Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

generationOn

Home / Teachers / Civic Virtue in Modern American Democracy / Ask the Experts—What Do Contemporary Surveys
Tell Us About Americans and Civic Virtue?

Ask the Experts—What Do Contemporary Surveys
Tell Us About Americans and Civic Virtue?

Lesson 4:

From Unit Civic Virtue in Modern American Democracy

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ELA:	Bowling Alone; Analyze/Interpret; Debate; Persuasive Techniques; Reflection; Research; Response to Text/Others; Thesis; Universal Themes; Writing Process
PHIL:	Advocacy; Fact/Opinion; Need; Problem Solving
SOC:	10 genOn; Analyze/Interpret; Citizenship/Civic Engagement; Civic Responsibility/Virtue; Common Good; Compare/Contrast; Declaration of Independence; Good Character; Ideals/Reality; Inquiry; Personal Virtue

Purpose:

Students will learn to identify factual information from objective sources and to use that information to support their own points of view and refute the arguments of an opposing point of view.

Duration:

One Forty-Five Minute Class Period

Objectives:

The learner will:

identify at least three facts that could support an argument from an article on one side of an issue.

identify at least three facts that could support a contrasting argument from a second article on the opposite side of the same issue.

support a conclusion with at least two examples that are supported by factual evidence from an expert source.

clearly and accurately state an opposing argument.

formulate a logical response to an opposing argument.

Materials:

Summary of Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam (see Attachment One from Lesson Three: The Great Debate)
AARP Survey on Civic Involvement (see Attachment Two from Lesson Three: The Great Debate)
Student copies of Attachment One: Final Essay on Civic Virtue and Attachment Two: Holistic Scoring Guide for Civic Writing

Handout 1: Student Handout: Final Essay On Civic Virtue
Handout 2: Holistic Scoring Guide for Civic Writing

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:
Ask students if they have ever bowled, and then, if they have ever bowled alone.

Beginning with the Bowling Alone article (see Attachment One, Lesson Three: The Great Debate), ask students to cite the article's facts that support the viewpoint that most of today's Americans do not have civic virtue. Those facts should include at least some of the following:

statistics on lower voter turnout in elections

facts on reduced attendance at political events such as town meetings and political rallies

increase in percentage of Americans who "do not trust" the government

reduction in participation in social and religious groups

reduction in participation in school functions

reduction in union membership

reduction in membership and participation in civic and fraternal organizations

Next discuss the conflicting information provided in AARP Study of Civic Involvement (see Attachment Two, Lesson Three: The Great Debate). Some of those facts would include:

involvement at the local level: "98% of those surveyed reported being involved in at least one activity that connects them with people outside their household."

average respondent has more than four memberships...

high percentage of respondents involved in "some type of religious organization"

high percentage who feel attachment to community

1/3 reported working with others to solve problems

belief that they can solve local problems by working with others.

"53% volunteer their time"

more than 50% reported involvement in activities that involved working outside the home and with others.

Ask students whether either of the articles caused them to change their opinions, guiding discussion.

At the end of the discussion, assign the following writing topic assignment: (see Attachment One: Student Handout: Final Essay On Civic Virtue for student handout and rubric)

Rewrite the essay on whether or not citizens of the United States have enduring civic virtue as follows:

Define civic virtue.

Take a clear position on one side or the other of the question: "Do most Americans today have enduring civic virtue?"

Give at least two arguments to support your position using the information from the articles that you read last night.

Clearly state an argument that might be made by a person on the other side of the issue.

Refute that argument.

Assessment:

A modified rubric is provided from the persuasive civic writing portion of the Social Studies MEAP and would be appropriate for this assignment (see Attachment Two: Holistic Scoring Guide for Civic Writing).

Lesson Developed By:

Kathleen Ling
Mt. Pleasant Public Schools
Mt. Pleasant High School
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

Student Handout: Final Essay On Civic Virtue

Overview: You are going to rewrite your one-page essay detailing your ideas on whether or not most Americans today have civic enduring virtue.

The essay will have five paragraphs:

1. In the first paragraph, define civic virtue using at least five words or phrases that describe the characteristics of a person with civic virtue.

2. The second paragraph will be two sentences:

Sentence one:
Either: In my opinion, most Americans today have enduring civic virtue
Or: In my opinion, most Americans today do not have enduring civic virtue.
Sentence two:
Either: I have maintained my original opinion from the first essay.
Or: This opinion differs from my first essay.

3. The third paragraph will have a specific example to support your opinion.

4. The fourth paragraph will have another specific example to support your opinion.

Note: Both examples need to be specific and supported with at least one fact. At least one of the examples must be supported with facts or opinions taken from an outside source. You may use facts or statistics from the two articles we read in class, or you may use information that you have discovered or researched on your own. If you use your own information, you must properly cite the source in your essay.

5. The fifth paragraph must clearly and accurately state an argument used by students whose opinion differed from the one you currently hold. You must then write a response (rebuttal) to that argument.

The final draft with the rough draft attached is worth 25 points.
The rough draft is worth 10 points and the final draft is worth 15 points
(3 points for each of the five paragraphs written according to the above directions.)

Handout 2Print Handout 2

Holistic Scoring Guide for Civic Writing

POINTS	DESCRIPTION
4	In Order To Receive A 4–Point Score, The Response Must:
	Provide one (or more) piece(s) of accurate, valid, and relevant supporting information from the text or other materials.
	Provide one (or more) piece(s) of accurate, valid, and relevant supporting knowledge from history, geography, civics, or economics that comes from the student's prior knowledge (information other than that supplied by the Data Section of the HSPT or a Core Democratic Value of American constitutional democracy).
	Give a clearly stated position on the issue.
	Provide at least one supporting point that is based on the Core Democratic Values of American constitutional democracy.
	Provide one reason that acknowledges an opposing viewpoint and refutes that position on the issue
3	In Order To Receive A 3-Point Score, The Response Must:
	Give a clearly stated position on the issue
	Provide at least one supporting point that is based on the Core Democratic Values of American constitutional democracy.
	Contain at least two of the remaining elements
2	In Order To Receive A 2-Point Score, The Response Must:
	Give a clearly stated position on the issue.
	Contain one or two of the remaining four elements.
1	In Order To Receive A 1-Point Score, The Response Must:
1	Give a clearly stated position on the issue.
0	Response Shows No Evidence Of Any Elements, Or No Clearly Stated Position Is Found.
The Michigan Department of Education supplied this document as a scoring example for the HSPT test.

Note: The supporting points used by the student must be explained in enough detail to show a clear connection to the position taken in order to receive credit.