Rights and Responsibilities in my Community - Franklin College

Rights and Responsibilities in my Community
1.1 Groups
While in your community you may belong to a certain group. If you belong in a
group then you may have many rights and responsibilities that you must
follow in order to make the group work well. When you participate in a group
you have rights and responsibilities. You may belong to just one group or you
may participate in many groups. For example, you are all a member of a
class at school. In order to be a member of this class you have rights and
responsibilities. A right is something that a person deserves. A responsibility
is something that a person must do.
1.2 Home
When you are at home you have rights and responsibilities you must follow.
While you are at home responsibilities that you might have are chores.
Chores are certain jobs that you do around the house to help out and show
that you are responsible. There are many different chores that you can do at
home to show that you are responsible. Some responsibilities at home could
be washing the dishes, taking out the trash, cleaning your room, working on
your homework, and doing the laundry.
1.3 School
While you are at school you have many rights and responsibilities. Since you
go to school everyday you have the right to learn. That is why your teacher
works hard to teach you important things that you need to know. The teacher
works hard to make sure that you learn English, Writing, Reading, Phonics,
Science, Math, Health, Spelling, Art, Music, Drama, Social Studies, and
Physical Education. There are also many responsibilities that you have while
attending school. Some of these responsibilities that you have at school may
include line leader, door holder, lunch count, attendance, and hall monitor.
Teachers and students work together to accomplish these rights and
responsibilities in order to be successful in school.
1.4 Teams
When you join a team you also have rights and responsibilities. If you join the
soccer team you would have the right to play. Some responsibilities you
would have on the team would be to show up to practice, work hard, and do
your share. Working with others on a team requires that the whole team
follow their rights and responsibilities.

1.5 Clubs
When you participate in clubs you also have certain rights and responsibilities
in order to make sure things run smoothly and for the club to be effective.
The reason you must follow these rights and responsibilities is to guarantee
that people are working, the club is successful, and that everyone is having
fun.
1.6 Community
There are also rights and responsibilities that you have in your community.
You are a citizen of your community. A citizen is a member of the community.
When being a good citizen in your community you must follow the rights and
responsibilities in that community. A good citizen in the community shows
that they care for their family, classmates, and fellow team and club
members. One way to show that you are a caring citizen in your community
is to take care of other people’s property. Things that people own are known
as their property. You can show that you care about the people in your
community by using kind words such as please, thank-you, excuse me, and
I’m sorry.

Volunteers in my Community
2.1 Citizenship
Citizenship is the way people in a community or certain groups carry out the
rights and responsibilities that they have. In order to carry out these rights to
show good citizenship you can do many things like do your share to make
your school and community better, cooperate with others, get involved in you
community, be a good neighbor, obey the rules, respect others, and protect
the environment.
2.2 Learning about Volunteers
One way to show good citizenship is to become a volunteer in your
community. A volunteer is someone who does important work without getting
paid. Volunteers agree to work different places because they care about
helping others. You can do many things to volunteer in your community.
Volunteers work hard to improve their communities. Being a volunteer is one
way to be a good citizen.
2.3 Volunteer Organizations
If you are a volunteer you may participate in many different organizations
where you will have certain rights and responsibilities for each organization
you join. An Organization is a group of people that work together to
accomplish the same goals. There are many volunteer organizations in your
community. By joining one of these organizations in your community you are
working on citizenship and helping others. You can make a difference just by
volunteering in your community.
2.4 Making a Difference
Volunteers can make a difference in other people’s lives. They make a
difference because they are working to help people accomplish goals. Goals
are things that people want to accomplish. In order to make a difference in
communities you need to have volunteers who are willing to give of their time
to help others.
2.5 How to volunteer in your Community (Literacy Connection)
When you want to volunteer in your community you must find out how to
volunteer or where to go to volunteer. Some of these questions can be
answered by your teachers, parents, or family members. You can also learn
about volunteers through books, television, radio, and the internet.

