Full Lesson

1. Greet students upon entry to the classroom and welcome them to Social Studies. 
2. Display a series of images that showcase citizens participating in their democracy (Ex: voting, volunteering, jury duty, poll worker, running for office, etc).
3. Ask students to observe images and identify the actions taking place.
4. Encourage students to brainstorm & share ways people participate in their democracy. 
5. Teachers may choose to create an anchor chart or encourage the class to create a word cloud together.

UDL

• Ensure visual images include long descriptions/alternative text, as needed.
• Ensure images feature a diverse representation reflective of the American population.
• Allow sufficient wait time for students to formulate answers.
• Consider allowing students think-pair-share time to formulate answers.

ELL

• Long descriptions and alternative texts could be translated or provided as audio files, as needed.

1. Tell students that we are beginning a new inquiry lesson today that will cover topics on voting and our democracy.
2. Display and introduce the compelling question “Should every citizen be required to participate in our democracy?” Why or why not? 
3. Ask students to declare their stance on this question using a brainstorming tool. Answers could be collected via Jamboard, Pear Deck, hand-written sticky notes, mind mapping or other brainstorming tool.
4. Allow time to share several responses.
5. Tell students that you will revisit this question at the end of the inquiry lesson.
6. Save the student answers for this activity so you may revisit at the end of inquiry.

UDL

• Ask a student to rephrase the supporting question for the class.
• Teacher may wish to model how to investigate and analyze Station 1 and expectations for how to complete the puzzle.
• Utilize closed captioning when viewing videos or access the Show Transcript feature (when viewing through YouTube platform), if needed. 
• Consider allowing students to utilize a speak-to-type feature to record their answers on the graphic organizer.
• Utilize a text reader function, when needed.

ELL

• Spanish translation copy has been provided for several of the written resources. 
• Explore subtitle options to change language when viewing videos through YouTube.

Extension

• Students can create an advertisement for either argument.

1. Return class to full group format.
2. Congratulate the young scholars on conducting today’s investigation.
3. Distribute Cast Your Ballot to serve as the formative assessment.
4. Preview the document together to ensure students understand the purpose and expectations. Allow time for students to complete the ballot independently.
5. After completing the ballot, ask students if their responses to this question changed since the introduction of this lesson.

1. Using the To Vote or Not To Vote slide deck, display slide 2 to serve as your motivation & activation activity.
2. Read the slide and the Lincoln quote aloud or ask for class volunteers.
3. Encourage students to make a prediction about Lincoln’s quote and how it relates to citizen participation and voting. Students may use the Pear Deck feature to record their predictions.
4. After allowing appropriate time for students to answer, seek out a few willing volunteers to share their predictions.
5. Remind students how this quote connects to ‘consent of governed’ as spelled out in our founding documents.

• Answers could alternatively be collected via Jamboard, hand-written sticky notes, or anchor chart.

ELL

• Translate Lincoln’s quote into languages needed. 
• Define and provide examples of consent of the governed.

• Display slide 3 of To Vote or Not To Vote slide deck to introduce today’s supporting question, “Should voting be compulsory in the United States?”
• Tell students before we unpack that question, we will take a moment to get a better idea about citizen participation.
• Display slide 4 and have students read in groups or by themselves. As they read  Should Citizens Participate?, they should note and/or discuss with their partner/ group, how they would define citizen participation..
• As an alternate, as a whole class, conduct a choral or popcorn reading of Should Citizens Participate?. 
• Tell students that free and fair elections are important to a democracy. Elections make sure that the voices of citizens are heard. They also ensure that the government is actually formed “by the people.”
• Allow time for student questions.

1. Follow up to tell students that while voting is one way citizens can participate, not all citizens turn out to vote.
2. Display slide 5 and define voter turnout.
3. Display slide 6 and encourage students to make another prediction. This time students will indicate if they think voter turn is a problem in the U.S. using Pear Deck.
4. Display slide 7 to better explain voter turnout and solicit possible solutions. Pause to allow for a brief class discussion to answer the question of what are some solutions to the voter turnout problem?
5. Display slide 8 to solicit possible definitions for the word compulsory. Provide students with our class definition that compulsory means required by law.
6. Display slide 9 to discuss with students what is compulsory in their lives such as obeying the law, wearing a helmet while cycling, attending school and wearing a seat belt. Adults have other things in their lives that are compulsory such as paying taxes and serving on jury duty.

