D2.Civ.7.9-12: Applying Civic Virtues and Democratic Principles When Working with Others

Overview

Lesson Procedure

60-80 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
3. Guided Practice20 minutes
4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Start from students' own experience of group work.

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Think of the worst group project or team decision you have been part of. Without naming anyone, what went wrong: how people acted, how the group decided, or both? Then think of the best one. What was different?"

   Collect answers in two columns, "how people acted" and "how the group decided." Name the columns: the first lists civic virtues (or their absence), the habits of character that make shared self-government possible; the second lists democratic principles, the rules and procedures that make a group's decision fair. D2.Civ.7.9-12 asks students to apply both "when working with others," which covers any group that must decide together: juries, teams, crews, committees and boards. Today's question: what does it take for a group of equals to reach a decision that every member can accept as fair, even one who disagrees?

2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes

   Part 1: Working definitions. Go through the table. Stress two tensions that come up whenever people work together: open-mindedness against integrity (when should you change your mind, and when should you hold your ground?), and efficiency against equal voice (when has a group heard enough?).

   Working definitions for this lesson: what each one asks of a person or a group working with others

   Term	Kind	What applying it looks like when working with others
   Open-mindedness	Civic virtue	Hearing out views you disagree with and being willing to change your mind for a good reason
   Integrity	Civic virtue	Keeping an honest conviction instead of giving in only to end the argument
   Honesty	Civic virtue	Giving accurate information and admitting what you do not know
   Civility	Civic virtue	Answering a person's argument instead of attacking the person
   Responsibility	Civic virtue	Doing your share of the work and the deciding, not leaving it to the loudest members
   Equal voice	Democratic principle	Every member gets a fair chance to speak before the group decides
   Agreed decision rules	Democratic principle	The group settles in advance how it will decide (majority, unanimity, consensus) and sticks to it
   Rule of law	Democratic principle	Written rules bind every member, including the most senior or popular
   Impartiality and equal treatment	Democratic principle	Treating every person and every side by the same standard

   Part 2: Democracy as a way of working together. John Dewey (1859-1952), a philosopher and education reformer, argued in Democracy and Education (1916) that democracy is not only a way of choosing a government but a way people live and work together. Gloss: "criterion" (a standard for judging), "interplay" (give and take), "association" (a group of people joined for a purpose), "social control" (the ways a group keeps order among its members), "repudiates" (rejects), "conjoint" (joint, shared), "give point and direction to" (shape and guide) and "premium" (reward or extra value).

   1[...] Now in any social group whatever, even in a gang of thieves, we find some interest held in common, and we find a certain amount of interaction and cooperative intercourse with other groups. From these two traits we derive our standard. How numerous and varied are the interests which are consciously shared? How full and free is the interplay with other forms of association? [...]

   [...]

   22. The Democratic Ideal. The two elements in our criterion both point to democracy. The first signifies not only more numerous and more varied points of shared common interest, but greater reliance upon the recognition of mutual interests as a factor in social control. The second means not only freer interaction between social groups (once isolated so far as intention could keep up a separation) but change in social habit--its continuous readjustment through meeting the new situations produced by varied intercourse. And these two traits are precisely what characterize the democratically constituted society.

   3Upon the educational side, we note first that the realization of a form of social life in which interests are mutually interpenetrating, and where progress, or readjustment, is an important consideration, makes a democratic community more interested than other communities have cause to be in deliberate and systematic education. The devotion of democracy to education is a familiar fact. The superficial explanation is that a government resting upon popular suffrage cannot be successful unless those who elect and who obey their governors are educated. Since a democratic society repudiates the principle of external authority, it must find a substitute in voluntary disposition and interest; these can be created only by education. But there is a deeper explanation. A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. The extension in space of the number of individuals who participate in an interest so that each has to refer his own action to that of others, and to consider the action of others to give point and direction to his own, is equivalent to the breaking down of those barriers of class, race, and national territory which kept men from perceiving the full import of their activity. These more numerous and more varied points of contact denote a greater diversity of stimuli to which an individual has to respond; they consequently put a premium on variation in his action. They secure a liberation of powers which remain suppressed as long as the incitations to action are partial, as they must be in a group which in its exclusiveness shuts out many interests.