Becoming a Good Neighbor in my Community
3.1 Neighbors
There are many different ways to become a good neighbor in your
community. A neighbor is a person who lives next to you in your community.
A neighbor can be anyone who lives close to you. Neighbors in your
community can help you out and work together to make your community a
wonderful environment for all of you to live. You may have many neighbors in
your community. Neighbors can take on responsibility in your community.
They can take on responsibilities like volunteering in the community.
3.2 Communication
There are many ways to become a good neighbor in your community. One
of these ways is through good communication. Communicating with your
neighbors is the best way to know what is going on in your community.
Communication is one key to becoming a good neighbor in your community.
There are many different way that you can communicate to your neighbors.
You can talk to them in person, call them on the telephone, send them an
email if you have a computer, or you can write letters to your neighbors. All
of these are good ways to communicate with your neighbors.
3.3 Inclusion
In order to be a good neighbor in your community, you must include
everyone. When you help or include someone and then they help someone
else and so on, that is known as inclusion. Inclusion can help build
neighborhood relationships. There are many ways to include neighbors. One
example to include everyone in your neighborhood is to volunteer with a
neighbor for a local organization in your community.
3.4 Bringing the Neighborhood Together
When you are a good neighbor in your community you want to bring the
neighborhood together. To celebrate good communication and inclusion in
your community you can do many things. When you pass a neighbor in your
community say “Hello” to show friendliness, plan a neighborhood event like a
picnic, or organize a neighborhood community service project to show that
you care about your neighborhood.

Important Places and People in my Community
4.1 Post Office
In your community there are important places that you or your neighbors can
visit. One of these places is the Post Office. The post office provides good
communication throughout the community by making sure that people’s
letters get where they need to be going. The post office uses their
responsibilities to help out others in the community.
4.2 Bank (Math Connection)
Another Important place in your community is the bank. The bank is like a
storage place for money. Neighbors of your community can travel to the
bank to lend, exchange, and take care of money.
4.3 Hospital
The hospital is a place in your community where people can go because
they are ill. The hospital is like a home for sick people. People who work at
the hospital take care of sick patients and make sure that they are healthy.
4.4 Court House
Your community probably has a court house. The court house takes care of
legal issues in your community. The court house oversees legal cases and
decides what should be done.
4.5 Library
Some people may not think of the library as an important place in your
community but it provides the people of the community with a lot of
information. You can go to the library in your community to check out books
or find information that you need to know.
4.6 Mayor
One important person in your neighborhood and community is your mayor.
The mayor is the head of a city who is elected to help the people out. The
mayor deals with situations or problems that the people of your community
are dealing with at the time.

4.7 Police Officer
In your community there are police officers. Police Officers help protect the
community and make it a safe place for everyone to live. A police officer is a
member of a police force.
4.8 Teacher
Your teacher is an important person in your community. The teacher’s job is
to help students learn everything they can while they are at school. You
teacher helps students in school by teaching them important things they
need to know.
4.9 Doctor
A doctor is an important person in your community. A doctor works at a
hospital to make sure that the people of your community stay healthy. A
doctor provides medicine and care to patients who are ill.

