CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP YEAR 3 UNIT 1: Semester One - 10 x 1 hour lesson
Unit Title:
/ If only one person makes a rule, is it fair?Achievement Standard / By the end of Year 3, students explain how decisions can be made democratically. They recognise the importance of rules. They describe how people participate in their community as active citizens.
Students pose questions about the society in which they live. They share their views on an issue. They present their ideas and opinions using civics and citizenship terms.
Civics and Citizenship Concepts
/Content Descriptions
/Assessment (A)
Government and DemocracyLaws and Citizens
Citizenship, diversity and identity / Knowledge and Understandings
●How and why decisions are made democratically in communities (ACHCK001)
●How and why people make rules(ACHCK002)
●Skills
●Distinguish facts from opinions in relation to civics and citizenship topics and issues (ACHCS005)
●Present ideas and opinions on civics and citizenship topics and issues using civics and citizenship terms (ACHCS009) / Assessment For Learning
●‘Double Circles ’questions on “rules”
●Role play on consequences of rules
●Parable/legend for rule
Assessment As Learning
●Pair discussion and class feedback on ‘why we have rules’
●Short response on rules
●Research task
Assessment Of Learning
- Form/table completion on reason for rules
- Oral presentation and poster arguing for rule change
Civics and Citizenship Bands
/Skills
/Key Questions
Year 3 4 BandYear 5 6 Band / Questioning and Research
Analysis, Synthesis and Interpretation
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Communication and Reflections /
- How are decisions made democratically?
- Why do we make rules?
Learning Framework / Community Contributor
Leader and Collaborator / Active Investigator
Effective Communicator / Designer and Creator
Quality Producer
Cross Curricula Priorities / Catholic Ethos
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures / Social Emotional Learning
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia / Inclusive Education
Sustainability Education
General Capabilities / Literacy
Critical and Creative Thinking / Numeracy
Ethical Behaviour / Information and Communication Technology
Personal and Social Competence
Links to other LA’s / English History Mathematics
Learning and Teaching Strategies
Week / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Cross Curricular Priorities / Social Emotional Learning Catholic Ethos
General Capabilities / Literacy Numeracy Ethical Behaviour Critical and Creative thinking Personal and Social Competency
Engage ⇒ / Explore ⇒ / Explain ⇒ / Elaborate ⇒ / Evaluate
Engage / Resources
Activity 1 - Double Circles
Put students into 2 circles facing each other (i.e. each student has a partner). Set first discussion topic (see below) for inner circle to talk about for one minute. Set 2nd discussion topic for outer circle to talk about for one minute. Option to rotate partners between topics, e.g. inner circle move 1 to your left.
Discussion topics:
1. What are some rules for netball (or other game students familiar with)?
2. Why do sports have rules?
3. What are some of our school rules?
4. Which of our school rules do you like?
5. If you could choose one rule to change at school, which would it be and why?
Activity 2 - Class Discussion
Come back together as a class and discuss answers for Discussion Topics 2 and 5 in particular. Have a document ready on IWB or chart paper with the title “What is a rule?” “Why do we have rules?” Add students’ input from discussion. Ensure discussion touches on metalanguage below.
(see Glossary on rule)
Activity 3 - Guess my Rule
Using a soft ball or beanbag. Divide the class into 2 groups.
Introduce the simulation game, 'Play the game, guess my rules'. Explain to students that they will play a game where they are to guess the rules of the game. Explain:
●Only the teacher knows the rules.
●The teacher will not explain the rules and students cannot ask what they are.
●When they break a rule, the teacher will ask the students to sit out.
●The aim of the game is for the students to work out by the student asked to sit out, what the rules are so they do not break them.
Implement (but don’t tell) first 3 rules only for first minute:
1. You must throw the ball to the other team.
2. Everyone can catch the ball.
3. Only boys can throw the ball.
(if student doesn’t do above, sit them out without telling why)
Implement (but don’t tell) the last 2 rules for next minute:
4. Students with the letter “a” in their first name cannot throw the ball.
5. Students cannot move with the ball.
(if student doesn’t do above, sit them out without telling why)
Gather the class together for a debriefing session: Discuss
●What did you think of the game? Was it a good game? Was it a fair game? Give reasons.
●How did you know that there were some rules?
●How did you feel about not knowing what the rules were?
Write the rules of the game on the board. Discuss whether it is fair that only one person:
●made the rules
●knew what the rules were
Reflect on how the game sat with the concepts of a rule, fairness, order, equality. Extension question - ask “Does a rule have to be fair for everyone?” What events or times would it be okay to have one person making the rules? / Teacher Resources
* Discovering Democracy - Middle Primary - Rules and Law
* IWB template/ chart paper with questions:
“What is a rule?”
“Why do we make them?”
