Superhero Citizens

Citizenship Lesson
Classroom Guidance
Grades: 7th and 8th

Time required: 50-60 minutes

Purpose: This lesson will help students identify what it means to be a good citizen and how they
can help out their school and community.
VSCA Personal/Social Development Standards:
Grades 6-8 Students will:
MP2. Understand the consequences of decisions and choices,
MP4. Use appropriate decision making and problem solving skills,
MP5. Demonstrate appropriate skills for interactions with adults and developing and
maintaining positive peer relationships
MP6. Use appropriate communication and conflict resolution skills with peers and
adults
Objectives:

Approximately 80% of students will be able to define citizenship

Students will be able to identify 3 ways he or she could help the community
Students will be able to create his or her own superhero citizen
Students will be able to identify ways being a good citizen could benefit the community
and environment
Students will be able to recognize ways being a bad citizen could harm the community
and environment

Materials:
Projector Screen
Power Point
YouTube Video
3 x 5 Index Cards (one for each student) (the word Pre will be on one side, the word Post
will be on the other side)
Expo Markers/Whiteboard
Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils
Superhero Picture with Mask
Pencil
Notebook Paper
Procedure
Stimulus/Pre-test

Begin the lesson by passing out 3 x 5 index cards to each student. One side will have Pre
written on it; the other side will have Post written on it. Students will be instructed to only
write on the Pre side. The power point slide on the Smart Board will have a Fist to Five (0 to
5) rating scale, which will be the scale that students use to identify how much they know about
citizenship.
Next, come up with a class definition of the word citizenship. Students will be asked to
disclose what key words/concepts are associated with citizenship. This definition will stay on the
whiteboard for the remainder of the lesson; revisit it in closing.
1. How do you define citizenship?
2. What does it mean to be a good citizen?
Citizenship definition: the duties and responsibilities that come with being a member of a
community.
Examples: Doing your part for the common good; participate in community servicehelp the homeless, pick up trash; obey rules and laws; vote in elections
Video: What it means to be a good citizen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhAV-Z7thbc
1. What did you learn from the video?
2. What are some examples given in the video that make you a good citizen?
Activity
Divide students into three groups; each group will be given a different scenario. Have the
students read the scenario and ask each other the discussion questions included with the
scenarios.
Processing Questions:
What did you like about these scenarios? What did you not like?
Were the questions easy or challenging to answer? Why?
Did most of your group members agree or disagree with one another? Why or why not?
Guided Practice
1. What comes to mind when you think about superheroes? What kinds of things do
superheroes do?
Pass out Superhero silhouette and coloring materials. Have them draw themselves as a superhero
citizen. Have them do the following:
1. Name their superhero citizen
2. 3 things they would do to save the community
3. Select a special power that would help the community
Discussion questions:

Have each person describe their superhero citizen

Why did you choose those three things to save your community? Why are they important
to you? (Each individual)
Do you think you need to be a superhero to be a good citizen? Why or why not?
Raise your hand if you think you are a good citizen- What makes you a good citizen?
Raise your hand if you do not think you are a good citizen- What could you do to change
that?
What are some benefits of being a good citizen? What are some consequences of being a
bad citizen?
What are some things that you can do to help Brookland become a better school? What
could you do about it?

Evaluation
On the back of their 3 x 5 index card, they will be instructed to select a number 0 to 5 (Fist to
Five), how much they now know about citizenship.
Follow-up Activity
Have the students document themselves being a good citizen. Have them complete a communityhelping action that they came up with during the class period. As a requirement of this course,
students will be given two writing prompt questions allowing them to further discuss their
experience.
Lesson Source:
Teaching Guide: Citizenship for Grades 7-12. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2015, from
http://www.goodcharacter.com/ISOC/Citizenship.html

Scenario #1:
Julius loves animals. One day, he discovers that his next-door neighbor beats his
dog and doesnt feed or water him enough. That night, Julius sneaks over the fence
between their houses and unties the dog, setting him free. The dog runs away.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Was this the act of a good citizen? Why or why not?

Whats the problem here?
Are human rights and animal rights the same or different?
What might you tell Julius to do?

Scenario #2:
You and your friends decide to boycott a product (to boycott a product means to
refuse to buy or use it). A few years ago, kids across the country came together and
boycotted a certain fast-food restaurant that used Styrofoam to package its
hamburgers.
1. What product would you boycott and why?
2. Do you think its a good idea to boycott a product? Why or why not?
3. What are the benefits of doing this? What are the consequences of doing
this?
Scenario #3:
You come to school one morning to find graffiti all over the walls. Someone has
also sprayed graffiti on nearby billboards, overpasses, and road signs. No one
knows who did it.
1. Whose responsibility is it to clean up and paint over the graffiti? Why?
2. Is there anything you can do to protect your school and community against
graffiti in the future? (Think about when people write things on bathroom
stalls and desks)
3. What would you do if one of your friends confessed to spraying the graffiti
on the schools walls? What would you say to them?