Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Comparative Governments Democracy v. Communism

Name: Taylor Fee

Content Area: American Democracy

Grade Level: 12th

CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

CA History-Social Science Content Standard 12.9: Students analyze the origins, characteristics, and development of different political systems across time, with
emphasis on the quest for political democracy, its advances, and its obstacles.
CA History-Social Science Content Standard 12.9.1: Explain how the different philosophies and structures of feudalism, mercantilism, fascism, communism,
monarchies, parliamentary systems, and constitutional liberal democracies influence economic policies, social welfare policies, and human rights practices.
CA History-Social Science Content Standard 12.9.2: Compare the various ways in which power is distributed, shared, and limited in systems of shared powers and
in parliamentary systems, including the influence and role of parliamentary leaders (e.g., William Gladstone, Margaret Thatcher).
CA Common Core Standards RH.12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g. visually,
quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CA Common Core Standard RH.12.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event,
noting discrepancies among sources.
CA Common Core Standard WHST.12.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or
solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject
under investigation.
Big Ideas:
Different political philosophies affect governments, economies, policies, civil and political rights, and human rights practices in different ways.
Dictatorships (Totalitarian governments) are the antithesis of democracy and systematically deny the rights of their citizens.
Democratic governments, in general, guarantee more rights to their citizens than totalitarian or communist governments.
Communism is not as effective at guaranteeing citizens' rights as is democracy.
Unit Goals and Objectives:
Goals:
1. Students will learn about democracy and its various forms, including the benefits that democracy holds for its citizens.
2. Students will analyze various forms of government in countries around the world (democratic and non-democratic) and how the political philosophies in
those countries affect citizens rights.

3.

Students will evaluate the geopolitical context of how and why dictatorships come to power, focusing on communism and Stalinist Russia as an example.

Objectives:
1. Working independently and then in small groups, students will define at least one form of democracy orally and in writing.
2. Students will be able to identify and analyze the effects of at least one form/philosophy of government on civil, political, and economic liberties while
working in small groups.
3. Working with a partner, students will be able to interpret and present to the class at least one reason for the consolidation of Communism in Russia/The
Soviet Union.
Unit Summary:
This unit is a comparison of democracy and other non-democratic forms of government, specifically communism. During this unit, students will learn about
democracy and be able to identify its various types, including presidential and parliamentary systems. Students will research and interpret various political
philosophies and the effects those philosophies have on rights and freedoms in any given country. After a deep analysis of forms of governments, students will
focus more intently on communism and the rise to power of the communist regime in Russia/The Soviet Union. Students will identify the causes of the
communist regimes rise to power and compare various strategies used by these regimes to stay in power (e.g. propaganda). The unit will conclude with a
discussion of the comparison between communist regimes and democratic governments.

Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level:
Quick-Write (Lesson 1) Student answers will
allow me to determine whether or not I need to
provide more background information on the
definition of democracy.

Formative:
Discussion Questions (Lesson 1) At varied points
during the teacher lecture students will respond to
discussion questions in an online forum. They must
reply to one another student. Through this activity I
will be able to check for understanding and clarify
any concepts if needed.
Exit Poll (Lesson 1) At the end of the first lesson,
students will be expected to answer a question that
is explicitly found in the teacher lecture. This is to
ensure that students have participated and that
they have comprehended the lecture.
Flashcards (Lesson 2) During Lesson 2, students
will complete a webercise and an infographic.
These flashcards serve as a way to check for
understanding, especially since they will have to
communicate and learn from one another. Based on
their responses to the flash card test, I will
determine if I need to re-teach any of the terms or
concepts.

Summative:
Digital Infographic (Lesson 2) This assessment is
graded individually. Each student will be required
to do their own infographic from their groups
country. Students will be graded based off of a
rubric to determine that the objective is being met.
Students should successfully identify and provide
analysis of their countrys government and
freedoms on their infographic.
Group Project Poster (Lesson 3) The
propaganda poster assessment is a group project
that will allow me to determine that the students
have mastered the concepts of Communism as it
relates to Russia/The Soviet Union.

