Students begin by learning what political rights and civil liberties are. Then they define additional terms that elaborate on those rights. Next, they investigate a specific democratic country to see how it rates in terms of political rights and civil liberties. Finally, they develop a list of questions they might ask to find out more about how well a democracy is functioning.
Students read an introduction that frames democracy as “rule by the people” and presents the lesson objectives. They contribute to a word cloud by listing countries they know to be democracies, then collaboratively complete a table identifying characteristics that make a country democratic.
Teacher MovesReview the lesson overview and objectives, then facilitate discussion of student responses in the word cloud and table. Clarify that democracies are governments ruled by the people with limited government to prevent total control, and, if needed, direct students to review the related experience on the origins and features of democracy. Organize students into small groups for the next two scenes.
Students read an explanation of political rights and civil liberties as key elements of democracy. In small groups, they use the internet to research and define seven democracy-related terms (such as electoral process, political pluralism and participation, rule of law, and personal autonomy) in a shared graphic organizer, focusing on clear, simple definitions. Groups then review other groups’ definitions and revise their own as needed.
Teacher MovesEnsure students understand the concepts of political rights and civil liberties, then monitor group research and note-taking in the graphic organizer. Lead a whole-class discussion to clarify each term and help students categorize which terms relate to political rights and which to civil liberties before moving on.
In small groups, students use Freedom in the World to explore how democracy functions in contemporary societies. They examine the color-coded world map, select a “Free” (green) country, open its report, and read and discuss the overview. Groups post the country name and a brief summary of the overview, then scan the report to locate numerical ratings for each category (e.g., electoral process, rule of law). They record these scores in a graphic organizer, calculate overall ratings for political rights and for civil liberties, and discuss what the scores reveal about their country’s democratic strengths and weaknesses. Finally, they share and review other groups’ findings.
Teacher MovesGuide students in navigating the online map and reports, clarifying how the rating system works. Support groups as they interpret category scores and calculate combined political rights and civil liberties ratings. Facilitate a class discussion comparing countries’ results and prompt students to draw conclusions about how well different democracies are functioning.
Working individually, students post a list of questions they would ask about a country to determine whether its democracy is healthy, targeting areas such as elections, participation, freedoms, rule of law, and individual rights. They may frame questions as if interviewing a citizen of that country.
Teacher MovesEncourage students to generate probing, specific questions that connect to the democratic concepts studied. If time permits, have students use their questions in pairs to reflect on the state of democracy in the United States or suggest they use the questions at home to discuss democracy with family members.
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