ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

Rational for lesson:
Students reaching the age of majority will become more aware of the impact of governing laws and society rules that are made by a representative government that has a responsibility to recognize the wants of the majority and realize the rights of the minority.

Students reaching the age of majority will become more aware of the impact of governing laws and society rules that are made by a representative government that has a responsibility to recognize the wants of the majority and realize the rights of the minority.

Equipment/Materials Needed

Equipment and Materials needed:
vcr, internet access, textbook, booklet on North Dakota law sponsored by the North Dakota Bar Association titled  Graduating into an Adult World.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: These senior students will be able to realize that in one year they are going to be on their own and making adult decisions. These decisions will be regulated by the laws of this country and the rules of society and business.

Goals: 1. Students will understand that we live in a country that is Federal in its government application. 2. Students will know that we live under three layers of government; (24-7-365). These are the federal, state, and local governments. 3. Students should be aware that laws are not the only things that govern our actions and decisions. We also have rules, and we should know what they are and why they are good for us as a majority. 4. Students will recognize that all of us will be seeking different lifestyles and yet we are still “one” as an entire nation. 5. Students will understand that we have chosen a representative government and that those representatives have given us what we wanted as a majority and still recognize the needs and rights of the minority.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. How will you pay your bills?  2. How will you be able to afford to have an automobile? (Address the areas of: payments, insurance, repairs, cost to operate, parking fees, etc.)  3. How do you plan to finance your higher education?  4. What are your plans to gain experience in the workplace to advance your position and responsibility?  5. If you plan on the military, what will be expected of you to gain rank and advance training and or education? 6. What are your plans for financing housing and your domestic needs? ( Include: furniture, cooking necessities, bedding, towels and washcloths, hygiene products, etc.) 6. What will be your interests in regard to recreation or hobbies? 7. How will you finance them?  8. What are you expecting from a social life? 9. How about a relationship and problems that might occur? 10. Are you prepared to cook for yourself or are you going to be dependent on other choices? 11. How are you going to know when it is time to go home?
Objectives: 1. Students will face the facts that these simple questions about their life as an adult will require some planning and needs for financial sources. Every question and answer will be dependant upon good decision making and understanding that other people and regulations are going to be involved. 2. Students will recognize that the rule of the majority and the rights of every individual in now a factor in their everyday life. 3. Students will realize that what they have learned about responsibility is now dependant upon them. 4. Students will see that the federalism system of government that we use does not tolerate bad choices that may offend the rights of others. 5. Students will also see that as a society we also depend on rules to keep order and that they are expected to learn and follow the rules set forth.

Assessment

What quiz and test items will be used?
A format of the lesson will be given. Students are to give their own estimated position and then add how their position is within what established laws, and what rules of society.
What academic prompts?
1. Students will work the format and will give their own responses in written form. 2.  In small groups they will compare what others found to be regulation in similar areas.  3. They will have this information to share with the entire class as small group contributions.
What performance tasks and projects?
1. Students will give their first impulsive answers to the questions provided. 2. They will research those areas and find regulation in the form of laws by government and rules of society that support their answers as being good decisions or find that they are in an area of a poor decision. 3. They can find similar instances with use of the news media to support of find fault with their answers. 4. Small group activity will then be used to find similar situation answers and compare investigations of others. 5. Sharing these responses with the whole class participation will bring all of the different interest groups back together as they then share what they found to be good decision making skills.
What other evidence?
1. Students may find that there are laws or rules that they feel should be adjusted to fit the needs of the majority or rights of the minority.  2. If so, how would they propose in our representative form of government to bring forth these issues and the need for change and how would they find like support in numbers to pursue change?

Instructional Strategies

Instructional Stratgies:
When students find that others make the rules and laws that we must all obey then they find that there are circumstances in everyone’s lives that may not fit with the majority opinion. Interest then picks up in individual, small group, and large group portions of the lesson. These are real world situations and they will confront all of us. Students are to recognize that these simple questions about their decisions next year will become more complex as they move into adult life. All students will engage in participation as an individual with specific wants and then find they can share with others of similar wants. This is the basis to a representative government within a federalism and we can all take part and are encouraged to do so.

Procedures

Student Learning:
This lesson is wonderful to get participation by all students.They find that the terms we use in government class such as federalism, representative, layers of government, etc. has to do with them and their lives. They realize the importance in making good decisions in their life and the results that they must face if making bad decisions. The questions are simple and yet with research they find how complex little things may become as we view them through the eyes of a government. Students are now anxious to welcome guest speakers within the government and rule making areas and are anxious to question them about the what, how, and whys. Speakers we call upon are from different areas of government, such as legislative (law making), and judicial (law enforcement).