Lesson 2 - Rights and Responsibilities 

Curriculum Area: ​Social Studies  Approximate Time: ​30-45 minutes 

Standard: 
Standard 2 ​(Citizenship): Students will recognize and practice civic responsibility in the 
community, state, and nation.  
Objective 1 - ​Examine civic responsibility and demonstrate good citizenship. 
b. Explain the benefits of being a U.S. citizen (e.g., responsibilities, freedoms, 
opportunities, and the importance of voting in free elections).  

Essential Questions:  Objectives: 

● What is a right?  ● Students will understand the 
● What is a responsibility?  difference between a right and a 
● How are they different?  responsibility. 
● Students will recognize their own 
● What rights do you have? 
rights and responsibilities. 
● What responsibilities do you have?  ● Students will understand that 
voting is both a right ​and​ a 
responsibility. 

Vocabulary: 
Rights, Responsibilities, Voting 

Activities:  Materials:  
● Class discussion about rights and  ● Whiteboard 
responsibilities  ● Dry erase markers 
● SmartBoard 
● BrainPOP Jr. Video 
● BrainPOP Jr. Video - 
● “A Difficult Decision” Story  https://jr.brainpop.com/socialstudi
● Rights vs Responsibilities Game  es/citizenship/rightsandresponsibili
ties/  
● Wonders story “A Difficult 
Decision” 
● Rights vs Responsibilities Game and 
materials 
● Rights and responsibilities sentence 
strips 

Accommodations: 
● Use BrainPOP Jr. video as another mode of representation other than “lecturing” 
● Write words on the board so students can visually see them 
● Give students think time before sharing 
 
● Class discussion about “what are rights?” and “what are responsibilities?”  
○ Rights: ​Things the law says you can do or have; A freedom that is protected 
○ Responsibility: ​Your duty to do something; Something you should do 
● Write words on the board so students can read them  
● Give one or two examples 
● Watch BrainPOP Jr. Video: 
https://jr.brainpop.com/socialstudies/citizenship/rightsandresponsibilities/  
○ Pause video to discuss different components with class 
■ What is a citizen? 
■ What is a responsibility? 
■ What are examples of responsibilities you have? 
■ What is a right? 
■ What are examples of rights you have? 
● After video, discuss with class 
○ What are other rights you have? 
○ What are other responsibilities you have? 
○ Is voting a right and a responsibility? 
● Write the students’ examples of rights and responsibilities on the board. 
● Possible examples of different rights and responsibilities: 
Rights:    Responsibilities: 
○ Safe environment   ○ Follow safety rules 
○ Voice your opinion  ○ Respect the opinions of 
○ Good education  others 
○ To learn  ○ Go to school 
○ To play  ○ To listen to teachers 
○ To feel safe in school  ○ To look after school 
○ To have friends   equipment 
○ To be listened to  ○ To be kind to each other 
  ○ To take care of your 
  belongings 
  ○ To do your homework 
● Watch video again all the way through without pausing. 
● Discuss as a class and add to the list of rights and responsibilities. 
● Read “A Difficult Decision” from the Wonders book. 
● Class discussion about the story. 
○ How are Paul and Wyatt good citizens? 
○ What responsibility did Wyatt have when he found the GameMaster? 
○ What is something you do to be a good citizen? 
 ○ What is a responsibility you have as a citizen? 
● Discuss rights and responsibilities, refer back to examples on the board. 
● Review definitions of words. 
○ Right: ​Things the law says you can do or have; A freedom that is protected 
○ Responsibility: ​Your duty to do something; Something you should do 
● Play rights vs. responsibilities game for practice determining difference between 
rights and responsibilities. 
● “Post Assessment”: On 2 strips of paper, have students write down one right they 
have and one responsibility they have. Hang them up on the board.