7.2B – Read the Text #2: Building Comprehension
Read the module text again as a class.
Students take turns reading a paragraph (or a few sentences).
After each paragraph, STOP to go over vocabulary and questions about the reading as a class.
READING TEXT
Module 7: Civic Participation and Power of the People
PARAGRAPH 1
The people who live in a city, state, or country expect their government to help them in different ways. A government’s responsibilities include making and enforcing laws. The government also protects people by providing police, military, and emergency services. Governments collect taxes. With the tax money they try to support a good quality of life for the people. For example, governments use tax money to build and take care of roads, bridges, prisons, parks, schools, and government buildings (like post offices and courthouses). Tax money also helps give us federal, state, and local programs. It pays for public education, Social Security and disability benefits, health services, and much more.
- Learn the word INCLUDE: (verb) a part of a whole set
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- The price of a meal includes rice and beans and a drink.
- This recipe includes peanuts.
- Learn the word ENFORCE: (verb) to make sure that a person or activity follows the rules
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- Police enforce traffic laws.
- This app enforces security rules, so it needs a strong password.
- Learn the word MILITARY: (noun) the armed forces of a country, including the army, navy, and air force
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- A soldier serves in the military.
- In your country of origin, do all citizens serve in the military?
- Learn the word BENEFIT: (noun) something good that someone or something gets from doing an activity; (verb) to gain something good or positive from something else
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- This job has good health benefits. Social Security is a government benefit.
- I benefit from coming to this class.
- What do the government’s responsibilities include?
- Do you remember the different parts of the federal government? What are they responsible for?
- What do you think “provide” means? For example, what do governments provide for the people?
- What do governments do with the tax money they collect?
- What are some other examples of how the government helps us? Can you think of some that aren’t in the reading text?
PARAGRAPH 2
People in a society also have responsibilities to their community and to the government. The government requires all people living in the United States to follow laws, pay taxes, and go to school if they are a certain age. U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or older must participate on juries in courts; this is called “jury duty”. If there is a war, the government can also call for certain U.S. residents who are 18 and older to serve in the military. All male citizens and permanent residents between 18 and 25 must register with a U.S. program called the Selective Service to prepare for this. U.S. citizens 18 and over can vote in elections to help choose their government officials. Some people lose the right to vote after a court finds them guilty of serious crimes.
- Let’s review: what does society mean?
- What do you think “follow laws” means?
- What do you think “require” means? What does the government require people to do?
- Let’s review: what does participate mean?
- Let’s review: what does jury mean? What happens during jury duty?
- What is Selective Service? Who is required to register for Selective Service?
- Who can participate in elections? How old do you have to be to vote for president?
- Do you think everyone should be able to vote? Are there reasons why some people should not be able to vote?
Members of a jury sit in these chairs when they listen to court cases. [Credit] 
PARAGRAPH 3
Being an informed citizen is a major responsibility in a democracy. This is also true for community members who don’t have citizenship status. We can all become informed by learning about news and information from different sources. We can go to local meetings, read newspapers, and find TV and radio news and internet media that we trust. Informed citizens can also learn more about their communities if they participate in civic activities. We can vote, volunteer in schools, support community programs, and organize political campaigns for elections. People can run for government positions to represent the people where they live. Workers can join unions to support their rights to fair pay, benefits, and safe working conditions.
- Let’s review: what does informed citizen mean?
- Learn the word UNION: (noun) an organization of workers that try to get better working conditions
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- Are there unions in your country of origin?
- Are you part of a union?
- What is an informed citizen?
- What do informed citizens do? Where do they get information and what do they do with it?
- How can all people (non-citizens and U.S. citizens) help their communities and other people around them?
- Should voting be required of all citizens?
Voting is a civic activity for U.S. citizens. This chart shows the percentage of people voting in various countries. What was the percentage of registered United States voters who voted in 2020? [Credit]
Community members sharing ideas at a public meeting. [Credit]
PARAGRAPHS 4-5
Another way to become a more informed citizen is to support a political party. Political parties are groups of people who work together to elect candidates to the government. Political parties may have different ways to address problems. They look for candidates who will try to use their power to solve problems according to the party’s views. But after politicians win their elections, they often have to listen to all of the people. They also listen to companies and organizations that donate money to them.
The two major political parties in the United States are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Democrats usually believe in liberal ideas, like voting equality, equal rights, and spending government money on social programs such as health care, Social Security, and unemployment insurance. Republican beliefs are more socially and financially conservative; they support lower taxes, less tax money for government programs, and fewer government laws for businesses. There are also smaller U.S. political parties that work to bring attention to ideas they see as important. For example, the Green Party fights for environmental conservation.
- What are “political parties”? What do they do?
- Who belongs to political parties?
- What do you think “according to” means?
- What are the two major U.S. political parties? What does each party believe in or support? Are there other political parties in the U.S.?
- Do you know of political parties in other countries?
PARAGRAPH 6
Because of the protective laws written in the Bill of Rights, all people in the U.S. can express the ideas that they believe in. They can organize meetings and protests to share their ideas and try to influence lawmakers to support policies. Social progress in the U.S. and the world has happened because of the power of people coming together. People used their freedom of speech to push against unfair practices and ideas. As a result, many groups today have the right to vote, to run for office, to own property, to attend college, and to receive government benefits. “People power” and civic participation help drive our society forward to a future that supports the needs of every person.
- What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?
- Let’s review: what does policy mean? Name a policy you support or find interesting.
- Let’s review: what does civic participation mean? What are two ways Americans (and people living in the U.S.) can participate in democracy? (check entire text)
- What are two rights that everyone living in the United States has?
- What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
- What do you think “express ideas” means?
- What does the Bill of Rights allow people to do? How does the Bill of Rights protect people?
- What do you think the word “progress” means?
- What is “people power”? How can people make positive changes together? Can you provide examples of “people power” from other countries?
A 2015 March to raise the minimum wage in the United States. [Credit]
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