Democracy in Today’s World


Democracy in Today’s World
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.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Democracy in Today’s World:

Preview - Scene 1
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Overview

In this experience, 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.

This experience is best paired with the experience Democracy and Its Influence: Origins, which gives students the historical background and key features of democracy.

Students will work together in small groups in scenes 2 and 3. Note that there is no quiz at the end of this experience.

Objectives:

  • Describe the political rights and civil liberties in an ideal democracy.
  • Evaluate the state of democracy in various contemporary societies.


Democracy means “rule by the people,” but it’s not quite as simple as that. What is the “rule” part and what is the “people” part? And how does that all work together to protect citizens? In this experience you will consider the political rights and civil liberties required of a well-functioning democracy.

 

Objectives:

  • Describe the political rights and civil liberties in an ideal democracy.
  • Evaluate the state of democracy in various contemporary societies.


map of the world

What countries other than the United States are democracies? List several that you know. To list more than one, separate the countries with a comma, like this: Rome, Paris.

Post your answer

What makes a country democratic?



Discuss student responses. Remind students that a democracy is a government that is “ruled by the people.” It has limited government that prevents any individual or party from having total control.
 
If students need to review what a democracy is, refer them to the experience Democracy and Its Influence: Origins.


Divide students into their small groups for the next two scenes. When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.


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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Government and Economic Systems Unit.
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