   • Applying Dewey's two tests to a group (Source 1)

     Use Dewey's two questions in paragraph 1 to judge a high school debate team whose members share only one interest, winning trophies, and who never work with other clubs or with younger students.

     Result: Dewey asks "How numerous and varied are the interests which are consciously shared?" and "How full and free is the interplay with other forms of association?" (paragraph 1). On the first test the team is narrow: it shares a single interest, and members who care about learning or about the topics themselves have nothing to hold them. On the second test it is closed: it has little give and take with other groups. By Dewey's standard, the team would work more democratically if it widened its shared purposes (for example, practice rounds that help every member improve) and opened itself to other groups (judging a middle school tournament, holding a public debate). The tests judge how the group works together, not whether it wins.

   • Explaining a democratic principle (Source 1)

     Dewey writes that each member of a democratic group "has to refer his own action to that of others" (paragraph 3). What does this ask of a member of a four-person project team?

     Result: Dewey calls democracy "a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience" (paragraph 3): members act jointly and keep telling each other what they are doing. On a project team, a member cannot simply do her own section her own way; she checks how her part fits the others' and considers "the action of others to give point and direction to his own." Practically, that means shared deadlines, telling the group early when a part is late, and adjusting your section after reading a teammate's.

3. Guided Practice20 minutes

   The jury room: a group that must decide together. A trial jury is a small group of citizens who must decide the facts of a case together, often unanimously (all members agreeing). Federal courts give jurors a handbook published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the agency that runs the business side of the federal courts. It covers only trials in the United States district courts (the federal trial courts); state courts, where most U.S. jury trials take place, follow their own rules. Gloss: "foreperson" (the juror who leads the discussion), "deliberations" (the jury's discussion before it decides), "verdict" (the jury's decision), "impartially" (without favoring either side) and "conscientious" (careful and guided by a sense of duty).

   1In some districts, the judge selects the foreperson of the jury. In other districts, the jurors elect their foreperson, and in still other districts, the first juror to enter the jury box becomes the foreperson automatically. The judge will inform jurors which method is used in the district.

   2The foreperson presides over the jury’s deliberations and must give every juror a fair opportunity to express his or her views.

   3Jurors must enter the discussion with open minds. They should freely exchange views. They should not hesitate to change their opinions if the deliberations have convinced them they were wrong initially.

   4In a criminal case, all jurors must agree on the verdict. This is also required in a civil case, unless the jury is otherwise instructed by the court.

   5The jurors have a duty to give full consideration to the opinion of their fellow jurors. They have an obligation to reach a verdict whenever possible. However, no juror is required to give up any opinion which he or she is convinced is correct.

   6It would be dishonest for a judge to decide a case by tossing a coin. It would be just as dishonest for a juror to do so.

   7The members of the jury are sworn to pass judgment on the facts in a particular case. They have no concern beyond that case. They violate their oath if they render their decision on the basis of the effect their verdict may have on other situations.

   [...]

   8To decide cases correctly, jurors must be honest and intelligent. They must have both integrity and good judgment. The continued vitality of the jury system depends on these attributes.

   9To meet their responsibility, jurors must decide the facts and apply the law impartially. They must not favor the rich or the poor. They must treat alike all men and women, corporations and individuals. Justice should be rendered to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, or sex.

   10The performance of jury service is the fulfillment of a high civic obligation. Conscientious service brings its own reward in the satisfaction of an important task well done. There is no more valuable work that the average citizen can perform in support of our Government than the full and honest discharge of jury duty.

   11The effectiveness of the democratic system itself is largely measured by the integrity, the intelligence, and the general quality of citizenship of the jurors who serve in our courts.

