D2.Civ.10.6-8: Personal Interests, Civic Virtues and Democratic Principles in Solving Public Problems
In plain English: D2.Civ.10.6-8 is the C3 Framework civics indicator for grades 6-8 that asks students to explain why personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues and democratic principles matter when people tackle problems in government and in civil society, the world of volunteer groups, charities and clubs.
Explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society.
C3 Framework for Social Studies (NCSS) · Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools · Discipline: Civics · Participation and Deliberation: Applying Civic Virtues and Democratic Principles · Official standard
Students learn to explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society, the skill named in D2.Civ.10.6-8. When people work on a public problem, they bring four things with them: their personal interests (what would help or hurt them), their perspectives (how their experience and role shape what they see), civic virtues (habits such as honesty and fairness) and democratic principles (rules such as equal voice and the rule of law). Each one matters, and students learn to explain how.
The lesson follows these ideas in both settings the standard names. In civil society, the world of volunteer groups, charities, congregations and clubs that are not part of the government, students read nurse Lillian Wald's account of how her settlement house helped New York City start school nursing in 1902. In government, they read the Code of Ethics for Government Service that Congress adopted in 1958, then analyze an invented town council meeting where a councilmember steps aside because of a personal interest. The homework applies the same four ideas to an invented food pantry.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Define personal interests, perspectives, civic virtues and democratic principles, and tell government and civil society apart
Identify each of the four in a historical source and in an invented meeting, citing evidence
Explain why a personal interest that is fine for a citizen to speak up for can be a problem for an official who decides
Explain how civic virtues and democratic principles help people with different interests solve a problem together
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Applying civic virtues and democratic principles in school and community settings D2.Civ.7.6-8
Describing the roles of political, civil and economic organizations D2.Civ.6.6-8
Citing evidence from a source to support an answer RH.6-8.1
"Your town plans to build a new playground. Make a list of people who would care where it goes: a parent, a neighbor, a business owner, a kid, a taxpayer. For each one, what might they want, and why?"
Collect answers in a T-chart: What they want and Why. Point out that most "why" answers come from a person's own situation: where they live, what they do, what they have seen. Name the two ideas: a personal interest is what would help or hurt you or people close to you; a perspective is the way your experience, role and background shape how you see an issue. Ask: "Is it wrong to care about your own interest when the town decides?" Keep the answers for the end of the lesson.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Part 1: Four ideas. Introduce Diagram 1 and the table below. Stress that personal interests are a normal and legitimate part of public life: people speak up because a decision affects them. Civic virtues and democratic principles are what let people with different interests work out a fair answer together.
The four ideas in this lesson (working definitions)
Idea
What it means
Example
Personal interest
What would help or hurt you, your family or your business
A store owner wants a bus stop near the store
Perspective
How your experience, role and background shape what you notice
A bus driver notices which stops are unsafe
Civic virtue
A habit of character that helps people live and decide together: honesty, respect, fairness, responsibility, concern for the common good
Admitting that a plan you like has a weakness
Democratic principle
A rule for how a fair group or government works: equal voice, rule of law, majority rule with minority rights, open decisions
Every resident may speak at a public hearing
Part 2: Two settings.Government includes public officials and bodies such as a city council, a health department or Congress; its decisions are binding and paid for with taxes. Civil society includes groups people form on their own, outside government: charities, congregations, clubs, neighborhood associations and settlement houses. People work on public problems in both, and often the two work together.
Part 3: Source 1. Lillian Wald was a nurse who in 1893 began a nurses' settlement in New York's Lower East Side, a crowded immigrant neighborhood; in 1895 it moved to Henry Street. A settlement, or settlement house, was a civil society group whose workers lived in a poor neighborhood and offered services there. In 1915 she described how her nurses helped the city with a school health crisis. Glosses: trachoma is a contagious eye infection; truancy is skipping school; philanthropy is private charity; municipalized means run and paid for by the city; the Board of Estimate and Apportionment was the city body that approved spending.
