CITIZEN ME!

1. CITIZEN ME! All the layers to YOUR citizenship!

2. I wonder what a CITIZEN is?

3. TAKE A GUESS! A citizen is… A. a person who does good deeds. B. someone involved in politics. C. a member of a community with rights and responsibilities. THANKS! D. an adult.

4. So does that mean that I’m a citizen? Of a city? Of a state? Am I a citizen of my school? We’re citizens of SOMETHING, right?

5. YES! A community is group of people that share an environment. Every day you are part of several different layers of community. That means you have many different levels of citizenship!

6. Citizenship Pyramid SIDE ONE:Levels of Citizenship!

7. HOME Levels The people we live with make up the smallest “community” we belong to. Nation State City School Write “People I live with” here: Home

8. SCHOOL Levels Nation Our school or workplace is a community too. These are the people we interact with outside our homes every day . State City School Record the name of your school here… Home

9. CITY Levels You are a citizen of the city in which you live. Nation State City Record the name of your city (or the city or town closest to you) here… School Home

10. STATE Levels Our country is made up of 50 states (and a district, too!). You are a citizen of the state where you live. Nation State City School Write the name of your state here… Home

11. NATION Levels Nation You are also a citizen of your country! State City Write down the name of the nation in which you live here… School Home

12. Does your SIDE ONE look like this?? Levels Nation United States State State Name Nearest City or Town City WAIT! Why should I care? Your School School “People I live with” Home

13. Where do these rights and responsibilities come from? Let’s find out!

14. Citizenship Pyramid SIDE TWO: Origins of Rights and Responsibilities!

15. ORIGINS OF RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES If being a citizen means having rights and responsibilities, where do rights and responsibilities come from?

16. TAKE A GUESS! We get our rights and responsibilities as citizens from… A. different places depending on the level of citizenship. B. one member of the community who decides for us. THANKS AGAIN! C. politicians. D. the President.

17. NATION United States Constitution In the United States we are guaranteed a list of rights in our constitution.

18. NATION Origins Record it here! Nation U.S. Constitution State City School Home

19. STATE State Constitution Each state has its own constitution that guarantees rights to the state’s citizens.

20. STATE Origins Nation U.S. Constitution State Record it here! State Constitution City School Home

21. CITY City Charter Cities usually have a city charter. This document tells how the city will run. It usually contains some rights and responsibilities of city citizens.

22. CITY Origins Nation U.S. Constitution State State Constitution City Record it here! City Charter School Home

23. SCHOOL School Handbook Most schools have a school handbook that lists the students’ rights and responsibilities. (mostly responsibilities—more about that later!)

24. SCHOOL Origins Nation U.S. Constitution State State Constitution City City Charter Record it here! School Handbook School Home

25. HOME At home, the adults in charge decide what your rights and responsibilities will be. Maybe these will get written down—but usually not!

26. HOME Origins Nation U.S. Constitution State State Constitution City City Charter School Handbook School Adults in Charge Record it here! Home

27. Origins Nation U.S. Constitution State State Constitution City City Charter Good Job! School Handbook School Adults in Charge Home

28. Now let’s look at some examples of the kinds of RIGHTS citizens have at each layer of citizenship!

29. Citizenship Pyramid SIDE THREE:Rights!

30. RIGHTS Now that I know where rights and responsibilities come from… What are rights??

31. TAKE A GUESS! Rights are… A. things adults get to do. B. privileges the President has. C. electric bulbs that let you read in the dark. GOT IT! D. a privilege or a claim to something.

32. RIGHTS So, what kinds of rights do citizens have at each level?

33. RIGHTS You would need a pyramid the size of the ones in EGYPT to list all the rights citizens have at each level. Let’s just list a few examples:

34. NATION United States Constitution Guarantees really BIG rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom to assemble in groups.

35. United States Constitution Rights Record it here! Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble in groups Nation State City School Home

36. STATE State Constitution State constitutions usually repeat many of the rights listed in the U.S. Constitution. But often they add more… For example, your state constitution might guarantee the right to a free education, or the right for kids under 14 not to work.

37. State Constitution Rights Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble in groups Nation State Record it here! Right to free education, Right of children not to work City Discuss It: Why don’t you think the U.S. Constitution gives the right to education? Should it? School Home

38. CITY City Charter This gives you the right to services your city provides, like sidewalks or parks.

39. CITY City Charter Origins Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble in groups Nation State Right to free education, Right of children not to work City Record it here! Right to use sidewalks and parks Discuss It: Would it be a problem if the U.S. Constitution talked about sidewalks? School Home

40. SCHOOL School Handbook Hey! I don’t see any rights in my school handbook. All I see is stuff kids aren’t supposed to do!

41. I can answer that one! Sometimes rights… …are the flip side of responsibilities. Rights Responsibilities

42. So if the handbook says you can’t do something… ... it is silently giving the right to do something else. You have the right to bring a regular wallet. No wallets with chains!

43. So school handbooks are usually the opposite of the U.S. Constitution because they list responsibilities instead of rights. Try out some examples of how responsibilities can silently tell you what your rights are!

44. “Do not throw food in the lunch room” is silently saying you have the right to : Eat in the lunch room!

45. “Students must be seated during athletic activities” is silently saying you have the right to : Attend athletic activities!

46. “No t-shirts with inappropriate slogans” is silently saying you have the right to : Wear appropriate t-shirts to school!

47. SCHOOL Discuss It: What rights do you have at your school? Rights Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble in groups Nation State Right to free education, Right of children not to work City Right to use sidewalks and parks Record it here! Attend sports, eat in lunchroom School Home

48. HOME Adults in Charge For example, you probably have the right to eat the food they buy, and you might have the right to watch TV and play video games. The adults in charge at home give you rights that only apply at home.

49. HOME Remember: These are all just examples! Rights Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble in groups Nation State Right to free education, Right of children not to work City Right to use sidewalks and parks Attend sports, eat in lunchroom School TV, video games, eat food Record it here! Home

50. Citizenship Pyramid SIDE FOUR:Responsibilities!