Lesson Name:  Citizen’s Handbook

 

Category: Civics

Course Code: CHV 201

Created By: Adrienne Chong , Mark Melnyk and David Butler

School: Markville Secondary School

Level: Grade 10

Time: Course Culminating Activity

 

 

 

 

Rationale:

The Citizen’s Handbook gives students the opportunity to track relevant and current issues / events that will increase students’ sense of civic purpose.  The process and product it will increase students’ understanding of how democratic beliefs and values are reflected in citizen actions in local, provincial, national, and global contexts.

 

 

 

Expectations:

 

Democratic Decision Making

C           explain the causes of civic conflict, and identify the need for decision‑making processes and structures (e.g., ensure individual and community needs are met, resolve conflict, adapt to change);

 

 

Elements of Democratic Citizenship

C           research and write profiles of citizens with varying backgrounds (e.g., culture, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, nationality) who have made a difference in public life, and compare the different types of civic involvement they represent.

 

 

The Rights and Responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship

C           identify significant political leaders in today’s Canada.  

 

 

Citizenship Within the Global Context

C           analyze contemporary crises or issues of international significance (e.g., health and welfare, disasters, human rights, economic development, environmental quality) in the context of the global community;

 

 

 Democratic Beliefs and Values

C           explain, based on an analysis of cases in local, provincial, national, and global contexts, how democratic beliefs and values are reflected in citizen actions;

 

Beliefs, Values, and Multiple Perspectives

C           compare the varied beliefs, values, and points of view of Canadian citizens on issues of public interest (e.g., privacy, reducing voting age, freedom of information, compulsory military service, Native self‑government, Québec sovereignty);

C           analyze a current public issue that involves conflicting beliefs and values, describing and evaluating the conflicting positions;

 

 

Civic Purpose, Community, and Personal Responsibilities

C           describe and assess the contributions that citizens and citizens’ groups make to the civic purposes of their communities;

C           demonstrate an ability to anticipate conflicting civic purposes, overcome personal bias, and suspend judgment in dealing with issues of civic concern.

 

 

Inquiry Skills

C           demonstrate an ability to formulate questions; locate information from different types of sources (e.g., texts, special references, news media, maps, community resources,

           Internet); and identify main ideas, supporting evidence, points of view, and biases in these materials;

C           demonstrate an ability to organize information effectively (e.g., using summaries, notes, timelines, visual organizers, maps, comparison organizers);

 

 

Decision Making and Conflict Resolution

C           demonstrate an ability to apply conflict‑resolution and decision‑making strategies (e.g., identify points of view and values, collect data) to public issues affecting their own lives.

 

 

Citizenship Participation and Community Involvement

C           research and compare significant contributions made by individuals and groups to their communities and assess the impact of these individuals’ and groups’ contributions;

C           participate effectively in a civil action or project of interest to them and of importance to the community (e.g., attend public hearings, plan religious or cultural event, join special interest group, write letters to editor);

C           produce a research report on the contributions of public agencies (e.g., government bodies, service clubs, media, public interest groups) and evaluate the value of these

           contributions to society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions:

1.  Before introducing the Citizen’s Handbook, teacher should deliver  lessons that have students read, examine and analyze newspaper articles and political cartoons.  Teacher should reinforce the importance of reading newspapers objectively and looking for the main points, thesis, arguments, evidence and bias in the articles and cartoons.  As well, the teacher should have students write a critical or argumentative reflection on a newspaper article and have students create a political cartoon on a specific event or issue.  Each of these should be collected and assessed for the students.

2.  Introduce and explain the Citizen’s Handbook (WORD) and Citizen’s Handbook Rubric (WORD) and explain that the Handbook will be an on-going / course culminating activity.  It is also important to remind students that the Handbook is a compilation of articles and cartoons over time, and should be worked on throughout the course, not at the end or last minute.

3.  Hand out the Newspaper Articles Summary Template and How to Analyze Newspaper Articles handout.  Explain these handouts for the students as they act as an easy reference and guide while completing the Citizen’s Handbook.

4.  Teacher should also show a multiple of exemplars (ranging from a level 1 to level 4) that students can examine and ask questions throughout the process of completing the Citizen’s Handbook.

5.  Teacher should designate 2-3 work periods throughout the course and give the due dates for each stage of the Citizen’s Handbook as well as the final due date.  NOTE: it is important to ensure that students are completing the handbook throughout the course.  A process mark can be given (through a checklist) for each work period to ensure students are on the right track and have all aspects of the assignment started / completed.

6.  Teacher should evaluate using the Citizen’s Handbook Rubric and give feedback to the students.

 

 

 

Materials:

  1. Citizen’s Handbook Instruction Sheet

http://www.yrbe.edu.on.ca/~mkvlss/civics/cith.html

 

  1. Citizen’s Handbook Checklist

http://www.yrbe.edu.on.ca/~mkvlss/civics/chchecklist.html

 

     3.  How to Analyze Newspaper Articles

     http://www.yrbe.edu.on.ca/~mkvlss/civics/analyze.html

 

  1.  Newspaper Article Summary Template

http://www.yrbe.edu.on.ca/~mkvlss/civics/newtemp.html

 

  1. Citizen’s Handbook Rubric

 

      6.  Exemplars

 

 

 

 

Assessment & Evaluation:

1.  Citizen’s Handbook Checklist

2.  Citizen’s Handbook Rubric