Students will be able to identify a basic textbook definition of good citizenship, including the classic Roman concept of civic virtue (putting the common good above individual need).

The learner will:

• state orally at least four words or phrases that describe a good citizen (a person of civic virtue).

Anticipatory Set:
Write the term "good citizen" on the board. Give students two or three minutes to work with a partner to come up with a list of characteristics of good citizens. Call on several students to report on the characteristics they identified.

• Explain that ideas about citizenship have been debated and discussed for many centuries and that many different cultures and societies have influenced Americans' ideas. Some of the earliest ideas came from the Roman Republic where the leaders believed that all citizens must have civic virtue. They believed that citizens with civic virtue put the common good above their own individual needs.
   
• If the out-of-print text We The People (see Bibliographical References) is available, assign Lesson Three for class reading. If it isn't available, assign the chapter (or chapter section) that deals with "citizenship" in the class social studies textbook. Ask students to look for and make a list of all words and phrases in the lesson that might be considered part of the definition of good citizenship (i.e., a citizen with civic virtue).
   
• Homework: If this is not finished in class, students finish reading the chapter and create a list of words and phrases describing civic virtue by writing down all words and phrases from the chapter that relate to good citizenship and civic virtue. A minimum of four words or phrases must be included on the list.

Over the next few weeks, students may be asked to bring in news articles which highlight people who demonstrate civic virtue.