EGP 335

Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Rights and Responsibilities
Day Number: 4
Author: Amanda Reindl
Unit: Community Government
Grade Level: 3rd
Background Information
Expected Duration 45 minutes
Concepts
o Rights
Bill of Rights
Big 4:
Religion
Owning property
Speech
Press
o Responsibilities
Obeying laws
Voting
Vocabulary
o Right: freedom that a person has that is protected by law
o Responsibility: duty or obligation that a person has
Skills
o Comparing
o Contrasting
o Active listening
o Cause and Effect
o Analyzing
1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
1 Students will practice active listening and effective note-taking during the
lecture/discussion portion of the lesson.
2 Given support by the teacher, students will list rights and corresponding
responsibilities that they have in the classroom library.
3 Students will compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities that they have in
their home, school, and world.
4 Using knowledge of cause and effect, students will analyze what would happen if the
country had no structure (rights and responsibilities).
1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography & NCSS Themes I-X

PA Standards
5.1.3.A: Explain the purposes of rules, laws, and consequences.
5.1.3.B: Explain rules and laws for the classroom, school, and community.
5.1.3.D: Identify key ideas about government found in significant documents:
o Bill of Rights
5.2.3.A: Identify personal rights and responsibilities.
NCSS Themes
X: Civic Ideals and Practices
1.3 Anticipatory Set
Boys and girls, yesterday we talked about what it means to be a good citizen and
ways we can make a difference in our communities. Today we are going to keep
talking about citizenship and we are going to learn more about the role we get to
play in the country when we are citizens.
Watch this clip from Cheaper by the Dozen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZVwo_elP7Y&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqr5JQDcNwizicTEljjPN6G&feature=iv&src_vid=ZWLQiviq7SM&annotation_id=annotatio
n_7419981928
o What do you notice about the movie? (AR: The kids are not following the
rules, the dad is not reinforcing any rules, the dad is overwhelmed, the
kids are unsafe and unhappy)
o In a family, everyone has an important role to play. What happens when
kids dont follow the rules?
There is chaos
There is a mess
There is stress
o What is the dads job to do for the kids? Is he doing a good job?
The dad is supposed to keep the kids healthy and safe
The kids feel ignored
Why is it important to have rules?
In the United States, citizens have both rights and responsibilities. It is so
important for citizens to understand and practice these rights and responsibilities
in order for the country to be the best it can be.
1.4 Procedures
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: the class will first learn, via lecture/discussion/power
point and note-taking, the difference between rights and responsibilities.
o Can anybody tell me what a right is?
A right is a freedom that a person has
The law says that we have these rights
You have these rights as long as you follow the law.
Some of our rights are listed in the Bill of Rights which is at the
beginning of our Constitution.
o The Constitution explains our government
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o Among our rights are:

Freedom of religion: we can practice any
religion, or none at all
Freedom to own property
Freedom of speech: we can speak our minds
without getting in trouble
Freedom of press: we are allowed to write
what is on our minds without getting in
trouble

o What is a responsibility?
A responsibility is a duty or obligation that a person has
You should do it for the common good; that means it is not always
best for just you, but for the most people.
Laws explain our responsibilities. (In some ways, laws are rules)
Voting is our responsibility
ACTIVITY: we will now do hands-on activities to relate the concepts of rules and
responsibilities to how they apply to elementary students
o Scaffold: The teacher will guide the
students in creating a T-Chart
relating to rights and
responsibilities they have regarding
the classroom library.
Class, can somebody tell me
what you should be
guaranteed when you go to
read a book from our
library? What rights to do
you have in our library?
AR:
o Enough
books for
everyone
o Undamaged
books
o Choose any
books you
want
Those are all great examples of our rights in the library! But with
every right comes a responsibility. In order for me to give you
those rights as your teacher, I need you to be responsible with your
actions in the library and do your part to help other students be
able to practice their rights in the library.

(Jack) said that its your right to have enough books for everyone
in the library. What is a responsibility or rule that could tell you
how to do your part to make that possible for everyone?
AR: Do not take more than one book at a time
(Continue for each right: MAKE SURE A
RESPONSBILITIY IS SPECIFIED RELATING TO EACH
RIGHT LISTED)
This chart can be displayed in the library area when it is
completed.
o On my own: Students, working either independently or in pairs, will fill
out a rights and responsibilities chart, specifying rights and responsibilities
they have at home, school, and in the world. Again, specify that each right
should have a responsibility that relates to it. (How students can do their
part to make that right possible for others).

