Socratic Seminar: Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)

Transcription

1 Weingarten 1 Dwight Weingarten EDU 440 Professor Stoddard 5 November 2013 Socratic Seminar: Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) Context: Unit: Chapter 19-The French Revolution Designer: Dwight Weingarten Lesson 1 of 1* *That I am teaching Topic: French Revolution Teaching Date: The week of 12/1/2013 Subject/Course: AP European History Grade Level: 10 th Time Frame: Period 1B, 2AB Background Information: The Declaration of the Rights of Man was one of the most important political documents of the French Revolution. The National Assembly having just overthrown the monarchy decided to declare their principle. Drawing influence from the Enlightenment, but also the English Bill of Rights and the American example, the Declaration of the Rights of Man is a short, but powerful statement on the central themes of the revolution, namely Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. The statements contained in the Declaration are rather abstract, but almost all were meant to counter specific abuses of the previous monarchy. The two overarching principles concerning the declaration were of civic equality and protection of property. This declaration has been considered the death certificate of the old regime. Instructional Model: The key components of a Socratic seminar are a careful reading of a text, in this case the Declaration of the Rights of Man, followed by the completion of a seminar entrance ticket to get all of the students thinking about the text they just read. The seminar will then open with a lead question that should force students back to the text to answer. The conversation should then flow from student to student as the teacher moderates the discussion. The Socratic seminar model promotes active learning, constructing knowledge based on what others are saying and responding to it. The goal of the seminar is also to explore the issues, ideas, and values in the text. This seminar model lets the students pull meaning out of a text instead of being passive receivers. The model promotes critical reading of a text, but also discussion skills, which so often do not receive adequate time in schools.

2 Weingarten 2 The French Revolution is one of the most important topics in European History and the Declaration of Rights of Man and of Citizen is its seminal document. The document probes the human issues of freedom and equality, issues to which all students can relate. Objectives: SOL Standards: WHII.6The student will demonstrate knowledge of scientific, political, economic, and religious changes during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries by a) describing the Scientific Revolution and its effects; b) describing the Age of Absolutism, including the monarchies of Louis XIV and Peter the Great; c) assessing the impacts of the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution on democracy; d) explaining the political, religious, and social ideas of the Enlightenment and the ways in which they influenced the founders of the United States; e) describing the French Revolution NCSS Standards: Standard V- Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions. Standard VI- Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change the structures of power, authority, and governance. Concept Objective: The students will be able to identify and explain how Enlightenment ideals influenced the French Revolution. The students will be able to identify and explain how The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was a departure from the ideals of the absolutist monarchy. Skill Objectives: The students will be able to read and interpret a document in order to discuss it. The students will be able to discuss a viewpoint in order to build discussion skills.

3 Weingarten 3 Assessment: During the lesson, I will gage the students participation by who is audibly participating, but also who is actively listening. I will be mediating the discussion to ensure the students are on task and on topic. I will provide the background knowledge from the readings that the students have. I will also give feedback on the discussion skills by positively commenting when someone makes a key point. I will also interject if someone is talking too much or out of line to keep the discussion running smoothly. I will also provide an entrance ticket sheet that should help the students. (See attachment 1) After the lesson, students will complete an exit ticket to demonstrate their knowledge. This will enable me to see whether the students properly learned the information and see if they properly understand the document in the larger context of the French Revolution. (See attachment 2). Content and Instructional Strategies: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen is one of the seminal texts in the French Revolution, one of the most important events in European history. This document is influenced by events that have occurred before (English Bill of Rights, absolutism, Enlightenment Declaration of Independence) and has far reaching effects for what happens after (Declaration of Rights of Women, Haitian Revolution). The text itself is rich in human values that are worth discussing and digging into. (freedom, liberty, equality). Pre-lesson- The room will be arranged in a circle or O shape so they can all see the projector before the seminar, but also see each other during the seminar. This should enable the students to have a free-flowing discussion, mediated by the teacher. (before class) Start of lesson- 1) I will prep students for the discussion by having a 7-10 minute introduction piece via powerpoint slide 2. The powerpoint will list the crucial discussion norms, such as no hand raising, build off others points, and refer back to the text. Slide 2 will also include a list of transitions that students can look at during the discussion to jump in. They will understand that the purpose of the lesson is not to debate, but to work together to understand the text. Skills that will be modeled will be active listening as well as ways to enter the conversation. I will make it clear that all students must participate by being actively engaged, not necessarily talking. By having an in class ticket, the students will all be prepared to discuss. (7-10 minutes) 2) The students will need to complete the seminar ticket during class (see attachment 2). The students will have 20 minutes total a. 10 minutes to read the document, as outlined by Slide 3. (+3 minutes for slide 3)

