Government

Name: Kendra Keegan & Danielle Walter		Grade Level: 6th Grade
Lesson Topic: Different Forms of Governments	

Standards:
Government: Systems of Government
4. Describe the defining characteristics of democracies, monarchies and dictatorships.

Lesson Summary: 
This lesson is to be used as an introduction to the different types of governments around the world. The students will write what the know about different governments. Discuss and watch a video on the different types of governments. Then change what they thought they knew so it is correct and add to the list of what they know.

Objectives:
1. The student will be able to define what a democracy is.
2. The student will be able to define what a monarchy is.
3. The student will be able to define what a dictatorship is.

Materials:

Definitions: Types of Government
http://depts.alverno.edu/dgp/GEC/Types%20of%20Government.html

Governments can be classified into several types. Some of the more common types of governments are:

1. Democracy
The word "democracy" literally means "rule by the people." In a democracy, the people govern.

2. Republic
A literal democracy is impossible in a political system containing more than a few people. All "democracies" are really republics. In a republic, the people elect representatives to make and enforce laws.

3. Monarchy
A monarchy consists of rule by a king or queen. Sometimes a king is called an "emperor," especially if there is a large empire, such as China before 1911. There are no large monarchies today. The United Kingdom, which has a queen, is really a republic because the queen has virtually no political power.

4. Aristocracy
An aristocracy is rule by the aristocrats. Aristocrats are typically wealthy, educated people. Many monarchies have really been ruled by aristocrats. Today, typically, the term "aristocracy" is used negatively to accuse a republic of being dominated by rich people, such as saying, "The United States has become an aristocracy."

5. Dictatorship
A dictatorship consists of rule by one person or a group of people. Very few dictators admit they are dictators; they almost always claim to be leaders of democracies. The dictator may be one person, such as Castro in Cuba or Hitler in Germany, or a group of people, such as the Communist Party in China.

6. Democratic Republic
Usually, a "democratic republic" is not democratic and is not a republic. A government that officially calls itself a "democratic republic" is usually a dictatorship. Communist dictatorships have been especially prone to use this term. For example, the official name of North Vietnam was "The Democratic Republic of Vietnam." China uses a variant, "The People's Republic of China."

Movie Clip: Types of Government, Explained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4r0VUybeXY&feature=related

Procedure:

	1. Students are given a list of definitions of the different types of 
	governments. As a class we read through and discuss what they may 
	already know about the different forms of government. 10 mins.

	2. Introduce the central question about the video they are going to watch. 
	What is the films argument and how did it compare/contrast democracies, 
	monarchies and dictatorships?
	
	3. Watch a video entitled, Types of Government, Explained. While 
	watching the video, students will right down information they hear about 
	the forms of government, particularly, democracies, monarchies and 
	dictatorships. 15 mins.
	
	4. After the video students will break in small groups to discuss the video 	and answer the central question. What is the films argument and how did it 	compare/contrast democracies, monarchies and dictatorships? 10 mins.

	5. Join back in whole group and have them share their ideas. Then go 
	back to the original list they have already made about what they know and 
	add to it and correct what they now know. This can be written on the 
	board. Have students make a list together. 10 mins.

Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their participation within the small and large group discussion. 
Homework: Students will define the different forms of government: democracy, monarchy and dictatorship in their own words.