Lesson 4

Submitted by galactikcat on Thu, 2005-10-27 02:56.U.S. History

Fighting for Democracy, Fighting for Me

This unit weaves together the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy’s Curricular Understandings with state and national learning standards and current events to help students gain a better understanding of how their lives are connected to those who have struggled in the past for the power, privilege, and equal standing promised to them by the U.S. Constitution.

Students begin by investigating specific individuals involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom and working backward to stories from World War II. Students will review documents such as the Four Freedoms speech, as well as less prominent documents that depict the conflicts faced by individuals during World War II. Evidence gathered will help students respond to the essential question, “If somebody is denied power, privilege, and equal standing with other Americans, how should he or she respond?”

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: U.S. History

Unit Duration: Projected length of time is 2 class periods

Lessons can be modified and extension activities can be easily added.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
If somebody is denied power, privilege, and equal standing with other Americans, how should he or she respond?

GUIDING QUESTION:
During World War II, what freedoms were guaranteed to the people of the United States?

Objectives:

Students will analyze the Four Freedoms speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Students will judge the effects of the Four Freedoms speech within the context of the timeline on Voting Rights and Citizenship.

Activities

1. Provide and/or review context on how the U.S. entered World War II.

2. Students read the Four Freedoms speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt (Document 4-1) and complete the accompanying outline. (Student Activity Sheet 4-2)

Four Freedoms Handout

Four Freedoms Notes Handout

3. Students complete a Talking Heads Activity Sheet with Franklin D. Roosevelt responding to the phrase, “We, the people.” (Student Activity Sheet 4-3)

Talking Heads Handout

4. Referencing the timeline of Voting Rights and Citizenship from Lesson Two and the Four Freedoms speech, students respond to this prompt:

Should equality exist before one makes sacrifices for the nation?

Other Lessons in this Unit:

Lesson 1: What are the responsibilities of an “American”?

Lesson 2: Do rights and citizenship guarantee power and privilege?

Lesson 3: How did W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington respond to being African American in the United States in the late 1800s?

Lesson 5: How did African Americans, Japanese Americans, and Mexican Americans respond when they were denied power, privilege, and equal standing during World War II?

Culminating Writing Assessment: Reflective composition addressing the unit’s essential question.