L6+Flanagan+Andrew

**UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON** **COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION**  **LESSON PLAN FORMAT** **__Teacher’s Name__: Mr. Flanagan __Date of Lesson__: 6** **__Grade Level__: 11 __Topic__: Applying Politics** **__Objectives__** **Student will understand that** they each play a big role in their communities and their thoughts and actions have effects on a much larger scale. **Student will know** Electoral College, caucus, ballot, referendum, delegate, debate **Student will be able to** perform debates in order to take their position paper to the next step, and also learn more about the defense of their personal beliefs **__Maine Learning Results Alignment__** Maine Learning Results: Social Studies. B: Civic and Government B1: Knowledge, Concepts, Themes, and Patterns of Civics/Government Grade: 9-Diploma Students understand the ideals, purposes, principles, structures, and processes of constitutional government in the United States and in the American political system, as well as examples of other forms of government and political systems in the world. A: Explain that the study of government includes the structures, functions, institutions, and forms of government and the relationship of government to citizens in the United States and in other regions of the world. **Rationale:** Students throughout the semester have been studying the way different institutions within the United States government operate as well as the way lobbyists for special interest groups do. This project puts them as head defendants on a major issue within the political realm and prepares them for their performance task. Giving them the ability to apply what they have learned throughout the semester into a debate. **__Assessment__** **Formative (Assessment for Learning)** Before presenting the hook to the students a brief pre-assessment activity with a KWL chart will be given to each student for each topic around the classroom to test which students already know and see what they want to learn more about, as well as being able to place the kids into groups. This way each student can be able to learn more about and defend topics that they are more comfortable with and get involved with the process of defending their personal perspectives. **Summative (Assessment of Learning)** Students will be asked to take their perspective on a hot topic in politics and be asked to defend it with credible evidence against a team with members of opposing view points. This activity will let students get comfortable about defending their point of view, and doing it respectfully and intelligently, as well it gives the students to dig deeper into the topics being discussed and the interactivity creates an experience that they are sure to take away from the experience. **__Integration__** **Technology:** Students that are in the audience will blog about the groups’ major points and how effective they were in convincing the class to sway with their point of view. This way the students can receive feedback from their peers about their arguments and their presentation as a whole, and improve upon it in time for the performance task. **Student:** Students will respond to the arguments in order to provide feedback to the presenters in the form of a "compliment sandwich." This will give students experience on how to successful provide constructive criticism to their peers. **Teacher:** The goal of the teacher with technology is merely that of a moderator for effective blogging and providing commentary on how the students are doing with their entries. **English:** Students work on their writing skills through their blog entries and also get a chance to do a lot of reading and research to support their arguments with credible resources. **__Groupings__** Students groups will be based on interest and will also be chosen based on the papers they completed for the previous lesson. Teams will be split into groups of three members and two teams will present at once. One side will represent the pro side of the argument where the opposition will represent the cons side. **__Differentiated Instruction__** **Strategies** **Verbal:** Defending their side of an issue through speech **Logical:** Thinking forward into what their opponent's next move may be, and how to counter act it **Kinesthetic:** Using body language to communicate their feelings **Visual:** Using graphics or videos to help convey your argument, or creating graphic representations about the discussion **Naturalist:** Talking about environmental issues, or what effects their position can have to change the environment **Intrapersonal:** Personal deep thinking about the issue to enhance the debate **Interpersonal:** Working with a team to help defend a side, as well as having a slight spirit of friendly competition **Musical:** Writing a protest song towards the opposing side **Modifications/Accommodations:** I will review students' IEPs, 504s or ELLIDEPs and make the appropriate modifications and accommodations. **Absences:** When a student cannot complete the lesson because of an absence from the class, it is the student's responsibility to meet with me as soon as possible to discuss the materials that they missed. Class notes will also be available on the Class Wiki as well as important links used within class discussions that the student has missed. **Extensions:** The use of blogs to provide other students feedback will be the method of extension within this lesson. This is a great way for students to have intelligent conversations and receive instant feedback and have constructive criticism to help them with future endeavors **__Materials, Resources and Technology__** A lectern A projector Laptops The Internet A white board **__Source for Lesson Plan and Research__** [] - a website about the campaign for the rights to life, highly against abortion. [] - a website for the protection of the second amendment rights and fights for the rights of gun owners. [] - a website about the prevention of gun violence and regulating gun safety. [] -a website about the protection of the rights for gay men, lesbian women, bisexuals, and transgendered people. **__[] -__** more information about how to conduct a successful debate within the classroom. **__[]__** -This site provides more information about the pros and cons of gun control. **__[]__** - This site is to provide information about both sides of pro-life and pro-choice campaigns. **__[]__** - This site is to give more information about same sex marriages. **__Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale__** **//Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.