* Jenny Naylor “Inquiry for Change”
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage / Assessment Opportunities
Rules, fairness, order, equality
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage Link / Assessment for Learning - listening to pairs during discussion
- making notes on class feedback on understanding of why we make rules.
Reflection
Week / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Cross Curricular Priorities / Catholic Ethos Social Emotional Learning Inclusive Education
General Capabilities / Social Emotional Learning Literacy Ethical Behaviour Personal and Social Competency
Engage ⇒ / Explore ⇒ / Explain ⇒ / Elaborate ⇒ / Evaluate
Explore / Resources
Background Notes
Aim of Explore for this Unit is for students to gain a solid understanding of why we have rules:
●fair play - sense of equality for most
●safety for self and others
●protecting natural and built places
●respecting the personal property of others
●protecting our rights - everyone has a say
●Ensuring order
Activity 1: Guess My Rule (Why we have Rules) - think pair share
Review the Guess My Rule activity from last lesson and discuss in pairs
●equality - was everyone given the same chance to win?
●fairness - did everyone have a say?
●participation - was it easy for everyone to stay in?
Ask students to report what each pair thought. Record main ideas on board.
Activity 2: Class Discussion - Y chart
*Discuss as a whole class the need for rules in the classroom. List some of the major reasons. Ask students to think what it would be like in this class without rules. Do a Y chart showing some the ideas of What it would feel like, sound look, look like. Reinforce the idea that rules protect our rights - right to learn, Right to be safe, right to be heard, right to speak etc
Activity 3: Rights and Responsibilities - class list
Explain to children that rules protect your rights without them people’s rights are taken away by louder and stronger people. Explain - “With each right comes responsibility”. List students' suggestions of rights, for example, to be safe, to be treated with respect, to be educated, to be listened to, to participate, to be equal to others, to be treated fairly, to have a say. Keep this list on chart paper for next activity.
In a table list major classroom rules similar to below. As a class or as pairs complete what is the reason for the rule. Come back together to discuss. end up with a table like the one below:
Classroom Rule (Responsibility) / Reason for Rule (Right that is protected)
Put your hand up before you speak / The right to participate
Keep your hands and feet to yourself / The right to be safe
Listen when your teacher or other students are speaking / The right to be listened to
Attending school/ Coming to class on time / The right to be educated
Speak to each other nicely / The right to be treated fairly
Everyone must do homework / The right to be treated equally
Activity 4: Small Group discussion
- Place the areas of the school on the board.
○the library
○the playground equipment or the oval
○the school car park
○the school crossing.
- In small groups get students to fill in the handout below for one of the above areas.
1.
2.
3.
- Once students have finished they present their summary to the class. Ask the students the following questions.
○Do some places in and around the school have the special rules? Why?
Extension Activity: Matching
Students can play a matching game with tables above. Cut up rights and they match rule to right protected.
Further Extension Activity: Venn Diagram
String or skipping ropes can be used to make three large overlapping circles (Venn diagram). Students begin by placing their ideas of rules for each area in each of the three circles. The overlapping sections of theVenn diagrams show what the rules are in common for areas. / Teacher Resources
* Discovering Democracy - Middle Primary - Rules and Law
* Civics and Citizenship website
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage / Assessment Opportunities
Rights and Responsibility, protecting our rights: for example, to be safe, to be treated with respect, to be educated, to be listened to, to participate, to be equal to others, to be treated fairly, to have a say, equality, fairness, participation
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage Link / Assessment as Learning: Can students fill in the reason for rules independently? Anecdotal evidence.
Reflection
Week / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Cross Curricular Priorities / Catholic Ethos Social Emotional Learning Inclusive Education Sustainability Education
General Capabilities / Literacy Critical and Creative Thinking Ethical Behaviour Personal and Social Competency
Engage ⇒ / Explore ⇒ / Explain ⇒ / Elaborate ⇒ / Evaluate
Explore / Resources
Activity 5: Photo discussion - personal writing
Some rules aren’t all about us. Eg protecting our environment, animals and respecting other’s property.
1. Discuss Catholic Ethos: “We are Custodians/Stewards of our Natural World”. What does it mean to you? Why is it important to protect animals of the world? What will happen if we didn’t look after the world?
2. Look at rule “Do not litter?” Why do we have that rule? Elicit that the rules about littering are often about protecting natural environments and not protecting personal rights. Google Image Search photos such as - trees being cut down, animals kept in cages, oil spills, other pollution, graffiti on a public wall eg littered river, scientific experiments with animals. Print off a selection (with reference to the URL) and making appropriate for Year 3 students. In groups of 3 or 4 - get students to discuss
●What is being harmed/destroyed what needs protecting?
