Government · Week 1 · Foundations, Rights, and Citizenship
Who Is a Citizen Here?
Students map the communities they already belong to and name the civic identity they bring into Principles of American Democracy.
- Students will
- Students explain that citizenship can come from birth or naturalization under the Fourteenth Amendment and describe the roles of citizens in the American political system, including how participation has changed over time.
- SEL skill
- Name a strength and a feeling connected to a community role
- What it looks like
- Students recognize the communities they belong to and name the feelings and strengths that come with belonging.
- Content focus
- Who is a citizen here?
- Format
- Partner exchange
Self-awareness
Self-awareness means noticing your own emotions, thoughts, values, and strengths and how they shape what you do. More self-awareness activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- 12.2.6: Explain how one becomes a citizen of the United States, including the process of naturalization, such as literacy, language, and other requirements.
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: HREP4 Construct and test hypotheses using multiple primary and secondary sources and present findings orally and in writing. (Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View)
- C3 Framework (national): D2.Civ.2.9-12 Analyze the role of citizens in the American political system, including how participation has changed over time.
- Literacy in history: WHST.11-12.2 Write informative and explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events.
Fits these textbook chapters
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 2: Comparing Forms of Government
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 7: Citizen Participation in a Democracy
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 1: Foundations of Government
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 18: Voting and Elections
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 1: Principles of Government
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 6: Voter and Voter Behavior
Textbook names are used only to help you find activities that fit what you teach. RoseThread Connect is not affiliated with these publishers.
More self-awareness activities for Government
- Power in the Executive Self-awarenessExamining how President Kennedy and his advisers weighed options during the Cuban Missile Crisis and noticing how fear and pressure shape students' own choices.
- Parties, Polls, and Persuasion Self-awarenessExamining how campaigns from every party use polls and advertising to stir emotion and practicing how to notice when a message is pulling on one's feelings.
Next: Ideas the Founders Borrowed
RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.