Local Government In Action

Overview

In this fourth lesson of Our Voice, Our Democracy, students explore how local government decisions shape everyday life. They use a local council website or printed service map to identify services, match community needs with council responsibilities, and connect an issue to an appropriate decision-maker.

Learning intentions

• WALT describe the role of local government and how it affects our daily lives.
• WALT identify local services and facilities provided or supported by councils.
• WALT connect a community issue with the relevant local decision-maker.
• WALT participate respectfully in a group decision-making task.

Success criteria

• I can identify local services and facilities.
• I can explain one responsibility of local government.
• I can connect a community issue to a relevant decision-maker.
• I can listen to others and contribute a reasoned idea.

Curriculum links

• Civics and Society: informed citizens are needed to participate in democracy.
• Civics and Society: having rights also means doing our part to help others enjoy theirs.
• Civics and Society: local decision-making and responsibilities help protect people’s rights and benefit the community.
• Social Sciences capabilities: thinking critically, participating and contributing, and communicating ideas with others.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook: Who fixes it? Teacher displays a striking image of a flooded footpath, rubbish-strewn park, or broken playground using the opening community problem image and asks, “Who should help solve this, and why?” Students make a quick individual choice, then share with a partner. Clarify that local government is one part of the system that makes decisions for a local area.

2. 5–13 min · Build background knowledge. Teacher uses the local government explanation slides to explain that councils make decisions and provide services for communities, such as rubbish and recycling, libraries, parks, playgrounds, footpaths, roads, public transport planning, water services, and environmental protection. Distinguish local government from central government: councils focus on the local area, while central government makes decisions for the whole country. Students complete a quick “service or not?” response using thumbs up/down and explain one answer.

3. 13–21 min · Explore local services. Teacher opens prepared screenshots of the local council website or displays a printed service map, supported by the local council service-map slides. Model how to look for evidence: “The council manages parks because its website lists park maintenance.” Students work in pairs to identify at least four services or facilities, recording the service and the evidence they found on the local government services worksheet. If internet access is unreliable, use screenshots, a council annual-plan extract, or a teacher-created service map.

4. 21–33 min · Match needs to responsibilities. Teacher forms six groups of five and displays the matching instructions in the group matching task slides. Give each group a set of community needs: a damaged playground, overflowing public rubbish bins, a noisy library space, unsafe footpaths, polluted stream water, or a need for more bus stops. Students use the structured table on the local government services worksheet to match each need with a likely council responsibility and explain their reasoning. Groups choose one match to defend, using the sentence frame: “This is a local government responsibility because…”

5. 33–40 min · Identify the decision-maker. Teacher introduces the idea that different local decisions may involve elected representatives, council staff, or a community consultation process. Use the decision-maker discussion slides to model: “A damaged playground could be reported to council staff; a new playground may require councillors to consider funding and community views.” Each group selects one issue and completes: “Our issue is… The relevant decision-maker or council team could be… They could…”. Invite three groups to share. Emphasise that informed citizens report concerns, gather information, listen to others, and participate respectfully.

6. 40–45 min · Plenary and exit check. Teacher revisits the opening image in the plenary and reflection slide and asks, “How could a community member help with this issue?” Students complete the success criteria exit ticket slips, naming one local service, one council responsibility, and one relevant decision-maker. Collect slips for assessment.

Resources

• the Local Government in Action slide deck
• the local government services worksheet
• Prepared local council website screenshots or printed service map
• Six sets of community-needs prompt cards, prepared by the teacher
• Whiteboard and markers
• Devices or display screen, if available
• the success criteria exit ticket slips

Assessment

• Listen during the hook and questioning for students’ initial understanding of who makes local decisions.
• Check paired research and group matching for accurate identification of services, responsibilities, and reasoning.
• Use the exit ticket to identify whether each student can name a service, explain a council responsibility, and connect an issue with a decision-maker. Reteach using one local example if any element is unclear.

Differentiation

• Pre-teach local government, council, service, facility, responsibility, councillor, and decision-maker with simple definitions, visuals, and examples from the local area.
• Provide a structured matching template with pictures, a word bank, and sentence starters: “The council helps by…”, “This matters because…”, and “The issue could be raised with…”.
• Allow students to access the council information through read-aloud, audio, teacher-selected screenshots, or a peer reader. Pair students strategically and assign roles such as reader, recorder, evidence finder, and speaker.
• Support students who need reduced cognitive load by requiring one detailed match rather than several. Extend confident learners by investigating how a local decision may be funded through rates, user charges, grants, or council budgets, using the final worksheet question.