//** **Rationale**: For those who need flexibility in their lesson this lesson will really appeal in the choice of topic as well as the ability to make any argument for or against the cause. For those who seek a little more structure within lessons the process will be completely moderated and scheduled as if it were similar to a presidential debate about hot issues of our nation. For those who need to ask why within a lesson they can turn that around and use it positively to ask engaging questions towards their opposition and researching topics extensively. Those who work better in a group setting will be more than happy to participate in a team effort and providing positive feedback to their peers. **//• Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.//** **Rationale**: The facet expressed within this lesson is "apply", so that the students can take what they have been learning throughout the semester and apply it to a real life experience. This particular lesson will be applying the student’s prior knowledge of political hot topics and making it come alive within a classroom debate. For examples of what topics the students can gather ideas about there is more information included in the content notes, as well as a sample of how to conduct the process. **//• Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs.//** **Rationale**: **Strategies** **Verbal:** Defending their side of an issue through speech **Logical:** Thinking forward into what their opponent's next move may be, and how to counter act it **Kinesthetic:** Using body language to communicate their feelings **Visual:** Using graphics or videos to help convey your argument, or creating graphic representations about the discussion **Naturalist:** Talking about environmental issues, or what effects their position can have to change the environment **Intrapersonal:** Personal deep thinking about the issue to enhance the debate **Interpersonal:** Working with a team to help defend a side, as well as having a slight spirit of friendly competition **Musical:** Writing a protest song towards the opposing side **//• Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.//** **Rationale**: **Formative (Assessment for Learning)** Before presenting the hook to the students a brief pre-assessment activity with a KWL chart will be given to each student for each topic around the classroom to test which students already know and see what they want to learn more about, as well as being able to place the kids into groups. This way each student can be able to learn more about and defend topics that they are more comfortable with and get involved with the process of defending their personal perspectives. **Summative (Assessment of Learning)** Students will be asked to take their perspective on a hot topic in politics and be asked to defend it with credible evidence against a team with members of opposing view points. This activity will let students get comfortable about defending their point of view, and doing it respectfully and intelligently, as well it gives the students to dig deeper into the topics being discussed and the interactivity creates an experience that they are sure to take away from the experience. **__Teaching and Learning Sequence__** The classroom will be set with 6 desks in the front, with a lectern in the middle of them (3 separated to each side of the room facing each other) as the rest of the class will be placed into a U-shape around the desks so that the presenters can see their audience. * On day one students will enter the classroom and will be presented with a clip from the 2008 presidential debate where we as a class will have a guided discussion about the effectiveness of campaign promises and the opposing points of view between the candidates. (**20 minutes)** * After the activities the position papers will be passed back to students and team groups will be formed based on people with similar views on the same teams **(10 minutes)** * Rearrangement of desks done by the students so that everyone can see all the presenters while they are speaking, as well as their resources. This also gives sometime for students to prepare their opening arguments before the debate begins. **(10 minutes)** * The last section of class will be the student’s debates **(see the content notes for proper set-up) (40 minutes)** * **(Day Two)** This class will be finishing up debates, and then a class discussion will occur about the performance task and why the feedback from this lesson will help the students with their final products. **(80 minutes)** The point of this lesson is to get students thinking about how they can be more involved within their community or at least so the students can learn how to defend their own point of view in a successful and intelligent way. This lesson will also expand upon all the previous things covered throughout the semester and expands the student’s knowledge from these lessons by actually getting to apply what they have learned into a real world scenario. The hook will also be used to gain the attention of the students by getting to see an effective debate first hand, before they actually have to complete their own. **Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailors: Visual, Verbal, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal** The vocabulary discussed within this lesson is language that is necessary to discuss in order to set up the