, we may not watch them as closely. If they do a bad job, we may watch them very closely and may even decide to replace them. Participation in government is in our own self-interest. The amount of time we spend participating will probably depend on how well we think our elected officials are doing. If everything is going well, we will spend less time than if we are concerned that someone is violating our rights. If we are pleased with the government, we may vote and do little else. If we are dissatisfied, however, we will probably take other types of action. Another way of describing citizen participation. What affects the amount of time we participate in government?

13. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? • Reviewing and Using the Lesson • Explain how participating in government is in our own self-interest? • Suppose you do not choose to vote or participate in any way in government. Should you still be required to obey its laws? Why or why not? • Does a good citizen have a responsibility to work to improve his or her society? Why or why not? • Should a good citizen be concerned with improving the lives of those less fortunate? Why or why not? WRAP UP Read over and answer the “Reviewing and Using the Lesson” Sheet.

14. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? • Reviewing and Using the Lesson • Explain how participating in government is in our own self-interest? • Suppose you do not choose to vote or participate in any way in government. Should you still be required to obey its laws? Why or why not? • Does a good citizen have a responsibility to work to improve his or her society? Why or why not? • Should a good citizen be concerned with improving the lives of those less fortunate? Why or why not? WRAP UP If you participate by voting, you act in your own self-interest because you Select people who think like you or reflect your values.?

15. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? R 23 Generalizations 1 2 3 Attach the Concept Development Graphic Organizer

16. Lesson 7: Essential Concept – Citizenship - How Can Citizens Participate? 1 2 3 What ideas describe “citizenship”? help others in need ? CITIZENSHIP vote pay taxes have rights loyalty hold public office citizen Political Economic Social You can vote Pay income and sales taxes Donate blood through the Red Cross You can hold public office Taxes maintain roads, fire, police, national defense Receive Social Security Adopt a road Specific Examples of “citizenship”? Receive Medicare Work on a project for Habitat for Humanity Donate money to a candidate you support Contribute to the United Way to help others in the community and country Generalizations As a citizen, you can participate in the government As a citizen, you support the work of the government As a citizen, you can support your community to make it better