Social Studies Lesson Plan

Overview: A Kansas-based book published named St. Louis, Mo., the Most Dangerous City in America, followed by Detroit, Mich.; Flint, Mich.; Compton, Calif.; and Camden, NJ. It also lists the safest cities. How does your city compare? If it’s one the dangerous side, what can be done to improve it?

Suggested time allotment: Students can read the report of safe and unsafe cities (although the complete report costs $4.99) and then research for approximately a week the status of their city or any nearby. If students do not like what they find, as a team, they can take another week to develop a plan to convince the city council or appropriate legislative body to work to improve the situation.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Research “Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” – what it means and how the military observes it.
2. Attempt to interview military personnel – with local recruiters or others — to get their firsthand views of how this works.
3. Present your findings to the class, including some kind of visual aide that helps explain the various parts of this policy and any changes media has made in exploring the topic.

Curriculum Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies: Thematic Strands, from “Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.”
• VI — Power, authority and governance. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance…. High school students develop their abilities in the use of abstract principles. They study the various systems that have been developed over the centuries to allocate and employ power and authority in the governing process. At every level, learners should have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to and participate in the workings of the various levels of power, authority, and

Resources and materials:
Web sites with information:
• The short, online version of Morgan Quitno Press’s findings are available at
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• The Safe Neighborhood Initiative (SNI) in the Boston area is a good model for what some urban areas might do to improve safety. Read about that on the Web site of the Massachusetts Attorney General.
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• Anchorage, Alaska, has a similar “safe cities” program.
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