1[...] The Health Commissioner of that administration, an intelligent friend of children, now ordered an examination of all the public school pupils, and New York was horrified to learn of the prevalence of trachoma. Thousands of children were sent out of the schools because of this infectious eye trouble, and in our neighborhood we watched many of them, after school hours, playing with the children for whose protection they had been excluded from the classrooms. Few received treatment, and it followed that truancy was encouraged, and, where medical inspection was most thorough, the classrooms were depleted.
2The President of the Department of Education and the Health Commissioner sought for guidance in this predicament. Examination by physicians with the object of excluding children from the classrooms had proved a doubtful blessing. The time had come when it seemed right to urge the addition of the nurse’s service to that of the doctor. My colleagues and I offered to show that with her assistance few children would lose their valuable school time and that it would be possible to bring under treatment those who needed it. Reluctant lest the democracy of the school should be invaded by even the most socially minded philanthropy, I exacted a promise from several of the city officials that if the experiment were successful they would use their influence to have the nurse, like the doctor, paid from public funds.
3Four schools from which there had been the greatest number of exclusions for medical causes were selected, and an experienced nurse, who possessed tact and initiative, was chosen from the settlement staff to make the demonstration. A routine was devised, and the examining physician sent daily to the nurse all the pupils who were found to be in need of attention, using a code of symbols in order that the children might be spared the chagrin of having diseases due to uncleanliness advertised to their associates.
[...]
4One month’s trial proved that, with the exception of the very small proportion of major contagious and infectious diseases, the addition of the nurse to the staff made it possible to reverse the object of medical inspection from excluding the children from school to keeping the children in the classroom and under treatment. An enlightened Board of Estimate and Apportionment voted $30,000 for the employment of trained nurses, the first municipalized school nurses in the world, now a feature of medical school supervision in many communities in this country and in Europe.
Lillian D. Wald, The House on Henry Street, chapter III, "The Nurse and the Community" (Source 1: how a settlement house and New York City started school nursing in 1902; two cuts marked [...]) (1915). Public domain (published 1915). Source text.
Model one row of the analysis chart with the class: in paragraph 1, Wald notices that excluded children were "playing with the children for whose protection they had been excluded." That observation comes from her perspective: she lived in the neighborhood and saw the children after school, which school officials did not.
Guided Practice15-20 minutes
Source 2: rules for people in government. In 1958 Congress passed a resolution stating ten standards for "all Government employees, including officeholders." Glosses: remuneration means payment; construed means understood or interpreted; evasion means getting around a rule; a public trust is a duty held for the benefit of the public. Read the code aloud, then work through the examples.
1Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the following Code of Ethics should be adhered to by all Government employees, including officeholders:
2CODE OF ETHICS FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICE
3Any person in Government service should:
41. Put loyalty to the highest moral principals and to country above loyalty to Government persons, party, or department.
52. Uphold the Constitution, laws, and legal regulations of the United States and of all governments therein and never be a party to their evasion.
63. Give a full day's labor for a full day's pay; giving to the performance of his duties his earnest effort and best thought.
74. Seek to find and employ more efficient and economical ways of getting tasks accomplished.
85. Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his governmental duties.
96. Make no private promises of any kind binding upon the duties of office, since a Government employee has no private word which can be binding on public duty.
107. Engage in no business with the Government, either directly or indirectly which is inconsistent with the conscientious performance of his governmental duties.
118. Never use any information coming to him confidentially in the performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit.
129. Expose corruption wherever discovered.
1310. Uphold these principles, ever conscious that public office is a public trust.
Eighty-fifth Congress, House Concurrent Resolution 175, as printed in the House Ethics Manual, Code of Ethics for Government Service, 1958 (Source 2: the ten standards Congress set out for everyone in government service; the complete code) (1958; this edition 2022). US government work (17 U.S.C. 105). Source text.
A perspective that found the problem (Source 1, civil society)
How did Wald's perspective as a neighborhood nurse help her see what was wrong with the city's first plan?
Result: School officials measured success by sending sick children home. Wald lived in the neighborhood and saw what happened next: the excluded children were "playing with the children for whose protection they had been excluded," and "few received treatment" (paragraph 1). Her perspective showed that exclusion did not protect anyone and cost children school time. That is why she proposed a nurse who could treat children and keep them in class.
