Format
1. Introduce John F. Kennedy and the impact his legacy has had on civic engagement throughout the United States. Students will engage in discussion questions, and activities throughout the presentation to analyze the three branches of government, how Kennedy worked with each branch, and how his assassination shaped civic engagement for a generation.
2. Explain that we will be discussing the distribution of power between the three branches of government and how they check and balance each other.
3. Allow students to engage in discussions based on how people can impact the community without being old enough to vote. They will also engage in a mini debate that will allow them to create persuasive rhetoric about the importance of civic involvement during Kennedy’s election, presidency, and today.
Objectives
1. Identify and explain the duty of civic participation in societies with representative governments.
2. Identify examples of responsible citizenship, including obeying rules and laws, staying informed on public issues, voting, and serving on juries.
3. Analyze the relationship among individual rights, responsibilities, duties, and freedoms in societies with representative governments.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6-8.RH.9 -- Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.Grades 5-12
Standard 3: Domestic policies after World War II.
Major Concept 3b: The student understands the “New Frontier” and the “Great Society.”
Description [and Historical Thinking Standard] Evaluate the legislation and programs enacted during Johnson’s presidency. [Evaluate the implementation of a decision.]
Grades 5-12
Standard 4: The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Major Concept a: The student understands the “Second Reconstruction” and its advancement of civil rights.
Description [and Historical Thinking Standard] Explain the resistance to civil rights in the South between 1954 and 1965. [Identify issues and problems in the past]
Grades 7 - 12
Standard 4: The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Major Concept 4a: The student understands the “Second Reconstruction” and its advancement of civil rights.
Description [and Historical Thinking Standard] Assess the role of the legislative and executive branches in advancing the civil rights movement and the effect of shifting the focus from de jure to de facto segregation. [Evaluate the implementation of a decision.]
State Standards
Grade 6 Social Studies 12. A, B
Grade 7 Social Studies 20. A, B, C, D, E, F
Grade 8 Social Studies 31
Grade 6 English Language Arts and Reading 22.b.5.F; 6.I