STUDENT MATERIALS
How do citizens solve problems democratically?
“Democracy in Quotes”
In this activity, you will read a list of quotes about democracy from a variety of sources and choose the one that best describes your own personal understanding of what democracy is.
“Exploring Democratic Principles”
In this activity, you will compare the class definition of democracy to a list of democratic principles created by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe.
List of democratic principles (Civil Liberties Union for Europe)
“Ranking Democratic Principles”
In this activity, you will take a survey about democratic principles. Then, you will compare the class survey to a similar survey conducted by Pew Research.
Ranking democratic principles survey
“American Interpretations of Democracy”
In this activity, you will explore the nature and evolution of America’s democracy by interacting with a number of different sources. You may choose source packets to complete at your own pace.
- Source 1: Presidential Thoughts on Democracy
- Source 2: Timeline of American Democracy
- Source 3: The Origins of Democracy
- Source 4: Ranking Democracies
- Source 5: Democracy and Social Media
- Source 6: A Case of Democratic Failure
- Source 7: A Case of Democratic Success
“Democratic Principles – A Deeper Dive”
In this activity, you will interact with primary sources to discover why a particular democratic principle facilitates and supports democracy. You will choose a democratic principle, and then fill out the corresponding packet.
“School Civics Scenarios”
In this activity, you will begin to explore democratic solutions by analyzing a school-related scenario. You will read and analyze a story prompt that takes place in a school setting.
“Practicing Democratic Skills”
In this activity, you will practice skills that will help you make democratic decisions. You will be assigned a specific democratic skill to focus on, and you will complete an activity that will help you practice that skill.
“Addressing the Challenges of Democracy”
In this activity, you will reflect on the challenges of democracy – obstacles you will have to face as democratic problem-solvers. As part of this activity, you will read what some of the Founding Fathers had to say about the challenges of democracy.
Worth Fighting For?”
In this activity, you will read opinion pieces that argue why democracy is worth fighting for, despite its flaws.
- George W. Bush Institute – Interview with Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
- Pew Research Study – Globally, Broad Support for Representative and Direct Democracy
- The Wilson Quarterly (Winter 2013) – Africa’s Long Spring
- MIT Study – Democracy Fosters Economic Growth
- Democratic Audit – Why Defend Democracy? Because the Job of Pursuing Justice Belongs to Everybody