Why a democratic principle mattered (Source 1, civil society and government)
Wald's settlement offered a nurse for the experiment. Why did she insist that the city promise to pay for nurses if it worked?
Result: She was "reluctant lest the democracy of the school should be invaded by even the most socially minded philanthropy" (paragraph 2). A public school belongs to all the people and serves every child equally; if a private charity paid for its nurses, the service would depend on that charity's choices and money. Asking that the nurse be "paid from public funds," like the doctor, kept the service public and accountable to the voters.
A personal interest in a government job (Source 2)
An invented city restaurant inspector is assigned to inspect a restaurant owned by his brother-in-law. Which rule in Source 2 applies, and what should he do?
Result: Point 5 says a person in government service should "never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone." Even if he would be strict, "reasonable persons" could think family loyalty influenced him. The fair step is to tell his supervisor and ask for another inspector to take the case. His interest in his family is normal; the problem is letting it touch a public decision.
Democratic principles for officials (Source 2)
Which points in Source 2 express democratic principles rather than personal habits?
Result: Point 2, "Uphold the Constitution, laws, and legal regulations," is the rule of law: officials are bound by the same laws as everyone. Point 10, "public office is a public trust," means power belongs to the public and is held for its benefit, so officials are accountable. Points such as 3 ("a full day's labor for a full day's pay") are closer to civic virtues: personal habits of responsibility and honesty.
Pair task: Pairs sort the ten points of Source 2 into two columns, "mostly about personal interests" and "mostly about principles or virtues," then compare with another pair. Several points can go in either column; the reason is what counts.
Independent Practice15-20 minutes
Students read Source 3, an invented transcript (a written record of what people said) of a town council meeting. A councilmember is an elected member of the town council; to step aside, or recuse yourself, is to stay out of a decision because of a personal interest. Students fill in Diagram 1 for the meeting, listing at least one example of each idea with a paragraph number, then answer: "Was the decision fair? Explain using at least one civic virtue and one democratic principle."
1Mayor Ruiz (chair): "Tonight we choose between two sites for the new skate park: Site A in Lincoln Park, or Site B behind the public works garage on Mill Road. Each member of the public may speak once, for up to three minutes. Then the council will vote. Councilmember Hart has asked to speak first."
2Councilmember Hart: "My family owns the Corner Café, across the street from Lincoln Park. A skate park at Site A would probably bring more customers to our business. Because I have a personal financial interest, I am stepping aside. I will not discuss or vote on this question." She moved to a seat in the audience.
3Mr. Pruitt (resident): "I live on Elm Street, two houses from Site A. I'm worried about noise after dark and about cars parking on our street. I'm not against a skate park, but I'm asking the council to think about the neighbors too."
4Nia (age 13): "Most skaters in town are kids who can't drive. Site A is on the bus line and close to the middle school. Site B is two miles away, and Mill Road has no sidewalk. I understand Mr. Pruitt's worry about noise, so maybe the park could close at 8 p.m."
5Ms. Delgado (parent): "My son would walk to Site A. I'd rather he skate where other people can see him than behind a garage."
6Mr. Okoye (resident): "The staff report says Site B would cost $180,000 and Site A $210,000. That difference is tax money from everyone in town, including people who will never use a skate park."
7Mayor Ruiz: "Thank you all. The staff report is posted on the town website, and the minutes will record how each member votes. Is there a motion?"
8Councilmember Bell moved to build the skate park at Site A, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a review of street parking after six months. Councilmember Tan seconded the motion.
9The vote: Bell, Tan and Ruiz voted yes. Kim voted no, saying, "The $30,000 we would save at Site B matters to taxpayers." Hart did not vote. The motion passed, 3 to 1.
SVHS (invented scenario; the town and the people are invented), Source 3: the Maple Grove Town Council chooses a skate park site (invented transcript written for this page) (2026). Original passage written for this page.