   • Weighing open-mindedness against integrity (Source 2)

     The handbook says jurors "should not hesitate to change their opinions" (paragraph 3) and also that "no juror is required to give up any opinion which he or she is convinced is correct" (paragraph 5). Do these rules contradict each other?

     Result: No. The two rules separate good and bad reasons for changing one's mind. A juror should change an opinion when "the deliberations have convinced them they were wrong initially" (paragraph 3), that is, because of evidence and argument. A juror should not drop an opinion simply because he or she is outnumbered. Applied to any group: open-mindedness means you can be persuaded, and integrity means you cannot be pressured. Groups need both, and a member who has neither (who either never listens or always gives in) weakens the decision.

   Pair task: Make a three-column chart: "Rule from Source 2," "Civic virtue or democratic principle it applies," "Why a team at school or work would need it." Fill four rows, using at least two different paragraphs. Then compare with another pair and add one rule you missed.

   Teacher model for the pair work: Row 1: "The judge will inform jurors which method is used in the district" to choose the foreperson (paragraph 1), which applies the principle of agreed decision rules: everyone knows before deliberation begins how the group's leader is chosen, so no one can grab the role. A project team needs the same thing, or the most confident member becomes the leader by default. Students fill the remaining rows.

4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes

   Students read Source 3, an invented transcript of a mock jury in a high school civics class deciding an invented civil case: a rider sued a bike shop, claiming its brake repair caused his crash. The judge instructed the jury that its verdict must be unanimous. A "hex key" is a small six-sided wrench; testimony that is "read back" is repeated to the jury from the court's record. Students then answer the quiz, which uses Sources 1-3, and Diagram 2, which counts the speaking turns in the transcript.

   1Dana (foreperson): "Before anyone votes, I'd like to go around the table once so everyone can say what they think the evidence shows. Rob, will you start? Then we'll go clockwise."

   2Rob: "The shop replaced the brake cable on May 2, three days before the crash, and the mechanic who testified for the rider said the bolt that holds the cable was loose. That points to the shop."

   3Marcus: "Can we skip this? It's obvious the shop did it. Five of us probably agree, so let's vote and go home."

   4Dana: "The judge told us the verdict has to be unanimous, so five isn't enough. And Keisha hasn't had a turn yet."

   5Keisha: "I'm not sure. The shop's lawyer showed that the rider had a hex key in his bag, and he admitted he 'tightened a few things' before the ride. If he loosened that bolt by mistake, the shop isn't responsible."

   6Marcus: "Come on. You're just siding with the business."

   7Wen: "That's not fair to Keisha. She gave a reason from the evidence, so let's answer the reason."

   8Tomás: "I agreed with Rob at first. But Keisha's point made me check my notes on the rider's testimony. He said he tightened the seat and the handlebars, not the brakes."

   9Keisha: "If that's what he said, it changes things for me. Can we ask the judge to have that part of the testimony read back?" Dana: "Yes. I'll write the note, and we'll all agree on the wording before it goes out."

   10The testimony is read back, and it matches Tomás's notes. Keisha: "Okay. I've changed my mind. The evidence shows the shop's repair caused the crash." Marcus: "Finally." Wen: "Marcus, she changed her mind because of the evidence. That's how it's supposed to work."

   11Rob: "Before we vote, does anyone still have a doubt they haven't said out loud?" No one does. Dana: "Then let's vote by secret ballot." The vote is 6 to 0 for the rider.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: On an index card, finish two sentences: "The civic virtue I most need to practice when I work with others is ___, because ___." and "One rule I would want any group I join to agree on in advance is ___, because ___."

   Teacher note on the sources: Source 1 is quoted exactly from the 1916 edition. Dewey uses "men" and "his" for any person, as was usual at the time; ask students how they would word his sentences today. His phrase "barriers of class, race, and national territory" (paragraph 3) treats those divisions as obstacles that democracy should break down; in 1916, "race" was often used loosely, for nationalities as well as for the groups called races today, which is worth a short discussion. The chapter elsewhere includes dated and offensive language about "savage tribes," which this excerpt leaves out; the source note lists every cut. Source 2 is a current federal publication, quoted exactly. It covers only federal trials in the United States district courts; state courts, which hold most U.S. jury trials, have their own rules and juror handbooks (for example, some states allow non-unanimous verdicts in some civil cases). The handbook describes how jurors should work together; it is not legal advice. Sources 3 and 4 are invented scenarios written for this page; the case, the pool and the people are not real. This lesson asks students to practice in class; it does not ask them to contact any court, employer or official.

