American Government: Comparing Systems of Democracy
NAME ________________________
HOUR _____
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this assignment is for the student to understand the meaning, function, and differences between three types of democratic government; unitary, confederate, and federal. Understanding will be demonstrated by comparing and contrasting the three forms of government listed and then drawing conclusions based on the comprehension achieved through this process.
DIRECTIONS
Read the descriptions of each form of democratic government; unitary, confederate, and federal in the notes and answer the questions that follow on your own paper.
UNITARY
1. Define and explain how a unitary form of government functions.
2. What are the advantages of a unitary system?
3. What are the disadvantages of a unitary system?
CONFEDERATE
1. Define and explain how a confederate system of government functions.
2. What are the advantages of a confederate system?
3. What are the disadvantages of a confederate system?
FEDERAL
1. Define and explain how a federal form of government functions.
2. Explain how concurrent powers work.
3. What are the advantages of a federal system?
4. What are the disadvantages of a federal system?
CONCLUDING ESSAY
1. Explain in a paragraph form which of the three systems of government you
would most like to live under. You must include its advantages or selling
points which led you to choose this system over the others.
2. Explain in a paragraph form which of the three systems you would least like
to live under. You must include the disadvantages and features which caused
you to reject this form of government.
American Government: Comparing Systems of Democracy
Group One
NAME _____________________________
HOUR _______
DIRECTIONS
Refer to your notes from unit one that discuss the three forms of democratic government; unitary, confederate, and federal. With that information, your group will answer the following questions individually. Next, the group will reach a consensus, expressed through a vote, on answers to the same questions. Finally, the group will make a poster that argues for the adoption of the form of government they chose to adopt.
1. Explain and identify what each form of government has in
common.
2. Explain the major differences between each form of government.
3. Explain which system of government you believe will be the most
efficient and explain your use of the term efficient.
4. Would the most efficient form of government be the most likely to
promote and respect unity, individual liberty, and defend itself
from foreign threats? Explain why or why not.
5. Which system of government would you most want to live under?
Explain the rationale for your answer.
American Government: Comparing Systems of Democracy
Group Two
NAME ____________________________
HOUR _______
DIRECTIONS
Refer to your notes discussing the three systems of democratic government; unitary, confederate, and federal. Use this information to answer the following questions. Each student will answer these questions as individuals and then, through discussion, arrive at a group consensus answer for each question. Next, the group will draw up a poster that defends their conclusions. Finally, the group will present their poster to the class.
1. Identify which form of government would be most likely to
promote representative democracy and explain why.
2. Identify which system of government would be mostly likely to
protect individual liberties and explain why.
3. Identify which system of government would be mostly likely to
preserve unity among the states or regions and explain why.
4. Identify which form of government would be most successful in
protecting your country against foreign threats and explain why.
5. Explain which system of government you would most like to live
under and why.
American Government: Comparing Systems of Democracy
Group Three
NAME ___________________________
HOUR _____
DIRECTIONS
Working as a group, the students will choose one of the three forms of democracy; unitary, confederate, and federal, and draft a brief constitution that details how it will best promote and protect each of the following. Upon completion the group will transfer their constitution to a poster and present it to the class.
1. Representative democracy.
2. Determine qualifications for voting.
3. Determine what rights people should have and how they will be
protected.
4. Explain how their constitution will keep the country united.
5. Explain how they will protect rights and guard against external
threats.
Note: Each answer must fit within the context of the system of
democracy chosen. In other words, you may not choose a unitary
system and then draft a constitution that would be more suitable
to a confederate or federal system and vice versa.
SCORING GUIDE: COMPARING SYSTEMS OF DEMOCRACY
PART ONE
UNITARY SYSTEM
1. Each student will receive two points for identifying the following
characteristics:
a- based on representative democracy
b- a national system
c- a laws are uniform
d- all governments, regional, state, provincial, and local are
subordinate to and not autonomous from the national government
2. Students receive two points for including each of the following as part of their answer:
a- efficient
b- laws are uniform
c- provides unity
3. Students received two points for including each of the following as part of their answer:
a- no local autonomy
b- no allowance for deviations
c- less responsive to regional differences
TOTAL POINTS: 20
SCORING GUIDE: COMPARING SYSTEMS OF DEMOCRACY
PART ONE
CONFEDERATE SYSTEM
1. Students will receive two points for including the following
characteristics in their answer:
a- involves two or more independent states
b- the states join together to promote a common goal
c- each state retains its original sovereignty
d- the central government’s powers are limited
e- the central government is not a national government
2. Students receive two points for including each of the following as
part of their answer:
a- each state or region is autonomous
b- less threat to individual liberty from a national system
c- citizens can leave one region for another that better suits
their concept of democracy
3. Students receive two points for including each of the following as
part of their answer:
a- central government is weak and unstable
b- regions may not respond in an equal fashion to external
threats (i.e., providing money and troops to fight a war)
c- lack of unity
d- no national government can exert influence or pressure on
members who abuse the rights of the people in their region
TOTAL POINTS: 24 POINTS
SCORING GUIDE: COMPARING SYSTEMS OF DEMOCRACY
PART ONE
FEDERAL SYSTEM
1. Students will receive two points for including each of the following
characteristics:
a- explains that government is divided between a central and
state/regional government
b- explains that states/regions retain a significant level of
autonomy/sovereignty even though they transfer certain
powers to a central government
d- the powers of each, federal and state, are clearly delineated
within a constitution
2. Students will receive four points for defining and explaining
concurrent powers.
