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Compare and Contrast Political Systems Activity

This Lesson Will Use iPads
Necessary Apps: Google Docs
Popplet
A Web Whiteboard
1. Students will be divided into groups of about 4 or 5 per group. Each group will select one
of the political systems that was covered in the Prezi presentation earlier.
a. The political systems you can choose from are absolute monarchy, constitutional
monarchy, direct democracy, representative democracy, socialism, communism,
or fascism.
2. Each group will work together using iPads to brainstorm information related to their
political system. Information can be found on your guided notes and on the Prezi
presentation we viewed in class. If you wish to find extra information, you can look at the
links on the Unit Resources page of the Comparing Political Systems Unit website.
3. Each group will write down all the information they have brainstormed about their
political system on a shared Google Docs document that each group member can edit.
4. Using Popplet, each group will create a graphic organizer for information about their
political system. Place the name of the political system in the middle, with the
information around it.
a. Good information to include would be the philosophy of each political system,
how the government is structured, who has the power, and examples of the
political system in action.
5. After each group has finished, they will divide themselves in half. One half will be
presenters and another half will be ambassadors.
6. The ambassadors will move around the room and go to another group of presenters. The
presenters will remain in place.
7. The presenters will show their group’s Popplet graphic organizer to the ambassadors
visiting them and describe their political system. The ambassadors will listen, ask
questions if necessary, and write down notes on the political system on their Google Docs
page. Then, the roles will be reversed, as the ambassadors present their group’s Popplet
graphic organizer and the presenters take notes on their Google Docs page.
8. After both the ambassadors and the presenters have shown their Popplet, they will
compare and contrast their political systems. Both the presenters and ambassadors will
take notes about the similarities and differences of their political systems.
9. The ambassadors will then leave to see another group of presenters. Then they will repeat
steps 7 and 8. This will continue until each group of ambassadors has visited each group
of presenters.
10. The ambassadors and presenters for the same political system will reunite to their original
group.
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11. Each group will discuss all the different political systems. Based on their Google Docs
notes, they will evaluate which political system they think is most similar to their own
and which is most different.
12. Using A Web Whiteboard, students will create a Venn Diagram for their political system
and the system they have decided is most similar to it. There they will list features from
both political systems. They will indicate what features both systems have in common
and what features are different between them.
13. Students will then repeat step 12 for their political system and the system they have
decided is most different from it.
14. Each group will then present their Venn Diagrams to the classroom and explain why they
they thought the political systems they chose were most similar to or most different from
their own political system.

Example of Google Docs Notes

Direct Democracy
 Form of democracy
 Citizens directly govern themselves by voting
 Every citizen can vote
 Each vote is counted equally
 No elected representatives who vote on government decisions instead
 Equal rights
 Civil rights
 Countries may use parts of direct democracy along with representative democracy
 Example of a country
o Ancient Greece (Athens)
 Examples in the U.S.
o Initiative
 Enough signatures are gathered on a petition for a proposal to be voted on
by the general public
o Referendum
 The general public votes on a law proposed by the legislature
o Recall
 The general public votes on whether or not an elected official should
remain in office until the end of their term
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Example of a Popplet Graphic Organizer

Example of a Venn Diagram Created Using A Web Whiteboard