• Scenario Handout  
• Civic Virtue Poster  

Key Terms 

• Duty: obligations that citizens are required to fulfill, often mandated by law or moral principles 
• Responsibility: actions that citizens voluntarily undertake to contribute to the well-being of society or uphold democratic values 

Engage 

• Start the class by introducing and comparing the definitions of duty and responsibility. 
  • Duty: obligations that citizens are required to fulfill, often mandated by law or moral principles 
  • Responsibility: actions that citizens voluntarily undertake to contribute to the well-being of society or uphold democratic values 
• Then, ask students, What do you think are your responsibilities and duties as a citizen of the United States? Allow a few responses, and then introduce the topic. 
• Briefly outline today’s class objectives and the importance of understanding one’s responsibilities and duties as a citizen. 

Explore

• Assign students to small groups. Provide each group with the Scenario Handout that depicts various situations involving civic duties.  
• In their small groups, students discuss what they would do in each scenario and identify the implications of their choices.  
• While still in their groups, pass out the civic virtues poster. Introduce the list of civic virtues and explain that a healthy civil society requires the people to be virtuous, informed, and vigilant to ensure governing institutions are directed towards their right ends. Good habits, or virtues, promote self-governance and help guarantee local communities orient themselves towards advancing the spirit of a common purpose. When done correctly, this moves us to a fuller recognition of our nation’s founding ideals of liberty, equality, and justice. But working towards that common purpose is challenging and not always fully achieved. By investigating when individuals acted rightly or failed to do so, we can learn lessons to apply to self-governance today.
• Students discuss which civic virtues to apply to the scenarios. Help students by asking them:  
  • Which of these civic virtues would help you participate in this scenario fully? How would you practice this civic virtue to achieve this civic duty or responsibility?  
  • What does this civic virtue look like in action?  
• Instruct each student to write their own short paragraph on one civic duty that they think is most important and why. Students should include a civic virtue that can fulfill their civic duties effectively. Encourage them to think about how this duty impacts their daily lives and their community. 

Scaffolding Note: To help students understand the importance of civic virtues, you may want to use this lesson on Defining Civic Virtues

Reflect  

• Invite a few students to share their paragraphs and thoughts with the class. 
• Highlight the key points discussed in class and reiterate the importance of understanding and fulfilling our civic duties. 

Extend 

• Arrange a guest speaker, such as a local government official or a jury coordinator, to talk about civic responsibilities and duties in practice. 
• Plan a field trip to a local courthouse or council meeting to see civic responsibilities and duties in action.