Title of Performance Task or Task Question
Author: Michael Terwilliger
Course/Level: American Government Grade 10
Materials:
-computer to watch videos
-post-it notes
-copies of documents
-question sheets
HCPSS Curriculum Connections
This activity would be completed during the unit on Lobbying/Interest Groups
Learning Outcome(s): Students will:
-identify a significant event in America that prompted the involvement of interest groups and/or
lobbyists…gun control
-evaluate pros and cons of the event from the perspective of 2 politicians
-formulate data based opinions that either support or refute the need for government intervention
Task Question:
Do you agree/disagree with the need for America to have more gun control laws?
Historical Thinking Skills Assessed: Sourcing, Close Reading, Contextualizing, Corroborating
Background for the Teacher
Advocates for gun control support strict firearm laws, background checks and longer wait
times for persons wanting to purchase guns, mandatory child safety locks, a limits on the number of
handguns that can be purchased (typically one), raising the legal age to own a gun to 21 instead of 18.
Gun control advocates feel that in doing some or all of these things can curb gun-related violence.
Advocates of gun rights believe that laws made favoring gun control would infringe on the
2nd Amendment to the Constitution that gives law-abiding citizens the right to carry guns. The NRA
(National Rifle Association) is a prominent voice in the gun debate and regularly states that fire-arm
control measures are unnecessary if lawmakers would enforce the current laws that are in place: the
Gun Control Act (Brady Bill), Federal Firearms Act, National Firearms Act, Crime Control Act, Violent
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.
Key Vocabulary
Interest groups- persons who want to get views across
Lobbyists- paid employees of a group who tries to advance their employer’s point of view to
a representative or the media
Context Setting -- The Hook
5 min
Supplies
-computer
-post-it notes
-chalkboard labeled for gun control and against gun control
-As students enter the room, the teacher will hand students a post-it note
-teacher says for students to put their name on the post it note and place it on the board in one of two
areas: for gun control, against gun control.
-teacher shows video on Pros and Cons of Gun Control
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOMzqYg2g0Q
-discussion about why students made their decision (background knowledge gathered/created)
Document Analysis
20 minutes
-Class will be split in half
-Group one will get a document 1 (pro gun document)
-Group two will get document 2 (anti-gun document)
-Students will spend 10 minutes reading the document and answering the 3 questions provided
-Students will then participate in a “thrash-it-out” with a student who read the other document (see
below for explanation)
Post Group Document analysis
-5 minutes
-Teacher will ask if students would like to change their opinion about gun control based on the
document they read
Document 1
Second Amendment is a fail-safe
I believe that the Second Amendment is crystal clear, "The right to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed." The Second Amendment is a fail-safe woven into the fabric of our
Constitution that ensures the God given rights and freedoms upon which this country was
built. The Second Amendment isn't just about preserving gun ownership, hunting rights, or
target sports.
It is about each and every law abiding citizen having the right to play a role in ensuring our
collective freedoms. It is the manifestation of our resolve to exercise our right of selfdetermination. It is a means to protect the lives and liberties of our families and to ensure
that our Republic will endure.
To me, the words "keep and bear arms" means that every law abiding citizen is a vehicle
through which we collectively preserve the means to protect ourselves.
Republican Nominee for Maryland Senater Dan Bongino
Source: Human Events magazine,"Protecting Right to Protect Yourself" , Feb 24, 2012
Questions:
1. Primary or Secondary source?
2. What is the author’s claim about gun control?
3. How does the author support that claim?
4. What inferences can you make from this document?
5. How can this document be used to answer the focus question?
Document 2
I cannot escape the images of those children in Newtown.
I look at the pictures of their beautiful, innocent faces and think of my grandchildren -- and I know I'm not alone.
But here's the difference: With your support, I can vote to change these senseless laws and their half-hearted
enforcement. With your help, I can speak out for the millions of Americans who share my grief for these tiny victims
and my anger for those who sell military assault weapons with no sense of responsibility for the havoc they cause.
It is time for our voices to be heard. It is time we demand changes in gun laws that will make our schools and our
streets safer.
