Social Studies - World Geography
Lesson Plans

WG Strand 4: POLITICAL SYSTEMS

People organize themselves into distinctive groups. Geographers examine how the interactions between these groups influence the division and control of the earth's surface. Political systems have profound influences on the lives of people, including their access to resources, economic opportunities, and basic rights.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• How and why do people organize themselves into political entities?
• How do people distribute power and define roles?
• How do political structures interact on a global scale?
• Who holds the power at a variety of scales and how are decisions made?
• Why is power concentrated in certain parts of the globe?
• How do political systems protect or deny the rights of marginalized peoples?

WG Standard 4.3:

Students will explain how cooperation and conflict have many causes, such as differing ideas regarding boundaries, resource control, and land use, as well as ethnic, tribal, and national identities.

• Creating DOK Pamphlets Using iPad
  This lesson plan aims at incorporating technology, in this case the Pages app on iPad, to create pamphlets that demonstrate depth of knowledge of social studies content. 
• Is Democracy at Risk? A Lesson Plan for U.S. and Global History Classes
  Students reflect on why democracies are worth protecting, what elements are essential to a healthy democracy and how it is that democracies sometimes fail. This lesson includes a series of resources including videos, news articles, handouts, and discussion prompts.
• Nelson Mandela and Apartheid in South Africa
  This lesson plan is a brief exploration of how Nelson Mandela's life and work was shaped by apartheid. It uses NPR's Mandela: An Audio History Timeline .This lesson was written by Suzanne Arthur.The image used in this lesson was created by Suzanne Arthur using Canva on Feb 20, 2023.

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Robert  Austin and see the Social Studies website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.