As a recent graduate of University Galactica with an advanced degree in Interplanetary Relations, you have been selected as a candidate for an upcoming.

As a recent graduate of University Galactica with an advanceddegree in Interplanetary Relations, you have been selected as acandidate for an upcoming research mission to the little blue planet,Earth.

Upon successfully completing four candidate processing stations, youwill be allowed to join the research team that journeys to Earth.

Task of the research mission:Provide recommendations to The Council of the Universeon the one form of government that should be used on Earth tosuccessfully integrate the planet into The Council.

Processing Station #1

Earth Mission Anticipation Guide for Stage One Candidates

Directions:

Record on a separate sheet of paper whether you agree or disagree with each statement.

Meet with a fellow candidate to compare answers.

Discuss your thinking for any statements to which you and the other candidate respond differently.

 Agree

Disagree Statement

 1. _____

_____ In a peaceful, educated society, government is not necessary.

 2. _____

_____ Government is responsible for making sure all citizens have food,

clothes, education, healthcare, and a safe place to live.

 3. _____

_____ Limited governments do not allow citizens to have individual

rights.

 4. _____

_____ People do not have the right to vote or control how the

government is run in a country with a monarch (queen or king).

5. _____ _____ Once one type of government is established, a revolution must

occur to change to a new type of government.

Processing Station #2Visit Spelling City to improve your

understandingof terms frequently used on Earth when analyzing government systems.

Complete the following activities:1.Teach Me2.Play the game, Which Word?3.Play the game, Match It!

Processing Station #3

Earth Web Resources:Types of Government (2003)Types of Government (BBC)Types of Government (CIA World Factbook)Types of Government Game

Fill-out then print an interactive Venn Diagram

to compare the following types of government:

1.Republic vs. Parliament2.Parliamentary Monarchy vs. parliamentary democracy3.Dictatorship vs. traditional monarchy4.Theocracy vs. totalitarian state5.Totalitarian state vs. dictatorship

Processing Station #4

Some forms of government on Earth have unlimited power over the resources of a country and provide the citizens with few individual rights. Other forms of governments have constitutions that limit their power and protect the rights of the people to own property and to have control over their own lives.

1)Use a Word document to create a continuum line of government types from unlimited power to limited power.

Unlimited government Limited government

2) Insert the following six types of government along the top the continuum line according to the amount of power they exercise over the citizens : Monarchy, Republic, Totalitarian State, Anarchy, Dictator, and Parliament

3) Insert the following types of economic systems along the bottom of the continuum line according to the amount of power the government exercises over the economy and the country’s resources: capitalism, communism, and socialism.

Mission Earth!Spend some time exploring the governments, land, and oceans on Planet Earth:

CIA - The World FactbookGoogle Earth - Download

Report to The Council

Upon returning from your research trip to Planet Earth, you are to make a recommendation to The Council of the Universe on the one form of government that should be used on Earth to successfully integrate the planet into The Council.

You may recommend any one of the forms of government currently being used on the planet; however, you must support your recommendation with the following: (1) facts about how the governmental system works and the extent to

which it is being used on Earth,(2) examples of how this form of government is successful,(3) areas of potential concern or weakness with this type of government, (4) explain how the form of government you are recommending supports

The Council of the Universe’s motto: (You supply the motto)

Mission Performance RubricStage of Mission Developing Adequate Exemplary

Term Identification Demonstrated minimal understanding of terms

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Identified terms with few errors and used terms within correct context

7, 8

Strong command of terms, definitions, and usage.

9, 10

Venn Comparisons Less than 3 concepts identified in one or more diagrams

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

Less than 4 concepts identified and less than 2 descriptions used per diagram

14, 16

5 concepts identified and described for each diagram

18, 20

Power Continuum four or less in correct order

6

Five to seven in correct order

8

Eight or nine in correct order

9, 10

Written Report Adequately addresses 2 or less of the four areas specified for the report

10 - 30

Adequately addresses 3 of the four areas specified for the report

30 - 40

Adequately addresses all four areas specified for the report

40 - 50

Teacher InformationOverviewThis webquest is designed to assist students of varying ability levels inincreasing their understanding of the multiple forms of government.

Recommended Lead-inStudents can quickly grasp the complexity of analyzing the various forms ofgovernment, if asked to look up “types of government” on wikipedia.com

Literacy StrategiesFour literacy strategies, with explicit student instructions, are used in the webquest: • an anticipation guide to activate prior knowledge, • Venn diagrams to support analysis of similar and dissimilar aspects between governments, • a graphic organizer to signify degrees of power exercised by different types of governments,

and • a writing to learn activity that requires students to synthesize the elements of how a

government operates and the degree to which it supports or suppresses individual rights.

Teacher Information (cont’d)ModificationsFor enrichment, students can be asked to more extensively study two similargovernments to detect the difference between them (USA and Australia orSouth Africa and India, etc.) or to read and report on a source document suchas Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, or The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson.

For accessibility, students can be given more time to explore more ofthe learning activities on SpellingCity.com, can be asked to complete fewerVenn Diagrams at Processing Stage 3, can be provided terms to place into the Venn Circles, can be asked to place fewer types of governments on thelimited/unlimited continuum, can be provided pre-made organizer and labeledsticky notes instead of creating the continuum organizer as a Word document,and can be “interviewed” regarding recommendations to The Council instead ofwriting a report.

Content Standards and Objectives• SS 7.02.02 Students will examine the different forms of

government in various world regions• SS 7.01.01 Students will compare and contrast rights of

citizens in a variety of world regions• SS 7.02.04 Students will debate the importance of

limited government and the rule of law• SS S.07.06 Students will use the dimensions of reading

(phonemic awareness, phonics, background knowledge/vocabulary, high frequency word/fluency, comprehension, and writing) in their acquisition of social studies knowledge, insuring a foundation of college readiness in this genre.

ResourcesBillmeyer, Rachel, & Barton, Mary Lee. (1998). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas.

If not me, then who? Aurora, CO: McREL.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2128.htmlDictionary.comgoogle-earth.en.softonic.comnews.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/united_nations/

types_of_government/newsid_2151000/2151589.stmquia.com/cb/14713.htmlreadwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/venn-diagram-circles-

30006.htmlSpellingcity.comstutzfamily.com/mrstutz/WorldAffairs/typesofgovt.html