hook of the lesson. Once these certain words are discussed students can get a better field to what will be discussed within the lesson as well as having an easier time getting involved in their role. Quick thumbs up will check to see student’s understanding and mastery of the terms where as thumbs down would represent each student who does not fully understand the material. Once the students know all the terms and are engaged by the clip, then we can apply all the previous knowledge into a fun activity to create an experience for the students. **Equip, Tailors: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Verbal** **__Day One:__** Day one will be spend setting up the basis of the lesson and also just making sure that students have a strong grasp over the vocabulary discussed. Once they understand the terms the video of President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain's debate can be watched to see effective debate style we want to model with our presentations. After the highlights are shown the class will talk about effective strategies for making the best arguments in defensive of your points, and then position papers from the previous lesson will be passed out with the group assignments written on the papers themselves. The desks will then be rearranged with 6 desks in the front, and a lectern in the middle of them (3 separated to each side of the room facing each other) as the rest of the class will be placed into a U-shape around the desks so that the presenters can see their audience. Presentations will be started using the rest of the class time and those who do not finish on this day will be brought to present on day two. **__Day Two:__** On day two students who did not present will be given the chance to go, while the rest of the class will provide feedback on individuals blogs about their points and their presentations as a whole. After every group has presented the class will be asked how the entire activity made them feel by posting a self-reflection blog at the end of the activity. After they complete this the performance task will be explained and the grouping will be explained. Clarifying questions and personal help will also occur at the end of this block. **Explore, Experience, Revise, Rethink, Refine, Tailors: Verbal, Visual, Kinesthetic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Logical** Through the use of the blogs as a method of type-II technology, students can receive instant peer feedback about their presentation and the strength of the arguments made by that individual student. By the use of the "compliment sandwich" model students will get two positives about their presentations as well as constructive criticism to help them improve themselves for the final performance task. **Revise, Refine, Tailors: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal** **Content Notes** Debate any topic in your classroom using this class debate framework. Difficulty: Average Time Required: 1 Class Here's How: 1. Introduce debates by producing the rubric that you will be using to grade them. For a sample rubric, please see related sites at the bottom of this page. 2. A few weeks before the debate(s), give students the topic(s) to be covered. 3. Have students give you an ordered list showing in which debates they prefer to participate in order of preference. 4. From these lists make a debate group consisting of two students for each side of your debate: pro and con. 5. Before you hand the debate assignments out, explain that some students might be debating positions opposite to their beliefs. This is an important skill for them to learn. 6. On the day of the debate, give students in the 'audience' a blank rubric. Explain that it is their job to judge the debate objectively. 7. Begin the debate with the pro side speaking first. Allow them 5-7 minutes of uninterrupted time to explain their position. Both members must participate equally. 8. Repeat step number seven for the con side. 9. Give both sides about three minutes to confer and prepare for their rebuttal. 10. Begin the rebuttals with the con side and give them three minutes to speak. Both members must participate equally. 11. Repeat step number 10 for the pro side. Tips: 1. Possibly give extra credit to the audience for well thought out questions. The need for the use of fire arms: Today, the use of fire arms like guns is being advocated in argument that it helps to ward off criminals and juveniles on the crime scene. These high-risk individuals are a threat to social security and well being. However, guns in the wrong hands could turn turtle any peaceful community and only federal measures can reduce the availability and define the use of guns. The threat to our society from the unemployed youth, drug addicts and mentally challenged adults and children is the basic reason behind the need to procure and use guns in certain neighborhoods. Though there have been some policy changes that ushered in a prohibition on the ownership and use of non-police handguns, the ownerships and registrations were not declared entirely. Understanding the pros of effective gun control: There has to be a stringent check on the ownership of all firearms and the number of manufactured firearms. The assertion of constitutional barriers, significant and relevant social costs and more comprehensive policies are certain to enable the law enforcers to keep a tab on the ownership and illegitimate firearm ownership transfers, individual and bulk. This will help deep a check on individuals and institutions that operated against the interests of a peaceful existence. Instead of opposing federal control, it is essential that we help to empower federal policies that focus on keeping firearms out of the hands of high-risk persons. The contrary would only endanger the security of society at large. The effective gun control measures are a boon to law-abiding citizens and reinforce the constitutional rights. Even there are many advocates of the thought that widespread gun ownership is the way to keep crime