UDL

• Ask a student to rephrase the definition of voter turnout and compulsory for the class.
• Answers to prediction activity could alternatively be collected via Jamboard, hand-written sticky notes, or thumbs up/thumbs down.

ELL

• Provide definitions translated into languages needed.

UDL

• Ask a student to rephrase the supporting question for the class.
• Teacher may wish to model how to investigate and analyze Exhibit 1 (slide 12) and expectations for how to complete the T-chart.
• Utilize closed captioning when viewing videos or access the Show Transcript feature (when viewing through YouTube platform), if needed. 
• Consider allowing students to utilize a speak-to-type feature to record their answers on the graphic organizer.
• Utilize a text reader function, when needed.
• Allow students to annotate the for Exhibit 4 & Exhibit 5 (slides 16 & 17), if needed.

ELL

• Explore subtitle options to change language when viewing videos through YouTube.
• A Spanish language translated copy of the reading for Exhibit 4 & Exhibit 5 have been provided.

Extension

• Slide 18 can be used as an extension activity, should time allow.

1. Return students to full group format.
2. Tell students that they can now consider themselves young scholars on this topic! Let students know that their opinion matters!
3. Display slide 19 and allow the questions to guide a brief discussion which gives students an opportunity to share their findings.
4. Display slide 20 and explain to students that they will create a tweet in order to share their stance on the supporting question.
5. Consider displaying tweets in a gallery walk or allow students to share their opinions.

UDL

• Use slide 21 to provide hard copies of the Freedom of Tweet formative assessment activity.
• Alternatively, students could submit audio, video or multimedia responses for the Freedom of Tweet formative assessment.
• Consider allowing students to utilize a speak-to-type feature to record their answers on the tweet.

1. Ask students to share ways citizens can participate in their government.
2. Ask students what might stop citizens from participating in their government.
3. Students may use the 3 Up 3 Down organizer to record their thoughts.

UDL

• Answers could alternatively be collected via Jamboard, hand-written sticky notes, mind mapping, anchor chart or other brainstorming tool.
• Allow sufficient wait time for students to formulate answers.
• Consider allowing students think-pair-share time to formulate answers.

1. Display today’s supporting question, “Are voter registration and the act of voting accessible to all?”
2. Ask students to share their initial responses to this question including any evidence they are aware of, news they have read or heard, or questions they have.

1. Remind students of the evidence from one of our Day 2 exhibits regarding voter turnout. In 2020, 66.8% of eligible voters turned out to vote, while 33.2% of eligible voters did not cast a ballot.
2. Ask students to make predictions about why they think people do not turn out to vote.
3. Gather student responses on anchor chart.
4. If not mentioned, introduce the concept of voter suppression and share the accepted definition for this inquiry. Voter suppression is a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting.

UDL

• Answers could alternatively be collected via Jamboard, hand-written sticky notes, mind mapping, anchor chart or other brainstorming tool.
• Allow sufficient wait time for students to formulate answers.
• Consider allowing students think-pair-share time to formulate answers.
• Break down and define terms, as needed.

UDL

• Consider allowing students to utilize a speak-to-type feature to record their answers on the graphic organizer.
• Utilize a text reader function, when needed.

ELL

• Spanish translation copy has been provided for several of the written resources.

1. Students will answer today’s supporting question, “Are voter registration and the act of voting accessible to all?” by creating a short video essay.
2. Remind students to provide evidence to support their claim.

UDL

• Alternatively, students could submit audio, written or multimedia responses for the formative assessment.
• Teacher may provide an example of an acceptable TikTok (or similar) video essay for students to model.

1. As a motivation for the summative assessment, display One Last Thought slide featuring Rep. John Lewis. Use this to facilitate a class discussion about citizen participation and voting.
2. Return to our compelling question: Should every citizen be required to participate in our democracy? Why or why not?
3. Share the anchor chart created at the introduction of the inquiry.
4. Take a moment to review students’ initial responses to this question.
5. Tell the young scholars that they have become real experts on the issues surrounding voting and citizen participation.
6. In order to answer the compelling question, students will create a Top 5 infographic that illustrates the reasons citizens should or should not be required to participate in our democracy.
7. Display infographics for a gallery walk.
8. Consider utilizing the Inquiry Reflection Tool as a means of student self-reflection.

UDL

• Alternatively, students could submit audio, video or illustrated responses for the summative assessment.

• Teacher may revisit the citizens participation images from the opening of the inquiry or share the Benefits of Voting station from Day 1 to spur students in developing their top 5 reasons.

• Teacher may provide examples of acceptable infographics for students to model.