Objectives:
- Identify core democratic values of our nation.
- Explain how core democratic values are reflected in real-world events and actions.
Scene 1 — Engage
Student Activity
Students are introduced to the ten core democratic values—Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness, Common Good, Justice, Equality, Diversity, Truth, Popular Sovereignty, and Patriotism—and to the overall flow of the experience. They then consider the idea of “core values” by reflecting on their classroom and school, and post one or more school core values to a shared word cloud.
Teacher Moves
Present the lesson overview and objectives. After students contribute to the word cloud, highlight sample core values such as honesty, respect, fairness, responsibility, and diversity to ground the concept of shared values before moving on.
Scene 2 — Explore
Student Activity
Students shift from classroom values to national democratic values. They read selected excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then use a word cloud to identify common democratic values they see in the texts and add any additional values they think are important.
Teacher Moves
Guide students through the three excerpts and, after they respond in the word cloud, use sample ideas (such as life, liberty, equality, justice, popular sovereignty, common good, peace, and patriotism) to clarify how these core values are embedded in the founding documents.
Scene 3 — Explain
Student Activity
Students are introduced to a list of ten commonly cited core democratic values. They complete two graphic organizers by writing what they think each value (Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness, Common Good, Justice, Equality, Diversity, Truth, Popular Sovereignty, Patriotism) means in their own words. They then read Core Democratic Values: Fundamental Beliefs to refine their understanding, and complete a third organizer by giving examples of personal, political, and economic freedom as aspects of Liberty.
Teacher Moves
Optionally introduce this section by sharing the rap song about core democratic values. As students complete the organizers, use the provided sample descriptions and examples to clarify meanings, connect student ideas to the formal definitions from the reading, and support students in distinguishing among different types of freedom.
Scene 4 — Elaborate
Student Activity
Students consider how core democratic values operate in real life. Using a drawing tool, they create or upload a visual representation of one democratic value in action—such as a current event photo or an original illustration—and add a caption explaining how the image represents that value.
Teacher Moves
Optionally assign specific values to students or groups so that all ten are represented. Encourage students to connect their visuals to concrete events or actions and to clearly explain how the chosen example demonstrates the selected democratic value.
Scene 5 — Evaluate
Student Activity
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher Moves
Facilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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