at bay, it is essential to understand that it is not the gun that is being questioned, it is the hand that pulls the trigger. The threat of potential tyranny, gangs or any individuals, is being addressed; however, dealing with the situation with guns accessible by children, deranged adults and disturbed individuals is not the solution. The solution lies with effectively upholding the law and helping the law makers to curb illegal procurement of arms. The cons of gun control: The crime and mortality statistics is popularly calculated and quoted whenever the cons of gun control are discussed. The number of fatalities that could have been prevented in the presence of a firearm has increased. The federal government regulations make it very difficult for the common man in crime driven neighborhoods to buy a gun, while the thug, under any garb, continues to procure arms illegally. While a segment of the law guarantees individuals the right to own guns, another amendment makes owning a handgun difficult and many people feel that their constitutional rights are being denied. It is also observed that if the law-abiding citizens have guns, they are better equipped to handle situations where they might find themselves fact to face with criminals, thus bringing the crime rate down. The role of law enforcers: The federal law establishes strict registration requirements for procuring a gun, in addition to a transfer tax on machine guns and short-barreled long guns. The mail-order sales and the interstate sales of firearms have been also addressed and prohibited. The government has banned the transfer of arms to minors and thus, limits access to assault weapons. There are penalties in place and stringent licensing requirements for manufacturers and dealers that are maintained to check on illegal transfers. It cannot be denied that if more people are allowed to own and carry guns, deaths and injuries from the weapons will also subsequently increase. It is the responsibility of every citizen to determine for himself or herself whether or not the procurement of arms is good for society at large. It is natural to not agree entirely with the pros or the cons, but a constant update on statistics should be reviewed and analyzed. There are laws that make abortion legal at any point of time till birth in Australia, Canada, Germany, United States and as many as 30 other countries. Remaining countries either have partial restrictions on abortion like the first or second trimesters of pregnancy or complete ban unless it’s fatal for the mother. What is abortion? Abortion can be defined as pregnancy termination accidentally as in a miscarriage or by choice. Hereby we would be weighing the pros and cons of abortion (voluntary) ; and discussing whether the availability of abortion is an important right for women to have. Abortions caused by rape, incest and possible health concerns to mother/baby constitute just 7%. Social and personal issues are the cause for rest of the abortions. Abortion Debate Facts * Half the percentage of women obtaining abortions is below 25. * Around 60% of abortions are performed on never married women. * When a woman decides to go for an abortion, it’s not an impulsive decision, though the preceding act might be impetuous. * Concluding whether to abort, keep the baby or give it up for adoption is really hard and may lead to post-abortion trauma. Abortion Cons - Reasons Against Abortion * The important con that should be considered is can we choose to kill unwanted pregnancies? One shouldn’t be so irresponsible to land up in a situation where they have to be unmerciful to the unborn. * Most of unplanned pregnancies if extended to childbirth may prove to be wanted later. * A growing embryo is considered human with the heartbeats initiating as early as 21st day of conception. So what if we cannot see the human form, it does have the potential to gain one. * Choosing adoption as an alternative to abortion would give the baby its right to life. * Should people opt for abortion as last-minute contraception when preaching their kids about the consequences of casual sex? * Infection, sepsis, recurrent miscarriages and rarely death could be the complications of abortions. * Abortions can cause serious psychological impairment to the woman in the form of depression and guilt. Good Reasons for Abortion - Abortion Pros * Though women have a hard time choosing abortion as an option for unwanted pregnancies, they have been making that choice since a long time. * Ultimately she is the one who would be going through the actual "Labor" of continuing pregnancy, delivering a baby, bringing it up, parenting it well, in addition to other obligations she has to do in her daily life. To get it done with little or no help from the partner and families needs a well-balanced body and mind. * There is nothing called pro-choice and pro life. Both ideologies meet at one common point i.e. Pro-Life - Life of the baby and Life of the mother. Life of the baby ultimately depends on mother’s health and its best to allow the mother to choose for her when she wants a baby. * While we argue about the mental well being of a woman, how do others get to decide what would be more traumatic to the woman, abortion or childbirth and the unending list of duties waiting to be accomplished. * An attempt to restrict the abortions would rise not only the percentage of illegal and unsafe abortions but also the expenses of the procedure. A new law would be needed to tackle the illegal abortions and further legal hassles would have no ends. Legalize or not, abortions would always be a part of society. Deciding factor whether to abort or not would be different for different people. To one abortion can be traumatic, to the other forced childbirth can be equally traumatic. It’s impossible to decide a particular set of rules for all. It all depends on multifaceted approach of each person, her psychological strength, supportive circumstances in helping her decide and help her being convinced about her decisions.

**Reflection:**