Critical Thinking (ELO Critical Thinking) - Local Politics


Click HERE to see 16 ways to get more involved in local politics!


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Identify and clearly state the details of a social issue.
  • Gether information from additional reliable sources related to the issue.
  • Formulate an objective opinion on the issue.
  • Draw conclusions related to multiple perspectives on the issue.

Teaching

The point of this particular assignment is to have you go into your community and participate (passively or actively) in a political meeting of some sort.

Meetings that can be used may include:

  • Town Meetings
  • School Board Meetings
  • Club Meetings (not social...they have to be business meetings)
  • Church Meetings (not services...they have to be business meetings)

The organization needs to be addressing an issue and debating different approaches to the issue.

You are to do the following:

  • Attend the meeting.
  • Take notes and participate (as much as you wish) in the exploration of a topic that is discussed in the meeting.
  • Take notes on the viewpoints and evidence that is presented by participants in the debate.
  • After the meeting, conduct some fact-finding research on the topic (make sure you look at both sides of the issue).
  • Evaluate your own thoughts on the issue in light of your participation in the meeting and your research.
  • Write the paper in accordance with the rubric below.
  • Submit the paper in MS Word or PDF format to the appropriate drop box.

Grading Rubric

The following criteria will be used to evaluate and grade your submission:

Criteria
Points
Title Page

10

Introduction - Summarize the issue under discussion and the diversity of points of view presented in the meeting. 20
Research - After the meeting is completed, conduct independent research in regard to the issues under discussion. Summarize each source that you explore. You should include at least two additional sources of information. 30
Opinion Reflection - Summarize a conclusive argument regarding the issue that takes into account the presentations within the meeting and the facts you gathered from your research. 30
Mechanics - Spelling, grammar, syntax, etc. 10