Preparing America to Govern
Can people be trusted to govern themselves?
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#4. Process for Students

#4. Process for Students

Challenge 1: Citizenship Handbill

Day 1, Team Brainstorm:

 

RED, WHITE & BLUE staff will view images of American life and ask the questions:

Workgroups of four will graffitti the borders of the images with ideas (answers to the above questions) before passing it to the next team.

Teams will discuss what they believe is most important for citizenship. A scribe for each team will record important duties, responsibilities, rights and traits on the graphic organizer

Day 2, Team Draft:

 

Finish graphic organizer

View models: look at handbills that have been created through time for other campaigns. Gallery

Organize draft of handbill: you need to include the most important ideas from each column

Organize images: you can draw or paste images from images already provided.

View Evaluation to make sure your design will get full points

 
Day 3, Execute and finish product. Present to other teams.

 

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Challenge 2: Traveling Bill of Rights Tableau

Day 1: Document Analysis

  • Use the excerpt from the:

    • Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
    • Virginia Declaration of Rights
    • Bill of Rights
  • In your team, highlight rights that you can find in common within the two or three of the documents.
  • Write a three sentence reflection.
    • Are the rights you have highlighted important to you?
    • Which right do you think is the most important and why?
    • Do you think there are more important rights that should be protected?
    • Why do we need rights protected anyway?
  • Discuss in the whole group your findings and reflections. Or if directed report out and defend your ideas to the class.
Day 2: Image Detective
  • Pick one of the images from the center table (or from these links if your teacher has you working on line)
  • Ask a question about the picture.
    • What right or rights are represented by this picture?
    • How might the rights represented in this picture be dangerous or controversial in the country?
    • What is happening in this picture that might be different today while still representing the same right?
    • Make up your own question
  • Find clues that back up your idea(s).
  • Read the brief background for the picture(s) on the back of the card.
  • Draw a conclusion.
  • At each stage record your ideas on the graphic organize.
Day 3: Train to be Tableau Artists
  • Your teacher will lead you in a number of techniques to be a tableau artist. You will be traveling the country with you team performing these tableaus...so you better practice!
  • Perform your tableau based on the image you selected yesterday.
Day 4: (If necessary)
  • Acting Warm up
  • Revise your final tableau
  • Perform and take a digital picture

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Challenge 3: Political Cartoon Attack

Day 1: Understanding the nature of political parties

 

  • Team members must familiarize themselves with the issues before creating their attack campaign.
  • Click on the following link to learn about the issues that divided the Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton from the Democratic-Republicans initially led by Thomas Jefferson.
    Comparison of Jefferson to Hamilton .
  • Record your findings on the venn diagram handout.
Day 1 to Day 2: Studying the Art of Political Cartoons

  • As the model cartoon is slowly revealed note the elements which make this cartoon satire
  • Pick one of the following cartoons given to you by the teacher to analyze. Your team should break into pairs. Each team is responsible for two cartoons.
  • You will organize your ideas on the cartoon graphic organizer handout.
Day 3: Cartoon Production

Work with your team to construct your own cartoon.

Suggested topics for your cartoon

Federalist position:

  • Make fun of Jefferson and/or Madison for their trust in (the) people
  • Make fun of the American people: A bunch of ignorant (uneducated) farmers who don't know how to make intelligent decisions
  • Make fun of Jefferson for being against a national bank

Democratic position:

  • Make fun of Hamilton for his mistrust of (the) people
  • Make fun of Hamilton by making him seem like the king that America worked so hard to get rid of.
  • Make fun of Hamilton by showing him as an evil super villain trying to steal money from the poor by setting up a national bank

Or make up your own cartoon based on the information from the Federalist/ Democratic division.

Be sure to check the Evaluation page to see how you will be scored for your cartoon.

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Final Challenge: Red, White & Blue Takes on the Monroe Doctrine

Day 1: Understand Task, Collect Materials
  • Meet in your strategy group
  • Summarize the Monroe Doctrine using your text book and the following Web site: Today in History: October 17 (Library of Congress)
  • Rewrite your summary using your own words. Draft your words as if you are writing to James Monroe. Start the summary with "President Monroe: your words speak true when you say to Europe..." or "President Monroe: your wisdom triumphs when you state..." or something else which will flatter Monroe, show your understanding of the Monroe Doctrine and win you the job!
  • Paste your summary near the top of your poster board.
  • Set up the rest of your poster board: affix your handbill, cartoon, and a copy of the picture of tableau. Using paper create a caption for each of your previous work. The caption should include 1-2 sentences answering the following questions: who? what? when? where? why (you made this)? Then you should add one more sentence to your caption: explain/ reflect why completing the handbill or the political cartoon or the traveling tableau makes Red, White, & Blue now able to take on the job of advertizing the Monroe Doctrine. How does your previous experience prepare you for the new one?
  • Lastly, create a catchy title for your posterboard. Decorate your posterboard professionally and in a way that it will attract attention and show you off in the best light!
Day 2: Practice and Present
  • Meet with your group to finish last minute details and practice your presentation
  • Present your posterboard to the class alt

 

 

 

 

 
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Amy Markowitz & Lissa Reeves © 2005