   Homework passage. Source 4 is an invented scenario about a crew of lifeguards scheduling a holiday. "Time-and-a-half" means 1.5 times the usual hourly pay, and "Memorial Day" is the holiday on the last Monday in May; at this invented pool, it was the last holiday shift before the Fourth of July.

   1The Lakeview city pool has a crew of 8 lifeguards. For the Fourth of July, its busiest day, the supervisor, Ms. Brandt, needs 3 guards on the 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. shift and 3 on the 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. shift. Holiday work pays time-and-a-half, so most of the crew wants a shift. Ms. Brandt asked the crew to agree on a schedule by Friday and said she would accept any plan the crew agreed on, as long as each shift had 3 guards.

   2At the crew meeting, the three guards with the most years on the job, Owen, Bea and Kofi, said they should get first pick, as they always had. Lina, in her first summer, said she had been told at her interview that holiday shifts rotate. Owen said, "Nobody wrote that down, so it doesn't count."

   3Bea looked up the staff handbook on her phone and read it aloud: "Holiday shifts are assigned by rotation. Employees who worked the previous holiday go to the end of the list." Owen, Bea and Kofi were the only guards who had worked on Memorial Day.

   4Kofi said, "The handbook is clear, and I'd rather follow it than argue. But can we let people trade shifts if both guards agree and Ms. Brandt is told?" The crew agreed to Kofi's idea and sent Ms. Brandt the schedule on Thursday.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Dewey writes that when more people take part in a shared interest, so that each must consider the actions of the others, the result "is equivalent to the breaking down of those barriers" (Source 1, paragraph 3). What else does he say follows?

   ADemocracy matters only on election day, when citizens choose who will lead them BGroups should let their single best-informed member make every decision CMembers face more varied situations, which frees powers a closed group suppresses DOnly governments can be democratic, so teams and clubs need entirely different rules

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Dewey's two questions in Source 1, paragraph 1 are "How numerous and varied are the interests which are consciously shared?" and "How full and free is the interplay with other forms of association?" A school newspaper staff shares many goals and often works with other clubs, teachers and readers. How would Dewey judge it?

   APoorly, because sharing so many interests keeps a group from staying focused BWell on both tests: varied shared interests and free interplay with others CWell on the first test only, because it is the one about working with outsiders DHe could not judge it at all, because his tests apply only to governments

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   According to Dewey (Source 1, paragraph 3), why does a democratic society need "voluntary disposition and interest"?

   ASince it rejects external authority, it needs members who choose to cooperate BBecause voters cannot choose good leaders without free newspapers to inform them CBecause people in a democracy always cooperate without being asked to DBecause a democratic society has no laws or rules of any kind at all

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Source 2, paragraph 2 says the foreperson "must give every juror a fair opportunity to express his or her views." Which democratic principle does this rule apply?

   AMajority rule over the minority BSeparation of powers among branches CEqual voice for every member DFederalism between state and nation

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which action by a juror would violate Source 2, paragraph 6 ("It would be dishonest for a judge to decide a case by tossing a coin. It would be just as dishonest for a juror to do so.")?

   AAsking to have a witness's testimony read back before deciding the verdict BChanging a vote after hearing a convincing argument about the evidence CExplaining to the others why the evidence has not changed one's own view DAgreeing without real conviction just so the jury can finish

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Source 2, paragraph 9 says jurors "must not favor the rich or the poor" and "must treat alike all men and women, corporations and individuals." In a civil case between a large company and one person, what does this require?