1.5 Differentiation
For Gifted Students: For students who understand the concepts of rights and
responsibilities quickly and do not need the scaffolded activity, they will have the
opportunity to research and explore the Bill of Rights to get a deeper
understanding of citizens rights. (Using simplified list below, write examples of
what they think they mean)

http://quatr.us/northamerica/after1500/government/billofrights.htm

These are the ten individual rights that are in the Bill of Rights, in simpler words:
1. The United States Congress can't make any law about your religion, or stop you
from practicing your religion, or keep you from saying whatever you want, or
publishing whatever you want (like in a newspaper or a book). And Congress
can't stop you from meeting peacefully for a demonstration to ask the government
to change something.
2. Congress can't stop people from having and carrying weapons, because we need
to be able to defend ourselves.
3. You don't have to let soldiers live in your house, except if there is a war, and even
then only if the United States Congress has passed a law about it.
4. Nobody can search your body, or your house, or your papers and things, unless
they can prove to a judge that they have a good reason to think you have
committed a crime.
5. You can't be tried for any serious crime without a Grand Jury meeting first to
decide whether there's enough evidence for a trial. And if the jury decides you are
innocent, the government can't try again with another jury. You don't have to say
anything at your trial. You can't be killed, or put in jail, or fined, unless you were
convicted of a crime by a jury. And the government can't take your house or your
farm or anything that is yours, unless the government pays for it.
6. If you're arrested, you have a right to have your trial pretty soon, and the
government can't keep you in jail without trying you. The trial has to be public, so
everyone knows what is happening. The case has to be decided by a jury of
ordinary people from your area. You have the right to know what you are accused
of, to see and hear the people who are witnesses against you, to have the
government help you get witnesses on your side, and you have the right to a
lawyer to help you.

7. You also have the right to a jury when it is a civil case (a law case between two
people rather than between you and the government).
8. The government can't make you pay more than is reasonable in bail or in fines,
and the government can't order you to have cruel or unusual punishments (like
torture) even if you are convicted of a crime.
9. Just because these rights are listed in the Constitution doesn't mean that you don't
have other rights too.
10. Anything that the Constitution doesn't say that Congress can do should be left up
to the states, or to the people.

For ELL Students: Some students still struggling to learn English may need added
support and accommodations
Design logo/symbol to illustrate a freedom/right
i. Speech
ii. Religion
iii. Assembly
iv. Right to vote
v. Right to own property
vi. Right to trial by jury

1.6 Closure
Once the students are finished the rights and responsibilities chart activity, the teacher
will encourage a few students to share some of the rights and responsibilities that they
came up with. The teacher, is she wishes, can use another chart paper to write down the
rights and responsibilities that the students come up with pertaining to school in order to
make a classroom Bill of Rights of sorts.
The teacher can then draw students attention back to the video clip they watched in the
anticipatory set: Who can remind me what was happening in the video we watched
earlier? What was wrong about how the family was operating? (AR: The dad was not
able to give all of his kids all of the rights that they deserved and they were not following
through on their responsibilities of following the rules. The house was chaotic and messy
and tense.) Boys and girls, this is why it is so important that citizens know what their
rights and responsibilities are. This country is designed with us in mind; in order to get
out of it what we are meant to, we also have to contribute and hold up our end of the

deal. In order to practice our rights, we must obey the rules and follow through with our
responsibilities.
Closure Activity: Please get out your journals and take a moment to write about what
you imagine what would happen if we didnt have a Bill of Rights.
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Formative assessment will occur throughout the lesson through teacher observation.
1. The teacher will observe students active listening skills according to their
participation in discussion and quality of note-taking (scaffolded by power point;
at minimum, students should have definition and examples of rights and
responsibilities).
2. The teacher will observe students ability to differentiate between rights and
responsibilities in the classroom library based on class discussion.
3. The teacher will observe and listen during partner work on the home, school,
world activity for understanding of the difference between rights and
responsibilities. Listening for key words and phrases like rights are our
privileges or things we get to do and responsibilities are the rules we have to
follow to do our part.
4. The teacher will browse around the room during journaling closure to check for
understanding of what the absence of a Bill of Rights would be like. (Things like
too much government control, people not allowed to do things they like, opposite
of specific rights, etc.)
5. The teacher will collect the students charts (home, school, world) and check for
understanding of meaning for rights and responsibilities as well as correlation
between rights and responsibilities. These will be filed in student portfolios.
No Summative Assessment.
1.8 Materials/Equipment/Resources
A. STUDENT MATERIALS/ READING RESOURCES:

Lecture notes power point

Library Rights and Responsibilities Chart

Home, School, World Rights and Responsibilities Chart

Student journal

Websites:

o Cheaper by the Dozen video https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=1ZVwo_elP7Y&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqr5JQDcNwizicTEljjPN6G&feature=iv&src_vid=ZWLQiviq7SM&annotatio
n_id=annotation_7419981928
B. TEACHER MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR LESSON DESIGN: List resources you
used to design the lesson plan (teacher materials, to provide background on the content,
etc...)
Textbook
Library Chart Idea:
http://simmonsclass.edublogs.org/category/reading-workshop/
Worksheet resource: Teachers Pay Teachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rights-Rules-and-Responsibilities2117366
Simplified Bill of Rights
http://quatr.us/northamerica/after1500/government/billofrights.htm
C. CHART
Website

M.I- Minor
Influence
or S.ISignificant
Influence
https://www.youtu M.I
be.com/watch?
v=1ZVwo_elP7Y
&list=PLZbXA4l
yCtqr5JQDcNwizicTEljj
PN6G&feature=iv
&src_vid=ZWLQ
iviq7SM&annotat
ion_id=annotation
_7419981928
https://www.teach M.I.
erspayteachers.co
m/Product/RightsRules-andResponsibilities2117366
M.I.
http://simmonscla
ss.edublogs.org/ca
tegory/reading-

If S.I include
why credible

How easy is it for

teachers to access?

