Classroom Activities
Background for Quarter 1
Teacher uses KWL on democracy using Greeks, English law and deTocqueville and Federalists and anti-Federalists. Students spend three to four of the earliest weeks of school on the foundations of American democracy and the following aspects: populary sovereignty, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances and representative government using text and excerpts from Magna Carta, Federalist Papers, The Iroquois Constitution, de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
1. To get into the cross-cutting analysis of government and economics, teacher will distribute a blank graphic organizer and ask students to research and fill in examples.
Grid A: Elements of Political and Economic Power
| Elements of Political Power | Elements of Economic power |
| Voters | Consumers |
| Policies | Goods and services |
| Votes | Profits |
| Parties | Firms |
2. Students use textbook and Internet websites to determine a comparative analysis of the governments of New Mexico, Pojoaque Pueblo and city of Santa Fe…see Grid B (see Appendix).
3. Students will make maps of water, oil, gas and natural resources natural resources of New Mexico.
4. Socratic seminars are led on the 'lens of analysis' and values. "What decisions are being made in Santa Fe and New Mexico, right here and right now, which effect my community and school?" "Who is making those decisions? How did they get to a position of making them?" What values do the key players have?" and, "How can I, as a participant in these processes, contribute to the overall outcome for my own benefit and the benefit of others?"
5. Students read Schmidly article on "Citizen Legislature," and debate legislative roles.
6. Teacher provides the three examples of cross cutting issues of democracy and distribution using New Mexico's Film Industry, Pojoaque's resort and Santa Fe's education strategy.
7. Students diagram in Groups: "How a Bill becomes Law in New Mexico" "How does a decision gets made in the Pueblo", "How do City Councils and Mayors make laws?"
8. Students choose to attend public debates and/or develop questions for visit.
9. Students prepare for the field trip: permissions, discussions, asking questions and behavior management
- Visit to the New Mexico Governor's office and the Roundhouse (NM Legislature) and the Pueblo of Pojoaque
- Make visit to the NM Film office
- Santa Fe Mayor discussion
- Debrief on behavior and lessons learned.
- Write thank you letters
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