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: Return to the Warm-Up question, "Is it wrong to care about your own interest when the town decides?" Students answer in two or three sentences, using one example from Source 1, 2 or 3.
Teacher note on the sources: Source 1 is quoted exactly from the 1915 edition. Wald writes about "diseases due to uncleanliness" in the language of her time; discuss how the nurses' code of symbols was meant to protect children from embarrassment. Source 2 is printed exactly as it appears in the House Ethics Manual, including "principals" in point 1. Sources 3 and 4 are invented and are not about any real town or pantry. Keep the focus on how people weigh interests and principles, not on which skate park site is right: both sites have reasonable supporters.
Homework passage. Source 4 is an invented scenario about a volunteer food pantry. A congregation is the members of a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship.
1The Elm Street Food Pantry gives out free groceries every Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m. It is run by volunteers from three congregations and the Elm Street Neighborhood Association, and it is not part of the government. A board of 7 volunteers makes its decisions by majority vote.
2Last month, the pantry asked the people it serves to fill out a short survey. Of the 60 people who answered, 42 said they often cannot come on Tuesday afternoons because they are at work.
3At the board meeting, Frank said: "I've run the Tuesday shift for ten years. Saturday mornings are when I see my grandchildren, so I'd rather not change anything."
4Lena said: "I work on weekdays, so a Saturday shift would actually be easier for me. But the question isn't what's easiest for the volunteers. It's when the people we serve can come."
5Sami proposed opening on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and keeping Tuesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. He asked each board member to sign up for at least one Saturday a month before the vote, so the new hours would really be covered.
6The board voted 6 to 1 for Sami's plan. Frank voted no but said he would keep running the Tuesday shift. The new hours start next month.
SVHS (invented scenario; the pantry and the people are invented), Source 4: the Elm Street Food Pantry board chooses new hours (invented scenario written for this page, for the homework) (2026). Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give the four-idea table as a desk card, with one example of each idea already matched to a paragraph of Source 3
Read Source 1 aloud in parts and give a paraphrase of paragraph 2 before students answer questions on it
Use the frame: "In paragraph ___, ___ shows a (personal interest / perspective / civic virtue / democratic principle) because ___."
For Advanced Students
Explain why the councilmember in Source 3 stepped aside while Mr. Pruitt, who also has a personal interest, did not need to
Rewrite Source 2 as five rules for the officers of a middle school student council, keeping its main ideas
Find one more civil society group in your community that works with local government, and explain what each side contributes
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong work names which of the four ideas is at work, points to the exact words in the source with a paragraph number, and explains why it matters to how the problem was solved. Watch for students who treat every personal interest as selfish or wrong; the key distinction is between speaking up for your interest, which citizens may do, and letting it decide a public choice you are trusted to make fairly.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Which Idea Is It?
12 minPairs
Pairs get 8 statement cards. For each card they decide whether it mainly shows a personal interest, a perspective, a civic virtue or a democratic principle, and whether it takes place in government or civil society.
The 8 Statement Cards
A library board member says, "I want longer evening hours because I work until six."
A city council lets every resident speak for three minutes at a hearing.
A youth soccer coach admits that her favorite plan would cost more than she first said.
A firefighter who has seen many kitchen fires asks the city for a cooking-safety class.
A county clerk counts every ballot under the same rules, whoever it is for.
A charity's volunteer finishes a shift even though friends invited him out.
A shop owner asks the city not to close her street for a festival, because she will lose sales.
A neighborhood association posts its budget so that all members can read it.
Answer Key for the Teacher
Card 1: personal interest, civil society (a library board can also be public; accept either with a reason)
Card 2: democratic principle (equal voice), government
Card 3: civic virtue (honesty), civil society
Card 4: perspective, government
Card 5: democratic principle (rule of law, equal treatment), government
Card 6: civic virtue (responsibility), civil society
Card 7: personal interest, government
Card 8: democratic principle (open decisions), civil society
Procedure
Read each card aloud and place it on a 4-by-2 grid (four ideas, two settings)
For any card the pair disagrees about, write both answers and a reason for each
Compare grids with another pair
2
Town Hall Role-Play: A New Bus Stop
25 minWhole class
The class holds an invented public hearing of the Riverbend City Council on where to put a new bus stop on Oak Avenue. Students play council members and residents, each with a role card that gives a personal interest and a perspective.
