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Name of Lesson: Grade Level: Subject: Prepared:
Governor Rell’s Budget: A Student’s View 9 Civics Palma Salcito
Overview and Purpose The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint students on how the legislative branch works directly with the Governor. They will first analyze and discuss Governor Jodi Rell’s budget plans. Students in a group will explore their positions on the budget and explore the positions held by their members of the general assembly. They will argue in groups if the budget should pass. They will illustrate their positions by writing a one-paragraph essay. Each member of the group will be assigned a certain task to ensure high-quality work. Objectives Students will know how to utilize primary source documents to evaluate multiple perspectives. In a group setting, students will know how to compare and contrast their representatives’ positions with their own views. Students will know how to use a graphic organizer to highlight and categorize their ideas to craft well thought-out written pieces.
Lesson Procedures Students will identify their State House members and State Senators in the Connecticut General Assembly. In a group setting, students will classify their representatives’ position on the budget using primary documents and handouts provided by the instructor. The student groups will present a one-paragraph argument why the general assembly should vote against or in favor of the state budget.
Assessment Based on Objectives
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The groups will be graded based on their written responses. The one-paragraph written essays should illustrate that the students understand the implications of their position. The essay should be well thought-out. Essentially, it should demonstrate a clear organization of ideas. The essays should show that the students supported their positions with direct evidence from their analysis and evaluation of the primary documents. The groups will be graded with a rubric that completely spells out the expectations for the lesson.