Citizens Make Change

Overview

Lesson 4 of 9 in Power and Participation in Aotearoa. Students explore what citizens are, consider rights and responsibilities in a democratic society, and identify respectful ways individuals can influence decisions in their school and community.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain what a citizen is.
• WALT identify some rights and responsibilities people have.
• WALT describe ways people can help make decisions or create change.
• WALT listen to different opinions and share ideas respectfully.

Success criteria

• I can explain that citizens belong to a community and have a voice.
• I can match examples to rights or responsibilities.
• I can name at least two ways people can influence a decision.
• I can explain one way I could participate in my class or school.

Curriculum links

• Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.
• Understand how the ways in which leadership of groups and communities is acquired and exercised have consequences for communities and their people.
• Use inquiry practices to ask questions, gather ideas, and communicate findings.
• Key competencies: participating and contributing; relating to others; thinking; using language, symbols, and texts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Engage: Who gets a say? Open with the question and playground image. Show a simple scenario: “The class wants to choose a new lunchtime game, but only one person decides.” Ask: “Is this fair? Who should have a say?” Turn and talk, then invite two or three responses.

2. 5–12 minutes – Build shared understanding Use the key word slides to introduce citizen, right, responsibility, decision, and participate. Explain in child-friendly language: a citizen belongs to a community; a right is something people should be able to have or do; a responsibility is something we should do to help others and our community. Clarify that children can participate in school and community decisions even though they cannot vote in national elections.

3. 12–20 minutes – Sort and discuss examples Display the rights and responsibilities examples. Read examples such as “being listened to”, “taking turns”, “being safe”, “following agreed rules”, “sharing ideas”, and “caring for shared places”. Students show thumbs-up when they hear a right and hands-on-head when they hear a responsibility. Emphasise that rights and responsibilities work together: everyone can have a voice, and everyone must listen respectfully.

4. 20–30 minutes – Small-group decision challenge Place students in five groups of four. Give each group one school decision from the citizen decision worksheet: choosing a class reading corner rule, improving the playground, deciding on a class celebration, caring for the school garden, or reducing rubbish. Groups discuss:

• What is the problem or decision?
• Who should be included?
• What could citizens do to help?

Students record one fair suggestion and one responsibility people would need to accept. Circulate, prompting quieter students to contribute.

5. 30–37 minutes – How can people influence decisions? Use the participation pathway to introduce age-appropriate actions: sharing an idea, asking questions, listening to others, voting in a group decision, writing a letter or message, making a poster, joining a group, and helping with an agreed action. Each group chooses the most useful action for its scenario and prepares a one-sentence explanation.

6. 37–42 minutes – Group share and response Groups share their scenario, proposed action, and responsibility. After each share, invite one response using the sentence stem: “I agree because…” or “I wonder if…” Reinforce that democratic participation includes respectful disagreement, evidence or reasons, and working with others.

7. 42–45 minutes – Individual reflection Complete the final section of the citizen decision worksheet: “One right I have is…”, “One responsibility I have is…”, and “One way I can influence a decision is…”. Ask students to share one response with a partner, then collect worksheets.

Resources

• the citizen participation slide deck
• the citizen decision worksheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pencils or colouring pencils
• Five group tables or spaces
• Optional class decision box for collecting ideas

Assessment

• Listen during discussion and sorting to check whether students distinguish rights from responsibilities and understand that both support a fair community.
• Check group worksheets for a relevant decision, an inclusive participation action, and a linked responsibility.
• Use the individual reflection to identify students who can explain how they may influence decisions. Reteach key terms with concrete classroom examples where needed.

Differentiation

• Support learners with picture cues, the sentence stems “A right is…” and “A responsibility is…”, and an adult or peer scribe if required.
• Read all worksheet text aloud and allow students to draw their response before explaining it orally. Pair EAL learners with supportive peers and pre-teach the key words using gestures and examples.
• Give groups role cards such as reader, idea collector, speaker, and encourager so all 20 students have a clear way to participate.
• Extend confident learners by asking them to explain why a proposed decision might affect different people differently and how they could make participation more inclusive.