COVID-19: How Can We Make Choices That Promote The Common Good? | Facing History & Ourselves
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Mini-Lesson
Current Event

COVID-19: How Can We Make Choices That Promote The Common Good?

This mini-lesson prompts students to reflect on the difficult ethical questions we’re all facing during the coronavirus crisis.

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At a Glance

Mini-Lesson

Language

English — US

Subject

  • Civics & Citizenship
  • Social Studies

Grade

6–12
  • Democracy & Civic Engagement

Overview

About This Mini-Lesson

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced people around the world to change how they live and interact with other people. Infectious disease researchers advocate that we all continue to practice social distancing in order to prevent spikes in case numbers that can  overwhelm healthcare systems. Mask mandates, travel restrictions, and changes to the ways we work and go to school continue to impact most cities and towns. Following these public health guidelines is crucial not only to protect our individual health but also to minimize the harm COVID-19 inflicts on our society as a whole. As civil rights strategist Eric Ward writes, "The truth of our interconnectedness has never been more apparent." 1

This mini-lesson is designed to help students grapple with the difficult ethical questions that we are all being asked to confront in our daily lives right now: What is the common good? How can we make choices that promote the common good during the coronavirus outbreak?

This mini-lesson is designed to be adaptable. You can use the activities in sequence or choose a selection best suited to your classroom. It includes:

  • 4 activities
  • Student-facing slides
  • Recommended articles for exploring this topic

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Activities

Activities

The changes we are being asked to make in our lives—like washing our hands thoroughly, limiting our contact with other people, wearing masks—are designed to protect each of us, but they are also designed to promote the common good. According to Harvard political philosopher Michael Sandel:

The common good is about how we live together in community. It’s about the ethical ideals we strive for together, the benefits and burdens we share, the sacrifices we make for one another. It’s about the lessons we learn from one another about how to live a good and decent life. 1

On a piece of paper, insert a color, a symbol, and an image that represent what the term common good means to you. You can search online to find a symbol and an image.

Reflect: Why did you choose that color, symbol, and image? How do they represent the common good to you?

Write your name in the center of a page. Around your name, write the names of the people, or groups of people, that you feel connected to. Draw a line between each one and your own name. (There is an example provided in the Slides). 

For example:

    Reflect: 

    1. What actions can I take to help the people—or groups of people—who I am connected to?
    2. How can helping the people I am connected to help to promote the common good?

    Use all of the following resources to learn about how the coronavirus spreads and the measures we can take to help prevent the spread of the disease:

    Reflect: 

    1. To what extent is taking measures like social distancing and mask wearing about keeping me safe? To what extent is it about protecting others and the common good?
    2. How can the choices I make about who I see and where I go help to prevent the spread of the coronavirus?
    • 1Without a subscription, you will have access to a limited number of free articles per month.
    • 2Without a subscription to the Washington Post, you and your students will have access to a limited number of free articles per month.

    Read the following quotes about the common good during the coronavirus outbreak. Then choose one to write about in your journal:

    1. Ashwin Vasan, the president and CEO of Fountain House, an organization that works to reduce isolation:
      "By distancing yourself, you're contributing to a societal act—a collective action—that is not only protecting yourself, but protecting others . . . And so if we can see some community in that, and see some connectedness in that, I hope that's a motivating and aspirational way of looking at something that is inherently difficult." 1
    2. Eric Ward, civil rights strategist and director of the Western States Center:
      ". . . might this be the moment to find our common identity as a people in our core values, in a vision and daily practice of collective responsibility, in a commitment to a truly inclusive democracy?" 2
    3. Eric Ward, civil rights strategist and director of the Western States Center:
      "The truth of our interconnectedness has never been more apparent." 3

    Reflect:

    1. How can we come together to improve society during this crisis?
    2. What does it mean to stay away from each other physically but still work together?

    Materials and Downloads

    Resources from Other Organizations

    These are the resources from external sources that we recommend using with students throughout the activities in this mini-lesson.
    Without a subscription, you will have access to a limited number of free articles per month.
    How to Protect Yourself & Others
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Without a subscription, you will have access to a limited number of free articles per month.

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