Introduction
Did you even think about why we have rules? The best answer to that is to think of a world without rules. But how many rules do we need and who should decide what these rules are? What makes a good rule and what rules are.....um not so good?
Students will tell you that the goal of school rules this year assure safety and to help students develop important skills. These are the things that we ALL want, but if we don't have rules which we all accept, those things don't happen.
Procedure
We will start by reading about a town where there are few rules. Mark Twain's "Roughing it" is a good story about life in the "wild" west and we will read an excerpt from this in order for students to see what can happen if rules are not in place. We will look at a more modern piece which discusses how a rule helped women to become better at sports.
We want students to be able to critically evaluate a rule vis-a-vis the goal it is designed to achieve.
We will follow this discussion with the questions "when is it ok NOT to follow a rule?" From here, we will introduce the experiments of Stanley Milgrim in his study of "Obedience." Students will view the film and examine the purpose and results while being given the opportunity to reflect on how these experiments provide a window into the human psyche.
Resources
Handouts and Readings:
Specific Objectives
At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to:
Evaluation
There will be a brief quiz after the readings are assigned. A quiz will be given to assess the student's understanding of authority and what makes a good rule
State Standards included:
CIVICS STANDARD ONE: 6-8a: Students will understand that governments have the power to make and enforce laws and regulations, levy taxes, conduct foreign policy, and make war.
CIVICS STANDARD TWO 6-8a: Students will understand that civil rights secure political freedom while property rights secure economic freedom and that both are essential protections for United States citizens
Did you even think about why we have rules? The best answer to that is to think of a world without rules. But how many rules do we need and who should decide what these rules are? What makes a good rule and what rules are.....um not so good?
Students will tell you that the goal of school rules this year assure safety and to help students develop important skills. These are the things that we ALL want, but if we don't have rules which we all accept, those things don't happen.
Procedure
We will start by reading about a town where there are few rules. Mark Twain's "Roughing it" is a good story about life in the "wild" west and we will read an excerpt from this in order for students to see what can happen if rules are not in place. We will look at a more modern piece which discusses how a rule helped women to become better at sports.
We want students to be able to critically evaluate a rule vis-a-vis the goal it is designed to achieve.
We will follow this discussion with the questions "when is it ok NOT to follow a rule?" From here, we will introduce the experiments of Stanley Milgrim in his study of "Obedience." Students will view the film and examine the purpose and results while being given the opportunity to reflect on how these experiments provide a window into the human psyche.
Resources
Handouts and Readings:
- "Roughing It" by Mark Twain < >A Problem at Pacific Central High (author unknown)The Milgram Experiment
- Power point: Law and Order
Specific Objectives
At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to:
- describe what society would look like without rules
- give examples of how authority:
- can provide order and security
- can manage conflict peacefully and fairly
- protect important rights and freedoms
- insure that benefits and burdens will be distributed fairly
- describe the characteristics of an effective rule or law (e.g., achieves purpose, clear, fair, protects rights and the common good).
- evaluate sample school rules
- discuss the results of the Milgram experiments and conclusions about obedience to authority
- examine historical examples of Milgrim's results
Evaluation
There will be a brief quiz after the readings are assigned. A quiz will be given to assess the student's understanding of authority and what makes a good rule
State Standards included:
CIVICS STANDARD ONE: 6-8a: Students will understand that governments have the power to make and enforce laws and regulations, levy taxes, conduct foreign policy, and make war.
CIVICS STANDARD TWO 6-8a: Students will understand that civil rights secure political freedom while property rights secure economic freedom and that both are essential protections for United States citizens