●what rule is being broken
●What rule could be enforced to stop the activity
3. Reflect again as a class on the initial statement that “Some rules aren’t all about us.” Students then to write a short response to the question: “Do animals and trees have rights?” Alternatively do as persuasive oral. Extension could be a debate. / Teacher Resource
*Google Image Search and print off photos as outlined.
* Civics and Citizenship website
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage / Assessment Opportunities
Environmental protection, Eco-friendly, animal rights, animal cruelty
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage Link / Assessment as Learning: Short Response writing.
Reflection
Week / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Cross Curricular Priorities / Social Emotional Education Inclusive Education
General Capabilities / Ethical Behaviour Literacy Personal and Social Competency
Engage ⇒ / Explore ⇒ / Explain ⇒ / Elaborate ⇒ / Evaluate
Explore / Resources
Activity 1: Role Play - Consequences of Rules
a. In groups, students role-play situations in which rules are broken. Groups first discuss rules that would apply to their chosen situation before conducting the role-play. Situations could include:
●Walking up steep stairs
●using the school tuckshop
●behaviour in the classroom
●Playing footy/sport in the park
●Using the school crossing
●Using the public swimming pool
●Buying something at the local shop
●Watching a movie at the cinema
Students present their presentation to the class
b. The class tries to list the rules that are broken for each situation.
c. For each broken rule, students then say the possible consequence that was shown -
seeHandout 1 (see Teacher Resources).
d. Discuss the relationship between rules and consequences by the following questions:
●How do rules support our rights and responsibilities and help us live together safely?
●Why do we need rules and why do we need to know what they are?
●How do we judge what is fair or not?
●Do rules have to be fair for everyone?
●How do people know what the rules are?
●When and why do rules change?
●Who should make the rules and why?
●What can happen if we do not follow rules?
e. Each group completes the statement, 'We need rules because ...' on the back of their handout.
f. Conduct a class report-back
Activity 2 - Think Pair Share
Look back to situations discussed in previous activity, ie
●Walking up steep stairs
●using the school tuckshop
●behaviour in the classroom
●Playing footy/sport in the park
●Using the school crossing
●Using the public swimming pool
●Buying something at the local shop
●Watching a movie at the cinema
Get students to think pair share “who makes the rules” for each of these situations. Discuss:
1. Who are the rule makers in the situation.eg teacher, shop owner
2. Are the rules fair?
Get across the idea that rule makers (teachers, managers of shops etc) have a duty to protect the rights of others while in their care. Therefore it is fair that they make up fair and reasonable rules. eg swimming pool owner stops you running to protect your safety, classroom teacher makes you use your hand to protect the right of others to participate.
Extension Activity: Compare whether it is fair for a classroom teacher or shop owner to enforce unreasonable rules eg only people with blue eyes may hand out books? / Teacher Resources
Handout 1: Discovering Democracy Unit: Rules and Laws
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage / Assessment Opportunities
fair and reasonable, duty, rule makers
Civics and Citizenship Metalanguage Link / Assessment for Learning: Role play presentation of consequences of rules
Reflection
Week / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Cross Curricular Priorities / Catholic Ethos Social Emotional Education Inclusive Education
General Capabilities / Literacy Critical and Creative Thinking Ethical Behaviour ICT Personal and Social Competency
Engage ⇒ / Explore ⇒ / Explain⇒ / Elaborate ⇒ / Evaluate
Elaborate / Resources
Main focus of this lesson is for students to appreciate while in our culture elected or nominated people may make the rules (often for the majority well-being), in other cultures different people are entrusted as rule makers. (Cultures can be chosen to suit class composition.)
The following lesson is to broaden students’ understanding of rulemaking and who makes them. Introduction of concept of absolute power in order to answer question posed by unit.
Activity 1: Ruler for the Day! (One Ruler - Absolute Power concept)- Should One person make the Rules?
●Select a student to be 'The Ruler'. Where possible, include a confident speaker to assist with the demands required of oral public performance.
●Explain the role of absolute ruler to student. e.g. set rules they want, give commands and hand out consequences (assist with constructing some ideas with the ruler to be safe and appropriate in class setting)
●Inform the rest of the class that they are going to be ruled by one person for a short time who has been nominated by the teacher as having total power and therefore the class must do whatever the ruler tells them without question.
●Conduct the role-play for a limited time (use teacher judgement 2 - 5 mins).
●At the end of the role-play - Discuss as a class:
- What did you like/ dislike doing?
- How did not having a say make you feel? How they felt about having to do whatever they were told;
- Did you think the ruler was being fair to everyone?
- What did the ruler think, feel when doing the activity?
- What rules of behaviour must your classmates obey?
- What Rights did you have/not have?
Activity handout: Pharaohs of ancient Egypt:
Write the following on the board and get students (can be done in pairs or small groups) to research possible answers: