Focus (or Guiding) Questions:
How various governments try to control and maintain order?
How has freedom of press helped and hindered citizens and government leaders?

Know:
Why governments control the news released as well as the social media available.
People are willing to risk their own safety to fight injustice and demand changes in the government. 
How social media has helped suppressed peoples fight to change their government.

Do:
Complete a map of five Arab countries
Research information about protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Sudan, and Iraq
Complete a Venn Diagram
Complete a RAFT writing prompt

Review the Bill of Rights using the lesson plan at, http://www.icivics.org/teachers/lesson-plans/bill-rights-you-mean-ive-got-rights.  Use as much or as little from the lesson plan to fit the needs of your class.  The lesson plan also has additional resources that can be used in class if more remediation is needed.

Research has shown that the least effective strategy for teaching vocabulary is having students look up words and write the definitions.  For quality, research-based strategies for teaching content vocabulary, see the Teach 21 Strategy Bank at http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/vocabulary.html.

propaganda
autocratic

Step 1:   
Give the students a copy of the Bill of Rights to read.  Review the Bill of Rights using the lesson plan at, http://www.icivics.org/teachers/lesson-plans/bill-rights-you-mean-ive-got-rights.  Use as much or as little from the lesson plan to fit the needs of your class.  The lesson plan also has additional resources that can be used in class if more remediation is needed.

Step 2: 
Complete the Creating a Primer on the Arab World, http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/mapping-discord-creating-a-primer-on-the-arab-world.   A lesson plan is available to follow at the site as well. 

Use the website listed above and the student sheet, http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/mapping-discord-creating-a-primer-on-the-arab-world/.  Students will work in groups to complete the map and the Information Cards for each of the five countries.  After completion of the information cards, discuss with the class the information they discovered.

Step 3:
After completion of the Primer, discuss with the students how the five countries differ from the United States.  Encourage ideas from the Bill of Rights completed in Step 1.  Another option would be to use the Venn Diagram to have the groups complete before the class discussion.  Use the website, www.wolframalpha.com for the students to get basic background information about the five countries to be completed on the Primer of the Arab World. 

Step 4: 
Using the computer lab or a computer in the classroom connected to a digital projector use the Newseum website to view information about World Press Freedom, http://www.newseum.org/exhibits-and-theaters/permanent-exhibits/world-news/press-freedom-map.html

Click on the different countries related to the venn diagram.  Compare the press freedom with the Freedom House rating of the six countries.  Find countries that have more and less freedom then the countries currently being prepared.  Relate the class discussion to the role the government plays in the amount of freedom the press has and the control of the people. 

Step 5:  Writing across the curriculum:
Students will complete the RAFT Assignment.  The assignment can be completed individually or with a group.  Two copies of the assignment are on one sheet to conserve paper.  A rubric for the Raft writing assignment is available at http://writingfix.com/wac/RAFT.htm.  A six trait writing rubric and a blank rubric are available under Resources for RAFT writing prompts.  The writing assignment could also be used as a formative assessment.