   AGiving the person more benefit of the doubt because the company is powerful BDeciding on the facts and the law, whoever the parties are CSiding with the company because it employs many people DSplitting the difference so that neither side loses everything

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Source 3, paragraph 1, Dana asks every juror to speak once, in order, before anyone votes. How does this apply Source 2?

   AIt applies paragraph 2: every juror gets a fair opportunity to speak BIt applies paragraph 7: jurors must judge only the facts of the case CIt breaks paragraph 3, because jurors should exchange views freely and not in order DIt breaks paragraph 4, because a vote must come before any discussion

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Source 3, paragraph 3, Marcus says, "Five of us probably agree, so let's vote and go home." Which reply in the transcript shows that his proposal would break the jury's decision rule?

   AWen: "That's not fair to Keisha. She gave a reason from the evidence." BRob: "The shop replaced the brake cable on May 2, three days before the crash." CDana: "The judge told us the verdict has to be unanimous." DTomás: "But Keisha's point made me check my notes on the rider's testimony."

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Source 3, paragraph 6, Marcus tells Keisha, "You're just siding with the business." Which civic virtue does Wen apply in her reply in paragraph 7?

   ALoyalty, by defending a friend no matter what the evidence shows BThrift, by keeping the discussion as short as possible CObedience, by doing whatever the foreperson tells the jurors DCivility, by steering the jury back to Keisha's reason

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Keisha changes her mind in Source 3, paragraph 10. Why is this open-mindedness and not simply giving in?

    AShe changes it after the read-back confirms a key fact BShe changes it because Marcus kept pressing her to agree CShe changes it because the rest of the jury wanted to go home DShe changes it because the foreperson told her she should

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Diagram 2 counts the speaking turns in Source 3. Which statement does the chart support?

    AEvery juror spoke the same number of times during deliberation BTomás spoke least, but every juror spoke at least once CMarcus spoke more often than any other juror in the transcript DThe foreperson spoke less than half as often as Rob did overall

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In Source 3, paragraph 9, Dana says, "I'll write the note, and we'll all agree on the wording before it goes out." Which pair of ideas does this apply?

    ASecrecy and loyalty to the court BSpeed and efficiency, since she skips the vote CResponsibility and equal voice DMajority rule and seniority

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Rob asks, "Before we vote, does anyone still have a doubt they haven't said out loud?" (Source 3, paragraph 11). Which sentence in Source 2 does his question put into practice?

    A"The jurors have a duty to give full consideration to the opinion of their fellow jurors." B"In a criminal case, all jurors must agree on the verdict. This is also required in a civil case" C"The judge will inform jurors which method is used in the district." D"The performance of jury service is the fulfillment of a high civic obligation."

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Dewey says members of a democratic group must "consider the action of others to give point and direction to" their own (Source 1, paragraph 3). Which moment in Source 3 best fits this idea?

    AMarcus urging a vote before Keisha has had her turn BTomás rechecking his notes because of Keisha's point CThe secret ballot that ends the deliberation DRob opening the discussion with the date of the repair

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Marcus breaks at least two of the rules in Source 2 during the deliberation in Source 3. Identify two of his statements, name the rule each breaks with a paragraph number, and explain what a juror applying that rule would have said instead.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Explain how Source 3 shows both open-mindedness and integrity. Use one juror for each, with evidence.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Using Diagram 2 and the transcript, evaluate whether the mock jury applied the principle of equal voice. Consider both the number of turns and what each juror had a chance to say.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Dewey says the habits democracy needs "can be created only by education" (Source 1, paragraph 3). Using the mock jury as an example, explain one civic virtue a high school class could build by practicing deliberation.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Source 2, paragraph 4 says federal juries in criminal cases must be unanimous. Give one advantage and one risk of a unanimous decision rule for a group working together, and name a kind of group decision where a majority vote would fit better.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    Choose one civic virtue and one democratic principle from this lesson and explain how you will apply each in your next group project or team decision. Be specific about what you will do and say.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to D2.Civ.7.9-12: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

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.