Roles
Council (5): a mayor who chairs, and four members; one member's card says she owns the dry cleaner next to Stop 1
Residents: an older resident who uses a walker, a student who rides to school, the owner of a coffee shop near Stop 2, a parent with a stroller, a bus driver, and a neighbor who dislikes crowds at his front door
Two observers: they record each civic virtue and democratic principle they see used or missing
Procedure
The mayor opens the hearing and sets the rule: each resident speaks once, for one minute
The council member with the dry cleaner decides whether to step aside, and says why
Residents speak; council members may ask one question each
The council discusses in public and votes by majority
Observers report
Debrief Questions
Which personal interests did residents speak up for? Was it fair for them to do so?
Which perspective added information the council did not have?
Which civic virtue helped most when people disagreed? Which democratic principle made the result fair even for those who lost?
3
Two Settings, One Problem
15 minGroups of 4
Groups take one invented problem, an empty lot full of trash in the neighborhood, and plan how it could be solved twice: once by a civil society group and once by the city government. They then compare the two plans.
Procedure
Half of the group plans a volunteer cleanup by a youth club: who joins, who decides, how it is paid for
The other half plans a city response: which office acts, who pays, how residents are heard
Each half names one personal interest, one civic virtue and one democratic principle that would matter in its plan
The group writes one sentence on how the two could work together, as the settlement and the city did in Source 1
Check for Understanding
Ask each group: "Which plan can force people to follow it, and which depends on people choosing to help? What does each need from the other?" A strong answer notes that the city's decisions are binding and paid for with taxes, while the club relies on volunteers and can start quickly.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Four Things People Bring to a Public Problem
The four ideas in D2.Civ.10.6-8. Personal interests and perspectives explain why people care and what they notice; civic virtues and democratic principles help people with different interests reach a fair decision, in government and in civil society. Students use this as an analysis chart for Sources 1, 3 and 4.
Diagram 2: Timeline from Volunteer Nurses to City School Nurses, Drawn to Scale
Key years in the story behind Source 1, placed to scale on a line from 1890 to 1915. The 1897 and 1914 facts come from the same chapter of Wald's book; 1893 is the year her nurses' settlement began.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
D2.Civ.10.6-8 Homework: New Hours at the Food Pantry
Directions: Problems 1-5 use Source 4, the invented scenario about the Elm Street Food Pantry, printed in the Closure phase of the lesson plan. Problem 6 compares it with Source 3. Cite paragraph numbers.
Part 1: Interests and Perspectives (Problems 1-2)
Is the food pantry part of government or of civil society? Give two details from paragraph 1 that show it.
In the survey, 42 of 60 people said they often cannot come on Tuesday afternoons. What percent is that? Explain how the survey brought a new perspective into the board's decision.
Part 2: Virtues and Principles (Problems 3-4)
Name Frank's personal interest (paragraph 3) and Lena's (paragraph 4). Which civic virtue does Lena show when she says the question "isn't what's easiest for the volunteers"? Explain.
The board voted 6 to 1. Explain why that is a majority of the board, and name one democratic principle the board followed in making its decision.
Part 3: Compare and Apply (Problems 5-6)
The pantry was open 3 hours a week. How many hours a week will it be open under Sami's plan? Which civic virtue did Sami's sign-up request show, and why does it matter for a volunteer group?
Frank voted on the pantry hours even though he had a personal interest, but Councilmember Hart in Source 3 stepped aside. Explain why the two situations are different. Consider the setting (government or civil society) and the kind of interest.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Names the Idea
Names the right interest, perspective, virtue or principle and explains it
Names it without explaining
Wrong or missing
Evidence
Cites the exact words or detail with a paragraph number
Refers to the source without a paragraph number
No evidence
Setting
Explains how being in government or civil society matters
Names the setting without explaining
Setting not addressed
Accuracy
Numbers and facts are correct
One error
Several errors
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 1-4 use Lillian Wald's account (Source 1), Questions 5-8 use the Code of Ethics for Government Service (Source 2), Questions 9-13 use the invented council meeting (Source 3), and the rest apply the ideas across sources. All sources are in the lesson plan phases above. Choose the best answer, then check your work.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Source 1, paragraph 1, what happened when thousands of children were sent home from school with trachoma?
