Warm-Up

◼Write down the lesson name and the date.◼Copy down the SWBAT:

▪SWBAT describe what direct democracy is & how the Greeks used it.

◼Complete the following task in your binder:▪Explain one way kings/monarchs/rulers managed to stay in power.

Democracy in Athens

City-States

◼Ancient Greece was organized into a series of city-states.

◼A city-state is a city that is an independent country.

◼One of these city-states was Athens.

Other governments

◼Early on, Greece used different governments:▪ Monarchies▪ Oligarchies (ruled by a few powerful

people)▪ Tyrants (one person who rules a

country unfairly)

Athens was a special snowflake…

◼Democracy was unique to Athens.

Why democracy?

◼Poor people were not allowed to have a say in their government, so they got upset.

◼To prevent this, Greece turned to democracy.

Wait, but what is democracy?

◼Democracy is a government where people rule themselves.

◼PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER.

Class Vote◼ Silently raise your hand to vote for your

opinion on the following questions:1. Should students use pen or pencil?2. Should students be allowed to wear only

orange, white, or navy?3. Should students sit or stand during class?4. Is the best way to learn notes, reading, or

doing something interactive?5. Which is the best elective: gym, Spanish, or

art?6. Are lockers awesome or a pain?

•Answer the following questions based on the class vote we just conducted. Be truthful and answer independently:

◼-Why is direct democracy awesome?◼-Why can direct democracy be a pain in the butt?

Class Vote questions

Differences

◼Democracy in Athens was different from democracy in the United States in two ways….

Public Debate

◼People gave speeches to convince others Athens should do what that person wanted.

◼ (everyone could express their opinion…)

Public Debate

◼Thousands of people would come to listen to speeches and vote by a show of hands.

Direct/Representative Democracy

◼This is called direct democracy, where people vote on what should be done.

◼This is different from the United States, where we vote for representatives, who decide what should be done.

◼This is called representative democracy.

◼ Based on the New York Times article and the short description of direct democracy, you will write an magazine/newspaper article. Your magazine/newspaper article must answer the following questions:

▪ Based on the articles, do you think direct democracy could work in the United States? Why or why not?

▪ How would you change direct democracy to work better?

▪ Should everyone be allowed to vote? If not, who should be excluded. Explain your reasoning.

▪ How do you make sure everyone has a say?

◼ Your article must also include the following:

▪ A title

▪ An illustration (picture)

QUESTIONS???

Write an article…