4 Weingarten 4 b. 10 minutes for the ticket to prepare for the seminar. Tell students they can review with a partner 3) The seminar will start with a whip around that asks students to consider what point of the declaration was their favorite and to read a line from that point. This should get all students to hear their voices (5-7 minutes). 4) After the whip around I will pose the opening question and have the students go from there, inserting or posing new questions once conversation has hit died down or exhausted the major points. Why do you think the document is called The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen? (5-7 minutes) 5) After the opening questions, I will go through the following core questions, but really let the students mediate the discussion. I will insert one of these questions only as the conversation veers off course or has died down. a. Where does sovereignty lie according to the National Assembly? (3-5 minutes) b. What rights do citizens have under The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen? (3-5 minutes) c. What is the status of personal property in the Assembly s view? (3-5 minutes) d. How does The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen compare and contrast to other eighteenth century documents you may have read? (3-5 minutes) 6) If a student needs to further elucidate a point I have prepared the follow up questions below to aid in getting the most out of student responses. a. Could you point us to where in the text you found that? b. Could you explain further what you mean? c. What else does this remind you of that we have covered this year? 7) In addition to these follow up questions, I will monitor student participation in order to ensure all students have an opportunity to hear their voices. If a student looks like they are trying to get in, I may ask Student X, is there something you d like to share? My aim is to have high participation across the board, not just a few students talking. 8) Finally after about 20 to 25 minutes of discussion, including the whip around, I will give the students their exit ticket. I will show slide 4, helping them make connections through visual images. Students will apply their understanding through an exit ticket, which will be turned in after the class. The ticket will be used to assess student understanding of the text, gauging their participation during the discussion. During the remaining class time the teacher will explain the ticket and review the seminar. (Remainder of class in 55 minute block) (about 10 minutes in 90 minute block) Resources: Document- Powerpoint with instructions Entrance Ticket Exit Ticket Differentiation: Through creating the Powerpoint, I hope to guide the students through an unfamiliar type of lesson. The communal nature of the Socratic Seminar should work to include all students in the lesson (ELL, low reading level, quiet or disengaged). Within the exit ticket there are various levels of

5 Weingarten 5 understanding. This should enable all students to have access to the curriculum and they can utilize each other as resources to build knowledge. I will also play it by ear to see if students need more than the allotted twenty minutes for reading and completing the exit ticket. Some students may be slower readers. In this case, I would just have the exit ticket be homework. Adaptations: There are no students with IEP s in the classes that I will be teaching. The lesson is not affected by the students with 504 s in the class. Pre Reflection: All the prep work is being done in class, so students will be prepared. I have included a whip around so that students all hear their voice at least once. If students begin to dominate the seminar, I can interject and ask a particular student for what they think. If they get to far off track, I can come back to my base questions. All these things being considered, I would like to participate as little as possible with the understanding that as it is the first Socratic seminar, this might not happen. Post-teaching My Cooperating Teacher and I both agreed this was a very effective lesson and format. I was skeptical at first whether there would be enough student participation, but kids who I had never heard participate engaged in the discussion in meaningful ways. All students engaged in Higher Order Thinking at least once when they took their favorite part of the document and explained why this was their favorite part. The students made connections to the past and to the present during this whip around portion of the seminar. I could have done a better job preparing the students with background information about the topic so they could have showed more deep knowledge. For the students relative dearth of deep knowledge regarding the background history, I blame myself. In the future, I will have more time to prep the students better. The nature of the seminar model had the students engaged in substantive conversation a good portion of the time. Often, I had to interject because the students were just repeating