Answer: B
Wald writes that "few received treatment, and it followed that truancy was encouraged." Choice A contradicts "few received treatment." Choices C and D are not in the passage; the city did not close schools, and nurses came later as a city service.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why did the doctors send pupils to the nurse "using a code of symbols" (Source 1, paragraph 3)?
Answer: C
The code was used "in order that the children might be spared the chagrin of having diseases due to uncleanliness advertised to their associates," that is, to spare them embarrassment in front of classmates. This shows respect for each child. Choice B sounds practical but is not the reason Wald gives, and Choices A and D are not in the passage.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What did the one-month trial in Source 1, paragraph 4 show?
Answer: A
The trial "made it possible to reverse the object of medical inspection from excluding the children from school to keeping the children in the classroom and under treatment." Choice B reverses the exception: major contagious diseases were the "very small proportion" the nurse could not handle. Choice D is contradicted by the $30,000 the city voted, and Choice C is not stated.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which detail in Source 1 shows government taking over a service that civil society had started?
Answer: C
"An enlightened Board of Estimate and Apportionment voted $30,000 for the employment of trained nurses, the first municipalized school nurses in the world" (paragraph 4): the city government now paid for the work. Choices A and D describe the settlement, a civil society group, and Choice B describes how the experiment was set up.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Point 1 of Source 2 asks people in government to put loyalty to "the highest moral principals and to country" above loyalty to what?
Answer: D
Point 1 reads: "Put loyalty to the highest moral principals and to country above loyalty to Government persons, party, or department." Choice C is wrong because upholding the Constitution is itself a duty in point 2, not something to put below other loyalties. Choices A and B are not named in point 1.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
An invented county official promises a friend, over dinner, that the friend's company will get the next county contract. Which point of Source 2 does this break most directly?
Answer: A
Point 6 says to "make no private promises of any kind binding upon the duties of office, since a Government employee has no private word which can be binding on public duty." The contract must be decided by the county's fair process, not by a private promise. Choice C names a duty of anyone who learns of such a promise, not the rule the official broke. Choices B and D are unrelated.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
An invented city planner learns at work, before the public is told, where a new train station will be built. She buys land next to the site. Which point of Source 2 does this break?
Answer: B
Point 8 says to "never use any information coming to him confidentially in the performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit." She used what she learned on the job to make money for herself. Choice C could matter only if she sold the land to the government, which the case does not say. Choices A and D do not fit.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Source 2, point 10 reminds officials that "public office is a public trust." Which action by an invented mayor goes most directly against that idea?
Answer: A
A public trust is power held for the benefit of the public, so using town equipment and workers as a private favor for friends treats the office as hers to use for personal ends (point 5 also forbids "special favors"). Choice B is the opposite: listening to the public. Choice C is an honest judgment the mayor was elected to make, even if it is unpopular, and Choice D is personal time that does not use the office's power at all.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why does Councilmember Hart step aside in Source 3, paragraph 2?
Answer: D
Hart says, "My family owns the Corner Café, across the street from Lincoln Park," and a skate park there "would probably bring more customers." Because of that "personal financial interest," she will not discuss or vote. Choice C describes Mr. Pruitt, not Hart (paragraph 3). Choices A and B are not in the transcript.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Councilmember Kim voted no, saying, "The $30,000 we would save at Site B matters to taxpayers" (Source 3, paragraph 9). What does Kim's reason mainly show?
Answer: B
Kim points to money that belongs to "taxpayers," the whole town, which reflects concern for the common good. Mr. Okoye made the same point as a resident (paragraph 6). Choice A is wrong because nothing in the transcript says Kim owns or gains from Site B. Choice C is a rule for the hearing, not a reason for a vote, and Choice D does not fit: Kim gives the cost to all taxpayers as the reason, and says nothing about the residents who live near Site A.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The mayor allows each member of the public to speak "once, for up to three minutes" (Source 3, paragraph 1). Which democratic principle does this rule apply most directly?