3. Students will receive two points each for including the following
characteristics:
a- federal government directed toward external functions
(i.e., international relations, war, trade)
b- federal government has enough power to resolve conflicts
between states/regions without imposing a solution rejected
by the involved parties
c- federal system respects regionalism and local differences
d- federal government has a uniting effect on all regions/states
4. Students will receive two points each for including the following
characteristics:
a- federal government has limited authority over states and
regions that may infringe on the rights of the people
b- difficult to achieve a consensus among states and regions
to change the constitution
c- resources of various states/regions may be unequal when
directed toward a national goal
TOTAL POINTS: 24 POINTS
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: COMPARING SYSTEMS OF DEMOCRACY
PART TWO
GROUP ONE SCORING GUIDE
Rationale For Group Assignment
Students are chosen for this group because of poor performance on the first part of this differentiated instruction project. Essentially this group addresses the same questions from part one once again. However, working as a group, and faced with the task of integrating their answers into cohesive answers that they will present on a poster, it provides a greater impetus for them to complete the assignment in the manner they should have the first time. Each student will receive two grades for this project, the individual grade and group grade. The individual grade is based on their answers to the questions. The group grade is based on their creativity, effort, and oral presentation.
INDIVIDUAL GRADE
1. Students receive two points each for including the following
characteristics:
a- representative democracy
b- typically have some form of constitution
c- generally there is friction between the national and
state/regional governments
2. Students four points each for including the following in their
answers:
a- unitary system is national
b- confederate system the states/regions maintain their
sovereignty
c- federal system, the states/regions surrender some
authority to a central government but retain
sovereignty over local and regional issues
3. Students will receive four points for explaining what they mean
by the term efficient and demonstrate their understanding by
providing and example of that government acting “efficiently”
within their chosen system.
4. Students will receive four points each for giving one example
each of how the most efficient system within their schema will
promote the following:
a- unity
b- respect for individual liberty
c- defend itself from foreign threats
Note: Part of what this approach attempts to demonstrate to the student
is that the most “efficient” system of democracy may not be the
most conducive to protecting individual rights and that which is
most conducive to protecting those rights may not be the most
effective with regard to unity or defense against foreign threats.
5. Students will receive four points each for providing four reasons
for choosing one system of democracy over the others.
GROUP PORTION
1. Answered all the questions: 5 points
2. Creativity (use of colors, materials
symbols): 5 points
3. Participated in presentation: 5 points
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT: 26 POINTS
GROUP ASSESSMENT: 15 POINTS
TOTAL POINTS: 41 TOTAL POINTS
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: COMPARING SYSTEMS OF DEMOCRACY
PART TWO
GROUP TWO SCORING GUIDE
Rationale For Group Assignment
Students will be assigned to this group if they achieved a passing grade on part one but nevertheless failed to demonstrate satisfactory with regard to how each system operates and what distinguishes one from another.
INDIVIDUAL GRADE
1. Students will receive two points each for providing at least two reasons as to why their choice will promote representative democracy.
2. Students will receive two points each for providing at least
two reasons as to why their choice will protect individual
liberty and why.
3. Students will receive three points each for providing at least
two reasons as to why their choice will promote unity among
the states/regions and why.
4. Students will receive two points each for providing at least
two reasons as to why their choice will be more likely than
the other forms to protect it from foreign threats.
5. Students will receive two points each for providing at least
four reasons why they would want to live under one particular
system of democracy as opposed to the other systems.
GROUP PORTION
1. Answered all the questions: 5 points
2. Creativity (use of materials, colors,
symbols, etc.): 5 points
3. Participated in presentation: 5 points
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT: 26 points
GROUP ASSESSMENT: 15 points
TOTAL POINTS: 41 points
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: COMPARING SYSTEMS OF DEMOCRACY
PART TWO
GROUP THREE SCORING GUIDE
Rationale For Group Assignment
Students will be assigned to this group based on a demonstration of a clear understanding of the three forms of democracy from Part One of the differentiated instruction assignment. Because they have demonstrated satisfactory understanding, they will take what they have learned to the next level which is to integrate what they understand into a comprehensive constitution that promotes certain values and characteristics. The characteristics were chosen because they accentuate the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of each system.
INDIVIDUAL GRADE
1. Students will receive two points each for providing two examples their chosen system will promote representative democracy.
2. Students will receive two points each for providing at least three
qualifications for voting rights.
3. Students will receive two points each for determining at least
five essential rights and explaining their basis for being a right.
4. Students will receive one point each for listing at least three
ways in which their chosen system will unify the country.
5. Students will receive one point each for developing at least three
reasons why their chosen system will protect the nation against
external threats.
GROUP PORTION
1. Answers the required questions: 5 points
2. Creativity (use of colors, materials,
symbols, etc.,): 5 points
3. Participation in presentation: 5 points
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT: 26 points
GROUP ASSESSMENT: 15 points
TOTAL POINTS: 41 points