Topic:
Laws and Values
Background:
None (Introductory Lesson)
Objectives:
Given a variety of situations or items of importance to students, they will be able to infer a value associated with that item.
From among the values identified by the students, they will be able to identify types of laws related to those values.
Students will be able to develop and support generalizations concerning "laws" and "values."
Materials:
Introductory Worksheet, "I"
Time Required:
1-2 class periods
Procedures:
Part 1. Working in small groups (4 or 5), each student is asked to select three items from his/her wallet considered to be important to that student. Each group should then develop a common list of ten items, with each list containing at least one item from every student. Students should record these items on Worksheet 1. Student may use the items to introduce themselves to the others in their small groups, stating their names and why each of their items are important to them; record this information as this is done. Based on the statement of an item’s importance, students should be able to infer a value that each student holds with related to each item.
Part 2: For II, ask each group to select five of the values listed under I, Col 3, and write them on the spaces under II, Col 1. For each value, the group should state a type of law that is related to that value., as in the example.
Performance Assessment:
Toward the conclusion of the lesson, have students respond orally or in writing to the following regarding what they learned from the lesson:
• How much do laws affect our daily lives? Show how this lesson influenced your answer.
• Based on the lesson, what do we mean by "values."?
• How are laws and values interrelated? Give examples to support your answer.