Answer: B
Giving every speaker the same turn and time is equal voice (political equality). Choice A guesses at a written law the transcript does not mention. Choice C confuses speaking with voting, and Choice D names a principle about branches of government, not about a hearing.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which civic virtue does Nia show when she says, "I understand Mr. Pruitt's worry about noise, so maybe the park could close at 8 p.m." (Source 3, paragraph 4)?
Answer: A
Nia takes a concern from someone on the other side seriously and offers a way to meet it, which shows respect and fairness. Choice C belongs to Mr. Okoye, who raised the cost (paragraph 6). Choices B and D are not in her statement.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The Maple Grove council has 5 members. With Hart stepping aside, the vote was 3 to 1 (Source 3, paragraph 9). Which statement is correct?
Answer: B
Four members voted, and 3 is more than half of 4, so the motion passed by a majority of those voting. Choice A uses all 5 members as the base, but 3 is also more than half of 5, so even by that count it would be a majority. Choice C is wrong: no one can say how Hart would have voted, and 3 to 2 is not a tie. Choice D is wrong because a unanimous vote has no no votes.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which of these invented groups is part of civil society, not government?
Answer: D
Civil society is made up of groups people form on their own, outside government, like the volunteer chess club or Wald's settlement in Source 1. Choices A, B and C are all parts of a county, state or city government: their decisions are official and paid for with taxes.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Name two civic virtues shown by people in Source 1 (Wald, the city officials or the settlement nurse). For each, give evidence and explain why it mattered for solving the problem.
Model answer: Open-mindedness: the city's education president and health commissioner "sought for guidance in this predicament" (paragraph 2) instead of sticking with a plan that was failing, which opened the door to the nurse experiment. Concern for the common good: Wald's settlement offered its own nurse and asked only that the city pay for nurses "from public funds" if the trial worked (paragraph 2), so every public school child, not just her neighborhood, could benefit. Rubric: 2 points per virtue, with evidence and an explanation of why it mattered.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Using Source 2, explain why people in government are held to stricter rules about their personal interests than ordinary citizens are. Cite two points of the code.
Model answer: Government employees use power that belongs to the public, so their personal interests must not steer their decisions. Point 5 forbids "special favors or privileges" and benefits that "reasonable persons" might think influenced them, and point 8 forbids using confidential information "for making private profit." A citizen may argue for a decision that helps her, but an official is trusted to decide for everyone, because "public office is a public trust" (point 10). Rubric: 2 points for the reason, 1 point for each point cited and explained.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Analyze the council meeting in Source 3. Identify one personal interest, one civic virtue and one democratic principle, each with a paragraph number, and explain how each affected the decision.
Model answer: Personal interest: Mr. Pruitt worries about "noise after dark" near his house (paragraph 3); it affected the decision, because the motion set closing at 8 p.m. and a parking review (paragraph 8). Civic virtue: Hart's honesty in telling the public about her family's café (paragraph 2) let the town trust the vote. Democratic principle: open decisions, since the staff report is posted and "the minutes will record how each member votes" (paragraph 7), so residents can hold members accountable. Rubric: 2 points for each idea with evidence and effect.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
In Source 1, a civil society group and city government both helped solve a problem. Explain what each one contributed and why both were needed.
Model answer: The settlement, a civil society group, contributed a new idea and the first nurse: it "offered to show" that a nurse could keep children in school and chose "an experienced nurse, who possessed tact and initiative" for the trial (paragraphs 2-3). The city contributed public money and reach: its board "voted $30,000" so trained nurses could serve the public schools (paragraph 4). The settlement could experiment quickly, but only the government could make the service permanent and equal for every public school child. Rubric: 2 points for each contribution, 1 for why both were needed.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
An invented school board member's daughter plays on the high school soccer team. The board must vote on whether to spend $500,000 on a new turf field. Should the member vote? Explain using the ideas from this lesson.
