Exploring Our Council

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Year 4 | Humanities and Social Sciences

Unit: Civics in Action | Lesson 5 of 20

Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 30 students

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🧭 Australian Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
Strand: Civics and Citizenship
Sub-strand: The role of local government in the community

Year Level: Year 4
Content Descriptor (ACHASSK091):

• The role of local government and the services it provides to the community.

General Capabilities:

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Personal and Social Capability
• Ethical Understanding
• Intercultural Understanding

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🎯 Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand the structure and decision-making processes of local councils
• Identify services provided by their local government
• Explore ways in which young citizens can engage with and contribute to their local community

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🔍 Success Criteria

Students will be able to:
✅ Describe the roles of key figures in local government (e.g. mayor, councillors)
✅ List at least five services provided by local council
✅ Suggest ways they can be active participants in their local community

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🧠 Prior Knowledge

Students should have:

• An understanding of community and rules (from previous lessons)
• Awareness of what councils are from their own experiences

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🪜 Lesson Sequence

⏳ Introduction (10 minutes)

Hook – "Mayor for a Moment" (5 mins)

• Display an image of a messy park, broken playground, and overflowing bin
• Ask: “If you were mayor for a day, what would you fix first? Why?”
• Quick Think-Pair-Share
• Record responses on the board under the heading "What Local Councils Do”

Set the Scene (5 mins)

• Brief teacher-led discussion:
  • What is a local council?
  • Who is in charge?
  • What do councillors and mayors actually do all day?

Use a local map (digital or printed) with the council area highlighted (encourage identification of known places like libraries, pools, parks).

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📚 Body of the Lesson (25 minutes)

1. Mini-Exploration Stations (15 mins)

Four mixed-ability groups rotate every 3–4 minutes. Each station poses a question and an associated hands-on activity:

• Station 1: Services Snap!
  Match service cards (e.g. bin collection, libraries) with council departments.

• Station 2: Money Matters
  Budget Sorting Activity: Students allocate $100 of ‘council money’ to different services (e.g. Roads $30, Parks $20). Discuss trade-offs.

• Station 3: Who’s Who in the Zoo?
  Mini role cards and dress-up props (mayor sash, clipboard for councillors, etc.)
  Students match role to responsibility.

• Station 4: Speak Up Booth
  Students record or write a short message to council suggesting an idea. iPads or paper recording – these can be compiled for a classroom wall.

Teacher floats between stations, prompting deeper thinking and modelling language.

2. Visual Anchor – Classroom Council Mural (10 mins)

• Each student is given a sticky note to draw or write one thing the council does that they value
• Stick notes onto a large mural/banner of ‘Our Local Council in Action’ (e.g., drawn map of town showing services)
• Display in classroom for future lessons

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🧠 Reflection (10 minutes)

Circle Time – "One Thing I Didn't Know" (5 mins)

• In a circle, students take turns sharing one new thing they learned about local government
• Encourage using sentence stems: “I didn’t know that…” or “I was surprised that…”

Mini Exit Ticket – "If I Were Mayor..." (5 mins)

• Prompt: “If I were mayor for a day, I would…”
• Students write responses on slips of paper and put into a suggestion box
• Teacher collects for use in next lesson (which focuses on civic participation)

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🧰 Differentiation

Support:

• Visual matching cards & simplified texts at each station
• Buddy support for EAL/D or lower literacy students

Extension:

• Students draft an email submission to their real local council
• Research who the current mayor is and what one recent council project was

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📦 Resources and Materials

• Service matching cards (laminated)
• Local area map (print or digital)
• Sticky notes and mural backing paper
• Role cards with symbols or props
• Play money/budget tokens
• iPads or paper for recording student messages
• Dress-up items (optional and fun!)
• Exit ticket slips and box

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👀 Assessment Opportunities

Formative:

• Observations during stations
• Responses during Circle Time
• Exit ticket reflections

Evidence of Learning:

• Contributions to mural
• Station work samples
• Participation in discussions

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📝 Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson Prompt)

• Which parts of the lesson sparked the most curiosity?
• Did students make personal connections to the services discussed?
• Were all students engaged during the rotation model?

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🌱 Looking Ahead

Next Lesson:
Lesson 6 – Your Voice Matters
Students will explore how they can express their opinions and take action in their communities, including petitions, school councils and speaking to local decision-makers.

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Impress your mayor — you might just be shaping a future civic leader in your class!