How easy is it for students

to access?

Very easy

Found through
Pinterest, which is
very easy to use and
is a great resource
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workshop/
http://quatr.us/nort S.I.
hamerica/after150
0/government/bill
ofrights.htm

The website has

a statement
describing its
roots. All
articles are
researched and
written by
professors. I
would consider
this trustworthy
but would not
blindly
accumulate
sources here.

for ideas that can be

adapted to fit any
classroom
Generally easy;
found by searching
Bill of Rights for
Kids. The website
used to be called
History for Kids

References
Cheaper by the Dozen (3/5) Movie CLIP - Dinner Complications (2003) HD. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 2, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1ZVwo_elP7Y&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqr5JQDcNwizicTEljjPN6G&feature=iv&src_vid=ZWLQiviq7SM&annotation_id=a
nnotation_7419981928
Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rights-Rules-and-Responsibilities2117366
Students Have Rights!? (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from
http://simmonsclass.edublogs.org/category/reading-workshop/
What is the Bill of Rights? (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from
http://quatr.us/northamerica/after1500/government/billofrights.htm
D. Attach teacher content notes sheet, SEE Appendix A
1.9 Technology
Visual aids: anchor charts for classroom (library) rights and responsibilities
Interactive white board used for power point/ note-taking
I-pads or laptops used for enrichment students to learn more about Bill of Rights
2.1 Reflection on Planning

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This lesson was a lot of fun, but a lot of work to plan. It was really difficult to decide how
to approach teaching this lesson because there was so much to cover.
I decided to make the main focus of my lesson about rights and responsibilities as general
concepts. Using knowledge of scope and sequence, I know that rights and responsibilities
of citizens are concepts that will be built upon in years to come. Rather than focusing on
each of the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, I instead zoomed out a bit and talked
about rights and responsibilities as they currently apply to students. In order to satisfy the
need to include how they relate to American government, I used the lecture and notetaking time to cover the basics that they would need to understand. I pointed my activities
more toward application of the broader concepts of rights and responsibilities and I think
it worked well.
I am finding that creating a social studies lesson plan is distinctly different from any other
type of lesson plan because there is very specific content that must be covered. At first it
did not feel like there was much room for creativity which made me feel very stuck as far
as how I was going to make a lesson plan rather than just lecturing.
-YOU DO NOT NEED TO INCLUDE, IT IS JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION Lesson Plan Elements
Lesson Plan Details
Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography. PA Common
Core (Language Arts and/or Math), NCSS
Anticipatory Set
Procedures
Differentiation
Closure
Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Materials/Equipment, Resources, Citation of Sources
Technology
Reflection on Planning
Submitted peer feedback and final on time
Content Outline
Total

Point Value
Total /30
/2
/2
/2
/2
/4
/2
/2
/2
/4
/2
/3
/1
/2

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APPENDIX A: Content Outline

b. Core Lesson 2: Rights and Responsibilities
i. Skill and Strategy: Compare and Contrast
ii. Background: Many Constitutions
1. Rights contained in Bill of Rights
2. Written in 1789
3. Contains first 10 amendments
4. Many countries base their bill of rights off of US
Constitution Bill of Rights
iii. Knowing About Rights
Right: a freedom
United States Citizens have many rights.
Some stated in Bill of Rights
o In Constitution
o Constitution explains our government
1. What Are the Rights of Citizens?
a. Freedom of religion: practice any religion, or none
at all
b. Freedom of assembly: can meet whenever and
protest unfair laws
c. Freedom to own property
Citizens are free to do these things, among others, as
long as they obey the law.
What rights do I have?
o Bill of Rights and Your Rights as a Child
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769450.html

iv. Knowing our Responsibilities

Rights come with responsibilities
Responsibility: something you should do for the
common good
Every person has responsibilities.
o Respect others property (taking would interfere
with their right to own it)
o Voting
Kids can cast their pretend vote here
http://pbskids.org/democracy/vote/

o Obeying the law

Laws explain our responsibilities
o If unfair, responsibility to change
1. Voting is a Right and a Responsibility
a. Serve in military or on jury
b. Vote: make an official choice

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i. Learn about issues in community

ii. Vote on voting day
iii. No vote, opinion may not count
c. Every adult citizen has right to vote
i. choose leaders
ii. change laws
v. Leveled Practice
1. Extra Support
a. Discuss classroom rights and responsibilities, make
a T-chart
2. Challenge
a. Research years when African American men,
women, and 18-year olds were given the right to
vote in the US. Make timeline
3. ELL
a. Design logo/symbol to illustrate a freedom/right
i. Speech
ii. Religion
iii. Assembly
iv. Right to vote
v. Right to own property
vi. Right to trial by jury

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