Materials

• Paper crown for the king or queen
• Play money
• Blank 9" x 12" drawing paper (1 per student)

Instructional Activities

1. Choose a student to be the class king or queen for the first half of the day. Give him/her a crown to wear. With the teacher’s input, tell the king or queen to make laws solely according to his or her wishes. The remaining students are citizens. Some of the laws may include:
   • having the students pay taxes or fines
   • assigning the seating arrangement at lunch or in line
   • choosing the games to play at recess
   
   
2. After simulating this activity for half of the day, have students (citizens) discuss how they felt about having one person make all of the rules without any input from them.
   
   
3. Discuss the meaning of the word democracy (citizens vote to make their own laws). For the remainder of the day, allow all students to vote on the laws or choices made in the classroom.
   
   
4. At the end of the day, ask the students if they had a choice, what kind of government they would like to have—the one with the king or queen or a democracy.
   
   
5. Explain that the idea of democracy started in ancient Greece, thus the saying “Greece is the birthplace of democracy.” They had a direct democracy wherein everyone voted or had a voice in the laws or decisions that were made.
   
   
6. Have students add and illustrate page 4 (Kind of Government) to their ancient Greece booklets.