Model answer: It is a closer case than Hart's. The member's interest is personal (his daughter would use the field) but not financial, and many families share it. Under the idea in Source 2, point 5, the question is whether "reasonable persons" would think the interest influenced him. A fair approach is to disclose the interest at the meeting, as Hart did, and either step aside or explain why he can still decide for all students; following the board's written rules on conflicts of interest applies the rule of law. Either choice can be defended if it is open and follows the rules. Rubric: 2 points for weighing the interest, 2 for using a virtue or principle.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Think of a decision in your school or community that affects you. Describe your personal interest or perspective on it, and explain which civic virtue would help you weigh other people's interests fairly.
Model answer: Our school is deciding whether to start the day 30 minutes later. My interest is more sleep, and my perspective is a student who takes the early bus. But a later start would make some parents late for work and push sports practices later. The civic virtue of open-mindedness would help me listen to those families and to coaches before deciding what I would support, and fairness would mean I accept a decision made by an open process even if it is not my first choice. Rubric: 2 points for the interest or perspective, 2 for the virtue and how it helps.
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06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does D2.Civ.10.6-8 mean?
D2.Civ.10.6-8 asks students in grades 6-8 to explain why personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues and democratic principles matter when people work on problems in government and civil society. Students learn to spot each one in real and invented cases and to explain how it shapes the way a problem is solved.
What is civil society?
Civil society is the part of public life made up of groups people form on their own, outside government. It includes charities, clubs, congregations, neighborhood associations, volunteer groups and, in this lesson, Lillian Wald's settlement house. These groups often work on public problems alongside government.
Is it wrong to act on your personal interests in politics?
No. Speaking up for your interests is a normal part of democracy, and decision makers need to hear how a choice affects people. The problem arises when a person trusted to decide for everyone, such as an official, lets a personal interest steer a public decision. That is why officials disclose their interests and sometimes step aside.
What is the difference between a personal interest and a perspective?
A personal interest is what would help or hurt you; a perspective is how your experience and role shape what you see. A café owner's hope for more customers is an interest. A nurse noticing that excluded children were not getting treated is a perspective, and it can add information everyone needs.
What are examples of civic virtues for middle school students?
Common examples are honesty, respect, fairness, responsibility, civility, open-mindedness and concern for the common good. Students can practice them in class discussions, clubs and teams, for example by listening to a classmate who disagrees or by admitting a weakness in their own plan.
How is D2.Civ.10.6-8 different from D2.Civ.7.6-8?
D2.Civ.7.6-8 asks students to apply civic virtues and democratic principles themselves in school and community settings. D2.Civ.10.6-8 adds personal interests and perspectives and asks students to explain why all four matter when people address issues in government and civil society.
Why does this lesson use a 1958 code of ethics?
Because it states, in ten short points, how Congress expects people in government to handle their personal interests. The Code of Ethics for Government Service is still printed in the House Ethics Manual, and its language, such as "public office is a public trust," is clear enough for middle school students to analyze.
Who was Lillian Wald?
Lillian Wald was a nurse and social reformer who founded a nurses' settlement on New York City's Lower East Side in 1893; in 1895 it moved to Henry Street. She is known for pioneering public health nursing, and in 1902 her settlement's demonstration led New York City to hire public school nurses, the story told in Source 1.
How do I keep this lesson nonpartisan?
Use invented local scenarios, like the skate park and food pantry in this lesson, and grade how students reason, not which side they pick. Both skate park sites have reasonable supporters, and the questions ask students to explain how interests and principles work, never to say which policy is right.
What does D2.Civ.10.6-8 lead to in high school?
It leads to D2.Civ.10.9-12, which asks students to analyze the impact and appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights and human rights. High school students go further into rights and into hard cases where interests and principles conflict.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to D2.Civ.10.6-8: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
D2.Civ.7.6-8Prerequisite
Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school and community settings
Standard text: National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (Silver Spring, MD: NCSS, 2013). NCSS was not involved in the production of this lesson and does not endorse it.
