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citizenship in the classroom a resource for grade four and five teachers date 15 july 2011

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citizenship in the classroom a resource for grade four and five teachers jenelle carter rebecca keirstead page 3

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citizenship in the classroom foreword citizenship is a term which is often used but not entirely understood by definition a citizen is an individual or member of a political community citizens maintain the rights allocated to them but also assume its obligations of membership stanford university 2006 as canadian citizens all members that have reached the age of majority are entitled to vote in recent years though low voter turnout has become a political issue in order to counteract this decline in voting programs such as student vote have been established which educate students on the democratic process of voting and provide the knowledge required to participate democratically student vote 2008 this project will evaluate the process and implementation of the student vote program while relating the citizenship content of the material to the new brunswick curriculum documents a step by step guide is provided which will assist with the implementation of the student vote program in addition to methods of engaging students democratically providing both student feedback demonstrating students knowledge of politics and democracy compiling ideas and suggestions used in two grades four and one grade five class this document provides extension activities which can be implemented to bring citizenship into the classroom page 4

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citizenship in the classroom table of contents citizenship at a glance curriculum connections citizenship curriculum from citizenship to student vote student vote process 6 9 10 12 13 extension activities students perspectives on voting student vote in action references additional resources 17 24 26 28 30 page 5

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citizenship in the classroom citizenship at a glance defining citizenship bringing citizenship into the classroom today gives hope for better citizens in our communities of tomorrow the best ways for students to be involved in citizenship in the classroom is to immerse them in the issues and activities that are within this subject area if students become actively involved in issues within both the community and school levels then and only then will they be able to know firsthand how to become a good citizen getting students involved is sometimes not the easiest thing to do but it is important to note that this does not have to be rocket science it just has to be socially active many students already participate in community service exercises the key is for them to understand what this means to others and their community as a whole students need to be taught how the activities and tasks that they complete can have a big impact on others and they can help many people just by a simple initiative by completing citizenship within the classroom the teachers help the students gain many different skills that will help them engage in society as a whole in the present and the future page 6

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citizenship in the classroom citizenship at a glance defining citizenship the student vote program is just one aspect of citizenship that can be brought to the school environment other forms of citizenship for students include help clean a park invite a senior citizen home for an afternoon tea distribute pamphlets for an organization collect food for your local food bank collect toys and clothes for local charities perform for a local senior citizen home be friendly help students come up with classroom rules create a video with students to model canadian citizenship attend municipal council meetings recycle pick up litter in the schoolyard or other local areas page 7

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citizenship in the classroom citizenship at a glance volunteer with a local spca form a committee for students willing to volunteer on a regular basis page 8

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citizenship in the classroom curriculum connections the social studies foundation document states in particular social studies more than any other curriculum area is vital in developing citizenship social studies embodies the main principles of democracy such as freedom equality human dignity and justice rule of law and civic rights and responsibilities the social studies curriculum promotes students growth as individuals and as citizens of canada and of an increasingly independent world it provides opportunities for students to explore multiple approaches that may be used to analyse and interpret their own world and the world of others the department of education 1998 xpected will be e tes l gradua cultura ss social to asse ronnd envi nomic a eco nce in a depende n xt mental i al conte and glob local page 9

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citizenship in the classroom citizenship curriculum overview in the citizenship unit students will explore what it means to be a citizen in the province and the role that they can play to contribute as citizens they will learn to recognize that within their own province people organize themselves into governments in order to meet their needs and wants in the fairest way possible students will demonstrate an understanding of what makes a good citizen how rights and responsibilities are a part of being a productive citizen within a democracy and how persons of all ages may play roles as active citizens department of education 2006 outcomes from social studies 3 3.3.1 examine the purpose function and structure of governments in their province explain why governments make laws recognize that there are different types of government identify the main areas of government responsibilities recognize that governments collect money to pay for the services they provide describe how the provincial government is elected and organized page 10

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citizenship in the classroom citizenship curriculum 3.3.2 examine the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy define citizenship describe the attributes of a responsible citizen examine childrens rights and responsibilities describe how individuals demonstrate noteworthy citizenship local national global 3.3.3 take age-appropriate action to practice responsible citizenship describe different methods of decision making illustrate how decisions often result in change and can cause conflict explain how individuals and groups can influence elected representatives and their decisions plan and carry out an action that demonstrates responsible citizenship page 11

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citizenship in the classroom from citizenship to student vote making the connection citizenship and democracy are vital connections within the social studies curriculum rights and responsibilities are part of citizenship one of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship is the opportunity to vote while democracy provides citizens with the opportunity to vote voter turnout has been declining in recent years in the 2008 canadian federal election voter turnout plummeted to 59 marshall mcluhan 2003 stated that american youth attribute much more importance to arriving at driver s license age than at voting age this quote in conjunction with the decline in voter turnout demonstrates the need to engage students in the democratic process based on 2008 statistics a significant number of young canadians aged 18 to 24 did not cast a ballot student vote 2008 to counteract declining political participation programs such as student vote have been established to reintegrate young canadians in the democratic process page 12

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citizenship in the classroom student vote process page 13

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citizenship in the classroom student vote process step 1 register with student vote any elementary middle or high school can use the program teachers can order the program by registering at www.studentvote.ca or directly calling the student vote office the name of a teacher to coordinate the student vote process along with the school address is required to register step 2 receive student vote materials once the materials are received they will need to be customized to their geographic area all kits contain the following items activity resources including lesson plans a campaign calendar for organizing the project and school activities an elections operation manual with procedures for the students day at the polls campaign posters with district maps which identify district boundaries page 14

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citizenship in the classroom student vote process ballot boxes and voting screens to simulate the poll environment ballots which are based on the local candidates step 3 engage students in campaign activities although there are some activities in the resource kit there are many more that can be used to engage students some extension activity ideas include discuss daily headlines with students allow students to maintain a conversation about local national and world events on a current events blog or journal writing activity play guess who or name that party with students have students design and create election posters conduct a debate on various electoral systems page 15

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