Free 9th Grade Authoritarian Vs. Democratic Governments Lesson Plan

Topic: Authoritarian vs. Democratic Governments

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to compare and contrast the characteristics and policies of authoritarian governments with those of democratic governments.

Materials

• Handout with definitions and descriptions of authoritarian and democratic governments
• Examples of policies and actions taken by governments in each category (e.g. restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly in authoritarian governments vs. freedom of speech and assembly in democratic governments)

Warm-up

• Display a series of pictures of leaders from different countries and ask students to guess whether the country is considered authoritarian or democratic.
• Discuss the answers as a class, noting any misconceptions or incorrect assumptions.

Direct Instruction

• Define authoritarian and democratic governments using the definitions from the notes from the warm-up activity.
• Discuss the characteristics of authoritarian and democratic governments using the handouts.
• Use examples from history or current events to illustrate the differences between the two types of government.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a scenario describing a country with one of the two types of government.
• Have the groups discuss the characteristics and policies of the government and how they compare to the characteristics and policies of the other type of government.
• Bring the groups back together and have them share their findings with the class.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one of the two types of government and research its characteristics and policies.
• Have students create a poster or presentation to illustrate their findings and share it with the class.

Closure

• Review the key differences between authoritarian and democratic governments.
• Ask students to reflect on the importance of having a government that is responsive to the people, and the dangers of having a government that is not.

Assessment

• Observe and take notes on student participation during class discussions and group presentations.
• Evaluate the quality and accuracy of student presentations.
• Ask students to write a short reflection on what they learned about authoritarian and democratic governments, and what they think about the importance of having a government that is responsive to the people.