Becoming a Naturalized Citizen
3.1 Two Ways to Citizenship-If you are born in the United States then you are an
automatic citizen of the United States. This is the first way to be a citizen in the
United States. Each year there are lots of new citizens in the United States because
babies are always being born. The second way to becoming a citizen in the United
States is through a process. Some people who are born in foreign countries move to
the United States and want to become citizens. These people who were born in other
countries and move to the United States are immigrants. An immigrant is a person
who comes to a country to live in a new country. If you become a citizen of the
United States the second way through a process you are a naturalized citizen. The
United States requires these people to do many things before they become naturalized
citizens.
3.2 Preparing to become a Naturalized Citizen-If you move here from another country
you must live in the United States for five years before you can apply to become a
naturalized citizen. While you are living in the United States you are considered a
resident. A person who lives in a place and is not considered a visitor of the place in
which they are living is a resident. After living in the United States for five years
then you can apply to become a naturalized citizen. When a person becomes a
naturalized citizen they must fill out many different papers. This person will also be
fingerprinted and have their picture taken. A person applying to become a naturalized
citizen must take a test on the history and government of the United States. When
applying to become a naturalized citizen you must demonstrate that you know how to
speak and write in English. They must also demonstrate that they know and obey the
laws of the United States of America.
3.3 The Naturalization Ceremony-After you have applied to become a naturalized citizen
then there is a ceremony, once the government has approved all of your paperwork
and tests. There is a ceremony for the naturalized citizens usually held at the
courthouse in different communities. During this ceremony there are usually
speeches and celebration. At this ceremony the naturalized citizens must say the Oath
of American Citizenship. When they say this oath they are pledging loyalty to their
new country. They are also giving up loyalty to their old country that they used to
live in before coming to the United States. These people get a certificate of
naturalization. This certificate of naturalization is proof that they are citizens of the
United States of America.
Important Writings and Symbols of the United States

4.1 Many differences but one people-There is many differences among all of the people
that live in the United States. Some of the people are old, young, tall, short, and
many other differences that set the citizens apart from each other. Although they may
all have many differences in appearance, religion and even cultures all of these people
have one thing in common. All of them are citizens of the United States. They are all
part of one very big community, the United States.
4.2 Important Writings We Share-All of the people that live in the United States share
many important writings that talk about or explain the history of the United States.
Some of the important writings that everyone shares are the Declaration of
Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. If you go to Washington, D.C.
you can see the original copies of these three important papers because they are stored
in the National Archives. The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. The
Declaration of Independence explained to Great Britain why the United States no
longer belonged to them. The Constitution was written later and states what the
government can and cannot do; it is actually a basic set of laws to follow for the
United States. The first ten additions to the Constitution that lays the laws for the
citizens of the United States are known as the Bill of Rights.
4.3 The Pledge of Allegiance-Students say the pledge every morning at school. When
people say the Pledge of Allegiance they are promising to be loyal to their country
and the flag. A pledge is a promise that people make. Allegiance means “loyalty.”
There are many other important words in the Pledge of Allegiance. Justice, liberty,
indivisible, and Republic are some of the very important words in the pledge. A
nation where people vote for leaders is a republic. Justice means “fairness.” Liberty
means “freedom.” If something cannot be divided then it is indivisible.
4.4 Our National Anthem- “The Star-Spangled Banner” is our national anthem. It was
written in 1812 during the war by a man named Francis Scott Key. The war that was
going on during this time was between the United States of America and Great
Britain. In the morning after a long battle Francis Scott Key saw the American Flag
still waving in the air and he knew that the United States had won. He then wrote the
famous words “Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light.” In 1931 the “The
Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem of the United States. This song is
the official song and is usually sung at many special events like football games.
4.5 Symbols that make us Proud- The Statue of Liberty, United States Flag, Liberty Bell,
bald eagle, and the Great Seal of the United States are some of the other symbols of
our great community of the United States of America. The flag has thirteen stripes
and fifty stars. There are thirteen stripes because each stripe stands for one of the
original thirteen colonies. Each star represents a state in the United States. The
Liberty Bell is important because it rang out when the Declaration of Independence
was signed. In July of 1776 in Philadelphia the Declaration of Independence was
signed. From 1776 to 1835 the bell was rung every year and then the Liberty Bell
cracked. The white feathers on the bald eagles head make it appear bald even though
it has many feathers. One reason it was chosen for a symbol of the United States is

ecause the only place that you can find the bald eagle is in North America. The bald
eagle is holding an olive branch on the Seal of the United States. The Great Seal of
the United States is used on many important papers. An olive branch stands for
peace. On the other side the eagle is holding a handful of arrows which stands for
war. The reason the eagle is holding peace and war is to show that they want peace
but they will result in war if necessary.