6 Weingarten 6 one another s points and not really building on one another. I think with more practice with the seminar model, the students and I will do an even better job, but for the first time it was not bad. The students made connections to the world beyond the classroom, but I could have probed them further with these connections. Many students picked up on article 5 that you should be able to do whatever you want as long as it doesn t hurt someone else. This would have been an appropriate time to bring up modern day examples and get the students to think about this in our own society. Unfortunately, I did not do this. Despite my lack of foresight, I was still pleased with the connections made beyond the classroom. On one exit ticket, a student wrote that a man should be treated the same whether he is a king or a beggar. This was so encouraging to read because I think it was the value, in part, of the French Revolution and must certainly become more of our ideal today. Students definitely participated in ethical valuing; in fact, it was what they were most interested in doing. Students wanted to discuss how the declaration did not apply to women. I had to say that it did open up the thoughts for women to assert their natural rights. The students, especially females, dwelled on the inequality inherent in the declaration both on their tickets and in the debate. The students definitely received integration in terms of new knowledge and skills, technology, and connection across time and place. The students learned the skills of a seminar. Despite the lesson being low in technology, the students did receive crucial information via powerpoint. Finally, as mentioned earlier, the students made a multitude of connections across time and space. The students discussed the declaration in reference to the American declaration and various other documents. I believe that this lesson would score fairly high according to the Powerful and Authentic Social Studies standards for teaching, partly because of the nature of a seminar lesson, but also due in part to the nature of the topic. I graded the entrance/exit tickets and the students responded fairly well. The lowest grade I gave was a 7.5/10 while most students received an 8 or a 9. The students understood the main points from the lesson, but could have done a better job digging into the text to justify them. When teaching this lesson

7 Weingarten 7 again, I would make that point more explicit. I would also make the connections to the present day even more explicit, asking a question like Are the ideals contained in this document that are similar to our Declaration of Independence fulfilled in our society today? I really think this could stimulate good discussion, but it might detract from the historical content knowledge that needs to be taught thoroughly. The students seemed to like to get to talk and I look forward to using this model again in the future.

8 Weingarten 8 Attachment 1: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen Approved by the National Assembly of France, August 26, 1789 The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties; in order that the acts of the legislative power, as well as those of the executive power, may be compared at any moment with the objects and purposes of all political institutions and may thus be more respected, and, lastly, in order that the grievances of the citizens, based hereafter upon simple and incontestable principles, shall tend to the maintenance of the constitution and redound to the happiness of all. Therefore the National Assembly recognizes and proclaims, in the presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen: Articles: 1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good. 2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. 3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation. 4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law. 5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law. 6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents. 7. No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense.

9 Weingarten 9 8. The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense. 9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law. 10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law. 11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law. 12. The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted. 13. A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means. 14. All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes. 15. Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration. 16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all. 17. Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified.

10 Weingarten 10 Attachment 2: Name: Date: Period: Entrance Ticket to the Seminar Directions: Read The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. When you are finished, go back and read it again in order to answer the questions below. You have 20 Minutes to read the text and complete this worksheet. 1. What does the text say is the purpose of political association? 2. What does the declaration say about property? 3. Which is your favorite point or sentence from the text AND Why? 4. Why do you think the document is called The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen?

11 Weingarten 11 Attachment 3: Name: Date: Period: Exit Ticket from the Seminar Directions: Now that you have read the text and discussed it, answer the following questions below. Be sure to refer back to the text. This worksheet will be turned in during at the end of class or completed for homework for a grade. Please write complete sentences. 1. How did The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen represent a departure from the absolutism of Louis XVI and other French monarchs? 2. How did The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen reflect the ideals of the Enlightenment?