What Type of Government for our New Nation

1. What Type of Government for our New Nation? A Comparative Look at Types of Government in the World 5th Grade By Dustin Adams dadams@franklincollege.edu

2. A New Nation Our class must decide how to govern a new nation. There are multiple way that a nation can be led, and it is up to you to convince your classmates that the type you choose is the best for our nation. You must also name our country. It is a small, tropical island in the Pacific Ocean. All of the residents are 5th graders.

3. Hi, I�m Thomas Jefferson. The Founding Fathers and I did something much like this when the United States of America was created. We were all committed to the ideas of Democracy and we eventually formed a Constitutional Republican Democracy.

4. Your Task You are the leaders of this new country, but your work is not over. It is up to you to decide how this new nation will be governed. In small groups, you will write a document in the form of a formally written paper that explains why we should embrace one form of government over the others. Keep in mind that if you choose a form that is unsuccessful, your country will not last. In your research you will encounter forms of government that have caused nations to fall.

5. The Process First, you will have to research what your options are. The following pages give websites that you can read about 8 different types of governments. Be sure to take notes about the pros and cons of each type of government. I have a chart that you may find helpful for organizing your information. Your notes will be collected as part of your final product. Most systems of government can be understood if you can answer who rules, so try to understand who has the power in each form of government. You will write a paper trying to convince the class to support the form of government you choose. You will not have to do this all alone. After you have researched your options, you will seek out people that favor the same type of government and together you will write your paper. You can have up to 4 people in one group. Your paper will have 4 parts: first, you will introduce the imaginary country, next you will write about why your country should have the type of government you are supporting, thirdly, you will explain why this form of government is better than at least two other types, and lastly you will review your argument for the type of government you prefer in a short conclusion.

6. Group Roles It is always good to decide what group member will do each job on a group project. Here are roles that you should assign within your group. One person can do more than one job, but everyone should do equal amounts of work. Outliner- someone to organize the thoughts and final paper. Proof reader � someone to correct any errors in the final paper. Background writer � someone to write a paragraph that introduces your country. Pro writer- someone to write positives about the form of government your group favors. Con writer � someone to write about the forms of government your group believes to be less appealing than the government your group chose. Summary writer � someone to sum up the paper in a conclusion.

7. Use this chart to take notes! Government Pro/Con Chart

8. Democracy http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2150000/newsid_2151600/2151601.stm http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Democracy.htm http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575112/Democracy.html In a democracy, ________________ rules.

9. Dictatorship (totalitarian) http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2150000/newsid_2151600/2151606.stm http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Dictatorship.htm http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574819/Totalitarianism.html In a dictatorship, _____________ rules.

10. Monarchy http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2150000/newsid_2151600/2151628.stm http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Monarchy.htm http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576548/Monarchy.html In a monarchy, ____________ rules.

11. Communist http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2150000/newsid_2151500/2151593.stm http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Communism.htm http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572241/Communism.html

12. Anarchy http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2150000/newsid_2151500/2151570.stm http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/anarchy.html http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568770/Anarchism.html

13. Aristocracy http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/aristocracy.html http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Aristocracy.htm In an aristocracy, ________ rules.

14. Meritocracy http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/meritocracy.html http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Meritocracy.htm In a meritocracy, ___________ rules.

15. Theocracy http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9380561?query=theocracy&ct= http://www.politicalinformation.net/encyclopedia/Theocracy.htm In a theocracy, _________ rules.

16. Evaluation

17. Conclusion Great job! You have completed our project on choosing a type of government for our new nation. What did you learn during this assignment? Are you surprised at how differently countries can be governed? You can go further by doing any of the following for extra credit; design a flag for our new nation, draw a map of our new nation and write a paper about the resources and attractions within our country, or write a national anthem for our new nation.

18. Teacher page Introduction This webquest was developed in my Franklin College Advanced Educational Technology class. Learners This lesson is designed for fifth grade and it covers Social Studies but involves quite a bit of language arts. This assignment will benefit children with open minds most. It will also be good for children that imagine themselves in powerful positions when they grow up. The amount of writing in the final paper can easily be adjusted to fit the needs of any class. Be sure the class has skills in finding important information in text and note-taking skills. Teach this lesson after the class has covered the Revolutionary War and in conjunction with a Constitution unit.

19. 5th Grade Social Studies Standards Met 5.2.1 Explain why people need government by considering what life would be like in the absence of government.Example: The purposes of government include the protection of individual rights and the attainment of the common good. 5.2.4 Identify and explain key ideas about government as noted in founding documents of the United States, such as the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Northwest Ordinance, United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.Example: Key ideas � union*, popular sovereignty*, republican government* (republicanism), constitutional government* (constitutionalism), federal government* (federalism), and individual rights*. 5.2.11 Use a variety of information resources* to identify and evaluate contemporary issues that involve civic responsibility, individual rights, and the common good.

20. Teacher Page (continued) Process This WebQuest will take at least 2 hours of classroom time to complete. Resources needed Internet capable computers for each student Space for students to work in groups Encyclopedias and Social Studies glossaries may also be helpful

22. Conclusion This is a very important lesson because it allows the students to see that the way we currently govern the United States is not the only way possible and there are both pros and cons to any form of government.

23. Notes for Teaching the WebQuest Non-readers and/or ESL students will need the WebQuest and the research read to them. Additional information on this topic is difficult to get for a fifth grade reading level. A possible extension for this activity is for students to create an imaginary country and design the most important facets of the country including: geography, demographics, culture, flag, anthem, and economic system. Be sure to guide the children as they choose groups. Not all groups will or must have the same number of students, but hopefully each student will support the type of government advocated for by the group. This assignment could easily be adapted to include debate skills for students that need an extension. Another possible extension would be to include economic systems to the assignment in addition to the political systems.

24. Credits "1970 � 1979 World History." Infoplease. 2007. Pearson Education. 27 Feb 2007 <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005252.html>. McMahon, Tom. "Once Again It's Time For My Annual Special Personal Thank You to the Ayatollah Khomeini." Tom McMahon. 04 June 2006. Tom McMahon. 27 Feb 2007 <http://www.tommcmahon.net/2006/06/once_again_its_.html>. McNeil, Helen. "The King Louis XIV Memorial Archives." The Canadian Royal Heritage Trust. The Canadian Royal Heritage Trust. 27 Feb 2007 <http://www.crht.ca/Resources.html>. Merck, John. "How Society Makes Science Happen." Earth, Life, and Time. 26 Nov. 2006. University of Maryland. 27 Feb 2007 <http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite/lectures/scipubintr.html>. "Plato." Greek Heroes. June 2005. Wildwood School. 27 Feb 2007 <http://www.wildwood.cps.k12.il.us/stwork/greekheroes05/plato/plato.html >. "The Life of Josef Stalin." Logoi. 2005. Logoi.com. 27 Feb 2007 <http://www.logoi.com/notes/life_of_stalin.html>.