Students will take part in a lesson where they are shown pictures of certain leaders. When the students see the picture they will be asked to describe the person and any characteristics they can make out about that person. This will become a segue to the root of the systems we will be discussing: Democratic, Totalitarian, Monarchic and their impacts.
This will allow students a way to associate a face with a place or in this case a governmental system/economic system. This will also help students understand how these people got into power in the first place by discussing this in the lesson.
- Be able to tell the differences between governmental systems (democratic, totalitarian, monarchic)
- Be able to place a face with a type of governmental system and learn why that face is associated with a type of government.
- Be able to see present day leaders of/leaders of past governmental systems and where these governments are located.
- DESE-GLE-Concept B - Compare and contrast governmental systems, current and historical, including those that are democratic, totalitarian, monarchic and describe their impact.
- Show-Me Standards- 3.) Principles and processes of governance systems. 4.) Economic concepts (including productivity and the market system) and principles (including the laws of supply and demand)
Kansas Standards
Benchmark 5: The student understands various systems of governments and how nations and international organizations interact.
1. (A) compares various governmental systems with that of the United States government in terms of sovereignty, structure, function, decision-making processes, citizenship roles, and political culture and ideology (e.g., systems: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, dictatorship, totalitarianism; ideology: fascism, socialism, communism).
Benchmark 5: The student engages in historical thinking skills.
1. (A) analyzes a theme in United States history to explain patterns of continuity and change over time.
2. (A) develops historical questions on a specific topic in United States history and analyzes the evidence in primary source documents to speculate on the answers.
3. (A) uses primary and secondary sources about an event in U.S. history to develop a credible interpretation of the event, evaluating on its meaning (e.g., uses provided primary and secondary sources to interpret a historical-based conclusion).
- After presentation show DVD Comparative Governments by Schlessinger. DVD will enrich lesson by talking about many governments throughout history.
- Photos of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, FDR, Truman, Kings/Queens, and others shown in a slideshow in Powerpoint and textbook.
Internet Access
Power Point-Projector and Screen
DVD Player and TV
Students will receive a page with reaction areas to write about the pictures of world leaders/governmental systems/economic systems (ex-Hitler, Roosevelt, King/Queen). Students will then be shown a Powerpoint with slides (including photos, etc.) of the leaders. This is to help put a face with a governmental system. As a slide is shown students will react to the photo and information provided. After all photos/information is given and students respond, a wrap up of the leaders and their system will be provided.
Students will be quizzed and tested on types of governmental systems and they will be given a participation grade for their reaction papers to the slideshow. This will hopefully allow students to learn why we fear certain types of governments because of the history we have learned from them.
Example of reaction paper
What’s in a picture? A governmental system!
- Slide/Picture 1 - Who do you think this is?
What characteristics in the picture stand out?
Are there any other interesting aspects shown in the picture?
- Slide/Picture 2 - Who do you think this is?
What characteristics in the picture stand out?
Are there any other interesting aspects shown in the picture?
- Slide/Picture 3 - etc., etc.