1. Citizen Me!
ALL
Part One
the
LAYERS to
YOUR
CITIZENSHIP

2. WHAT IS A CITIZEN?
A. A member of a community with rights and responsibilities.
B. A person who is kind to others and helps people.
C. Someone involved in politics.
D. An adult.

3. So does that mean I’m a citizen?
Of a city?
Of a state?
Am I a citizen of my school?
We’re citizens of SOMETHING, right?

4. YES ! A community is a group of people who share an environment.
Every day you are part of several different layers of community.
That means you have many different levels of citizenship!

5. SIDE 1: Levels of Citizenship
CITIZENSHIP PYRAMID

6. HOME
LEVELS
STATE
CITY
HOME
SCHOOL
NATION
The people we live with make up the smallest “community” we belong to.
Write “People I live with” here:

7. SCHOOL
LEVELS
Our school or workplace is a community too. These are the people we interact with outside our homes every day.
NATION
STATE
CITY
SCHOOL
Record the name of your school here…
HOME

8. CITY You are a citizen of the city in which you live.
LEVELS
You are a citizen of the city in which you live.
NATION
STATE
CITY
Record the name of your city (or the city or town closest to you) here…
YOUR TOWN
SCHOOL
HOME

9. STATE
STATE
LEVELS
Our country is made up of 50 states (and a district, too!). You are a citizen of the state where you live.
NATION
STATE
CITY
SCHOOL
Write the name of your state here…
HOME

10. NATION NATION You are also a citizen of your country!
LEVELS
NATION
You are also a citizen of your country!
STATE
CITY
Write down the name of the nation in which you live here…
SCHOOL
HOME

11. Check Your Work! United States State Name Nearest City or Town
LEVELS
United States
NATION
State Name
STATE
Nearest City or Town
CITY
Your School
SCHOOL
“People I live with”
HOME

12. Sources of Rights & Responsibilities
SIDE 2:
Sources of Rights & Responsibilities
CITIZENSHIP PYRAMID

13. Okay, so being a citizen means having rights and responsibilities
Okay, so being a citizen means having rights and responsibilities. Where do those rights and responsibilities come from?

14. Rights and responsibilities come from…
A. The President.
B. Police officers.
C. Different places, depending on the level of citizenship.
D. Long documents nobody can read or understand.

15. United States Constitution
NATION
United States Constitution
In the United States, we are guaranteed a list of rights in our Constitution.

16. United States Constitution
NATION
STATE
CITY
SOURCES
HOME
SCHOOL
NATION
Record it here!
U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution

17. STATE State Constitution
Each state has its own constitution that guarantees rights to the state’s citizens.

18. STATE State Constitution U.S. Constitution State Constitution
SOURCES
U.S. Constitution
NATION
Record it here!
State Constitution
STATE
CITY
State Constitution
SCHOOL
HOME

19. CITY
City Charter
Cities usually have a city charter that tells how the city will run. It usually includes some rights and responsibilities of city citizens.

20. CITY City Charter U.S. Constitution State Constitution Record it here!
SOURCES
U.S. Constitution
NATION
City Charter
State Constitution
STATE
Record it here!
City Charter
CITY
SCHOOL
HOME

21. SCHOOL School Handbook
Most schools have a school handbook that lists the students’ rights and responsibilities. (Mostly responsibilities – more about that later!)

22. SCHOOL School Handbook U.S. Constitution State Constitution
SOURCES
U.S. Constitution
NATION
School Handbook
State Constitution
STATE
City Charter
CITY
School Handbook
Record it here!
SCHOOL
HOME

23. HOME
Adults in Charge
At home, the adults in charge decide what your rights and responsibilities will be.

24. HOME Adults in Charge U.S. Constitution State Constitution
SOURCES
U.S. Constitution
NATION
State Constitution
STATE
Adults in Charge
City Charter
CITY
School Handbook
SCHOOL
Adults in Charge
Record it here!
HOME

25. Check Your Work: U.S. Constitution State Constitution City Charter
ORIGINS
U.S. Constitution
NATION
State Constitution
STATE
City Charter
CITY
School Handbook
SCHOOL
Adults in Charge
HOME

26. SIDE 3:
Rights!
CITIZENSHIP PYRAMID

27. Rights are… A. Things adults get to do.
B. Privileges the President has.
C. Electric bulbs that let you read in the dark.
D. A privilege or a claim to something.

28. What kind of rights do citizens have at each level?

29. Let’s just list a few examples:
RIGHTS
You would need a pyramid the size of the ones in
EGYPT
to list all the rights citizens have at each level.
Let’s just list a few examples:

30. United States Constitution
NATION
United States Constitution
Guarantees really BIG rights like freedom of speech, the right to vote, and the right to a jury trial in some kinds of cases.

31. Freedom of speech, right to vote, right to a jury trial
NATION
RIGHTS
Record it here!
Freedom of speech, right to vote, right to a jury trial
NATION
STATE
United States Constitution
CITY
SCHOOL
HOME

32. STATE State Constitution
Your state constitution might guarantee the right to a free education or equal rights for men and women.
State constitutions usually repeat many of the rights listed in the U.S. Constitution. But often they add more…

33. STATE State Constitution
RIGHTS
Freedom of speech, right to vote, right to a jury trial
NATION
Right to free education; equal rights for men and women
Record it here!
STATE
Why do you think the U.S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee the right to an education? Should it?
CITY
State Constitution
SCHOOL
HOME

34. CITY
City Charter
This gives you the right to services your city provides, like sidewalks or parks.

35. CITY
RIGHTS
Freedom of speech, right to vote, right to a jury trial
NATION
City Charter
Would it be a problem if the U.S. Constitution talked about sidewalks?
Right to free education; equal rights for men and women
STATE
Right to use sidewalks and parks
Record it here!
CITY
SCHOOL
HOME

36. SCHOOL School Handbook
Hey! I don’t see any rights in my school handbook. All I see is stuff kids aren’t supposed to do!