Timeline (Lesson 3) This is a graphic organizer

that students will complete after viewing a number
of resources. Based on the completeness of the
timeline and the details that they provide for each
date, I will be able to determine their level of
reading comprehension and whether or not the
concepts need to be re-taught.
Lesson 1
Student Learning Objective:

Acceptable Evidence:

Working independently
and in small groups,
students will define at least
one form of democracy in
writing.

Class Participation in a
discussion of democracy
and its types. Informal
writing that shows each
student has grasped the
concepts.

Instructional Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:
Quick-Write Define the term democracy as it applies to your life.
For this activity, students will complete a digital quick-write in order to
activate their prior knowledge about the subject of democracy. Their
responses will allow me to assess the amount of background teaching that I
will need to do.
Teacher Lecture (Prezi) with Guided Notes
Students will go through the Prezi, answering guided notes as they watch
the videos and view the resources.
Discussion Questions - Elaborate on the definition of democracy that you
originally stated in your introductory quick-write; Based on your own
experience, do you believe that direct democracy is working in California?
Should we adopt the same process throughout the US?; Evaluate both types
of representative government and discuss which you believe is more
democratic. Give specific examples.
Students will be expected to answer these questions during the teacher
lecture and respond to at least one other student to get credit.
Exit Poll What is the definition of a representative democracy?
This assignment is used to check for understanding of the lecture concepts.

Lesson 2
Student Learning Objective:

Acceptable Evidence:

Students will be able to

identify and analyze at
least one form/philosophy
of government and its
effects on civil, political,
and economic liberties
while working in small
groups.

Research and analysis of a

form of government.
Evaluation of the
effectiveness of each form
of government in terms of
freedom as defined by civil,
political, and economic
liberties.

Instructional Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:
Webercise Group Project-forms of government.
The webercise will be modeled for students. They are expected to print out
the webercise document and answer the questions as they review all of the
resources provided. This is a group project and they should be able to work
through it with little help. When they have finished their webercise, each
individual student is expected to create a digital infographic of conditions
and form of government in their groups country. They will then post their
infographic. They are required to look at everyones infographic.

Quizlet Flash-Cards
These flashcards are both a study tool and an assessment tool. Students will
study the flashcards, play the scatter game, and take the test.
Digital Infographic
This infographic is the culminating project for the webercise. Students will
learn from their peers the forms of government that they did not study.

Lesson 3
Student Learning Objective:

Acceptable Evidence:

Working with a partner,

students will be able to
interpret and present to
the class at least one reason
for the rise of Communist
powers, specifically
Stalinist Russia.

Significant knowledge of a
communist government
and its rise to power.
Presentation to the class of
a way communist regimes
were able to come to power
e,g, a propaganda poster.

Instructional Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:
Graphic Organizer Timeline of Communism in Russia
This assignment uses a variety of resources: videos, primary, and secondary
sources. Students will be expected to review all of the sources and complete
the graphic organizer timeline.
Partner Poster Communist Propaganda
This assignment requires students to analyze a primary source document
from Lenin and Stalins governments and create a propaganda poster based
on that analysis. This is an assessment that will prove the students mastery
on the third objective.
Journal Democracy or Communism?
The last assignment that students will do is a journal reflection on whether
democracy or communism will better guarantee the rights of a countrys
citizens.

Unit Resources:
Teacher Lecture - "What is Democracy?" Prezi
Webercise sites - Freedom House; Amnesty International; Heritage Heat Map; and CIA World Factbook
Quizlet Flash-Cards - Forms of Government Quizlet
Graphic Organizer Resources - The Bolshevik Revolution Documentary; Stalin's Purges Video
All other resources can be found at my Digital Unit Plan Website

Useful Websites:
Quizzes on Democracy and Communism:
Fascist, Communist, or Democratic Quiz
Stalin's Rise to Power Quiz
Communist Countries Quiz

Data and Information on Different Forms of Government:

Pew Research on Democratic Values
Pew Research After the Berlin Wall
Library of Congress Archives
History.com on Stalin
Parliamentary Democracy Video
Make Mine Freedom Video
Forms of Government Video