There is much more we can and must do, together:
1.
Bar those with a history of mental instability or violent crime from owning weapons
2.
Outlaw the sale of certain weapons that are strictly for military use and have no useful purpose in sport,
hunting, or self defense
3.
Ban magazine clips with more than ten rounds from civilian use
4.
Restrict the number of firearms a single person can buy in a month
5.
Require firearms within the reach of children to have protective locks.
Let's build a sensible and committed majority of Americans who are willing to stand up and speak out for reasonable
limits on firearms.
For the good of our nation and for the safety of our families and children, we have to come together and speak with
one, determined voice.
Thank you. Hug your kids, and say a prayer for those whose lives were touched by this tragedy.
And together, let's commit ourselves to making sure it never happens again.
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator 2013
Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/20/1172340/-IL-Sen-Sign-Dick-Durbin-s-D-Petition-To-Make-GunControl-A-Reality
Questions
1. Primary or secondary source
2. What is the author’s claim about gun control?
3. How does the author support that claim?
4. What inferences can you make from this document?
5. How can this document be used to answer the focus question?
Corroborating Evidence and Constructing Interpretations -- Close Analysis
5 min
-Students will then have “thrash-it-out” with another student in the room who is of the opposite
opinion of theirs. (if the numbers are not balanced there can be 2-3 students with one perspective
having a “thrash-it-out” with 1 student.
-students will answer the following question based on the “thrash-it-out” with their partner(s)
1. What conflicts do you and your partner have, based on the evidence provided, regarding gun
control?
2. Answer the focus questions by stating your claim (thesis statement) here:
Thoughtful Application
-teacher then gives the vocabulary words with definitions for lobbyist and interest groups and asks if
they agree with the fact that as a result of their decision they are either a part of an interest group or
a lobbying group
-teacher then gives students the “in a nutshell” pros and cons of gun control
-students chose one of the 8 pros or cons to argue for or against gun control and come up with a 15
second argument for or against gun control that includes at least one reference to the sources
provided
-students then have 15 seconds to argue for or against gun control
NO FOR GUN CONTROL
1. Criminals will always find a way to
obtain their guns, leaving lawabiding citizens without any
weapons to use in defense.
2. Crimes are often prevented by the
deterrent effect of the possibility of
victim gun possession.
3. The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution
protects the individual's right to gun
ownership.
4. Woman and weaker individuals may
have no means of self-defense from
rape or other crimes, especially in
the inner city.
5. Guns in the possession of citizens are an
added protection against
government tyranny.
6. Police are often too overwhelmed to
protect all citizens from violent
crime.
7. Banning guns will create another
potentially large source of
organized criminal revenue, as a
black market for guns will surely
develop.
8. Banning guns will take away yet another
piece of our liberty, which is one
more step to socialism and
totalitarianism.
9. Reasonable gun control & education
steps can be put in place, so an
outright ban is unnecessary.
YES FOR GUN CONTROL
1. Most violent crimes are committed with guns;
thus, restricting gun ownership will likely
reduce the number of such crimes.
2. Lunatics, bullied school kids, disgruntled
workers, and others can inflict mass
casualties with guns that otherwise
wouldn't be possible.
3. A crime victim who has a gun may be in more
danger than an unarmed person since
the criminal may kill in perceived selfdefense.
4. Suicides and crimes of passion are higher with
gun availability, as it's much easier to act
immediately on your impulses when a
gun is available.
5. The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution was
targeted towards militia, e.g. the
National Guard, rather than individuals.
6. Crimes that may have been less harmful can be
made more dangerous by adding a gun.
7. Legalized gun ownership means guns have a
greater chance of falling into the hands
of kids, potentially resulting in some
deadly accidents.
8. Terrorism, school shootings, and other modern
circumstances make guns more
dangerous nowadays.
Homework
-Students will then create 2 body paragraphs using the “in-a-nut-shell” pros and cons sheet
-the body paragraphs will have no more than 4 sentences each
Next day
-Anticipatory Set: Students write a 2-3 sentence conclusion using the thesis and two body paragraphs created