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9th grade · Social Studies · Unit 3 of 11

Taking Part

Speak up, check facts, decide together

What your child practices

Ways to take part before and after 18, volunteering and civil society, petitions and peaceful protest, deliberating about tensions in our democracy, and checking news for reliability.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: GOV.13(A); GOV.13(B); GOV.14(A); GOV.14(B); GOV.19(D) · civic responsibilities, ways to take part in the political process, citizen movements and judging sources

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. You can take part before 18: volunteering, public hearings, petitions and neighborhood groups.
  2. Civil disobedience is peacefully breaking an unjust law and accepting the consequences.
  3. Read news carefully: an op-ed is an opinion piece, and confirmation bias is favoring what you already think.

Example: What is confirmation bias? We like hearing that we are right. It means favoring information that agrees with what you already think. Answer: favoring information that agrees with what you already think

Taking Part in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 3 of 11 in 9th grade Social Studies, after Forms of Government and before Media & Democracy.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Before taking a position on an issue, you should…

    • Research it from several reliable sources
    • Guess
    • Read one headline
    • Ask one friend

  2. Question 2

    What is a public hearing?

    • A school test
    • A private court trial
    • A meeting where the public can speak to officials about a decision
    • A concert

  3. Question 3

    What is a town hall meeting?

    • A court trial
    • A school dance
    • A private party
    • A meeting where officials answer questions from the public

  4. Question 4

    What is a primary source for a city council decision?

    • A friend's summary
    • A rumor
    • A meme
    • The official meeting minutes or video

  5. Question 5

    A town debates a new park versus more parking. What should a good civic decision weigh?

    • Nothing
    • Whatever is loudest
    • Only what one person wants
    • Costs and benefits for different groups

  6. Question 6

    An op-ed in a newspaper is…

    • An opinion piece
    • A government law
    • An advertisement only
    • A neutral news report

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