Foundations for American Democracy


Social Studies Middle School Foundations for American Democracy
Students explore the historical origins of democracy in ancient Greece and Rome. They consider the influence of democracy in the United States and France. Then they describe limited governments and explain the reasons for limiting governmental control. Finally, based on a Churchill quote, they explain whether democracy is the best form of government.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Foundations for American Democracy:

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Overview

In this experience, students explore the historical origins of democracy in ancient Greece and Rome. They consider the influence of democracy in the United States and France. Then they describe limited governments and explain the reasons for limiting governmental control. Finally, based on a Churchill quote, they explain whether democracy is the best form of government.

The student pack includes an excellent optional video: What Did Democracy Really Mean in Athens? 

Objectives:

  • Describe democratic principles from Greece and Rome that are part of the U.S. political process.
  • Compare the democracy of the United States with other governments.


You have probably heard the word democracy many times in your lifetime. But where did this form of government come from—and how has this form of government played a role in history? That’s what you’ll explore in this experience.

Objectives:

  • Describe democratic principles from Greece and Rome that are part of the U.S. political process.
  • Compare the democracy of the United States with other governments.


illustration of a person voting

What words or phrases do you think of when you hear the word democracy? To list more than one, separate the words with a comma, like this: telephone, television

Post your answer

As a class, see if you can come up with a definition or a list of features of a democracy.


Write your definition or features below.



Give students a few minutes to brainstorm without your input, and then discuss their definitions or lists. Tell students to keep those in mind as you explore the principles of democracy.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Foundations of History Unit.
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