Objective

The objective of this lesson is for the student to understand the basic principles of government and citizenship while exploring their interest in bugs.

Materials and Prep

• Pen and paper
• Internet access (optional)
• No additional materials are required

Activities

• Bug Government: Create a fictional bug society with its own government. Draw or write about the different branches of government, the roles of bug citizens, and the laws they would follow.
• Research a Bug Leader: Choose a bug that exhibits leadership qualities and research its behavior and characteristics. Write a short paragraph describing how this bug could be a good leader in a bug society.
• Create a Bug Constitution: Using the knowledge gained from the previous activities, design a bug constitution. Include rights and responsibilities for bug citizens, as well as a system for electing bug leaders.

Talking Points

• What is Government?
  • "Government is a system that helps organize and make decisions for a group of people or creatures."
  • "In our human society, we have a government that creates laws, enforces them, and provides services to the citizens."
  • "In our bug society, we can imagine bugs having their own government to help them live together and make decisions."
• Types of Government:
  • "There are different types of governments, such as monarchies, democracies, and dictatorships."
  • "Monarchies have a king or queen who rules, while democracies allow citizens to have a say in decision-making."
  • "In our bug society, we can think about what type of government would work best for bugs."
• Bug Citizenship:
  • "Citizenship means being a member of a community and having certain rights and responsibilities."
  • "In our bug society, bug citizens would have their own rights and responsibilities to follow."
  • "We can think about what rights and responsibilities bug citizens would have in our bug constitution."