8th Grade Social Contract Lesson Plan

Topic:Social Contract

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the concept of a social contract and be able to create their own for their class.

Materials

• Large piece of paper or a whiteboard
• Markers or chalk
• Handouts with examples of social contracts

Warm-up

• Ask students to think about their school and the rules that are in place.
• "What are some of the rules that are in place at your school?
• Write their answers on the board.
• Ask students if they think the rules at their school are fair, and why or why not.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of the social contract and explain that it is an agreement between members of society about how they should behave towards each other.
• Ask students if they think it is important to have a social contract and why or why not.
• Ask students to think about the values and principles that are important to them and what they would like their class to stand for.
• Have students work in groups to brainstorm and write down the values and principles that they would like to see in place in their class.
• Have each group share their ideas with the class and discuss as a whole class.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in groups to brainstorm and write down specific rules and guidelines that should be in place in their class.
• Have each group share their ideas with the class and discuss as a whole class.

Independent Practice

• Have students create a visual representation of their social contract, such as a poster, poster board, or collage.
• Encourage students to be creative and have fun with their project.

Closure

• Have each group present their social contract to the class.
• Ask students to reflect on what they learned about the social contract and how they can apply it to their own lives.

Assessment

• Observe students during the group discussion and during the independent practice to assess their understanding of the social contract and their ability to create a realistic and viable contract for their class.
• Evaluate each social contract based on the principles of the social contract theory and the effectiveness of the contract in promoting and protecting the rights and freedoms of the students.