Web Quest Lesson Plan

In Unit 1 students explored several reasons why they should read. In this lesson, they will learn how reading can affect their future.

Lesson Description

Students will explore The Democracy Project by PBS Kids Go (http://pbskids.org/democracy/). Students will begin by reading about how government directly affects their lives. Next they will learn about the voting process. Finally they will role-play an exercise that asks them to be “President for a Day.” Students will print out and turn in their Future Voter Card, a mock newspaper article that explains what happened on the day they were “President,” as well as answer questions about the experience.

Instructional Objectives

1. Students will read to learn about citizenship.
2. Students will use the Internet to learn about democracy in the United States.
3. Students will submit written work about that they have learned.

Questions and Possible Answers

1. List three ways that the government plays a role in your everyday life.
Possible answer: The government plays a role in my everyday life by helping to decide what food I will have when I eat the school lunch, by providing building codes to make sure my house is safe for my family to live in, and by paying for roads in my city so that people can get from place to place.

2. Do you think it is important to vote? Why or why not?
Possible answer: I think it is important to vote because the people that I help elect to the government can pass laws that affect my life in lots of ways. The government gives money to my school and to my community to help keep me and my friends safe and happy. It protects my family from crime, makes sure the buildings in my city are safe, and represents the ideas that are important to me as a citizen of the United States.