TITLE: Comparing Democracy and Republic
AUTHOR: Rita S. Cavin, Chickasha Intermediate School,
Chickasha, OK
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 6-8; social studies
OVERVIEW: The republic of Rome and the democracy of Athens
provide a good basis for comparison of these two government
types which have influenced our own government.
PURPOSE: To use a graphic organizer to contrast two types
of government.
OBJECTIVE(s):
1. Students will work in cooperative groups using skills
of leadership, consensus building, and teamwork.
2. Students will list facts about two government types.
3. Students will organize these facts in a table to show
comparisons (T-chart).
4. Students will present their group's T-chart and explain
and defend their choices.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS: "The World Yesterday and Today", 1990,
Silver, Burdett and Ginn. pp. 84-85 and pp. 103-104. Or any
other source which discusses the characteristics of Rome's
republic and Athen's democracy.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
Students should be familiar with the use of the T-chart
organizer and with the process of group work. We used
groups of three students. Teacher-chosen heterogeneous
groups work best. Each group member has an assigned role to
perform. For example: Leader - gets group moving toward
task and keeps it on task; Encourager - watches for
involvement by all members and helps keep an accepting
atmosphere toward each member and their ideas; Supplier -
gets materials for the group and may request teacher's
attention for problems the group cannot solve.
After a class discussion of the two governments,
students are assigned to groups. The group task is to read
for facts and organize these facts into a comparison chart.
After reaching consensus on all points to be included, the
group will produce a visual (overhead transparency or
poster) containing the group's T-chart. A requirement I
include is that each member must do part of the actual
writing on the final product. We usually take two class
times to complete this portion.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: During the third class time, the
groups present their work to the rest of the class,
explaining and defending their entries on the chart with
reasons for choices. The class is asked to look for proper
form of each organizer and sound reasoning behind choices.
Praises for good points are given and suggestions for
improvement are allowed. Often the group members observe
things they would do differently after their sharing time.
I ask students for feedback after all group activities.
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