Lesson Plan

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Title

Junior Village Council/Local Government

Audience

Students, Teachers, Parents, and School Community in general

Overview

Social Studies 8/9/10 - each elect 2 representatives to form a junior village council or local government and hold a meeting where students play the roles of the mayor and councillors, who meet to introduce, debate, and vote on proposal for their village or local government.

Objectives

1. encourage students to become active participants in local affairs by conducting their own bi-annual junior council.
2. provide students with opportunities to practice various leadership roles for their future contribution towards preserving and promoting democratic ideals.

Activities and Method

1. Orientation: introduction to local government and federal government; field trip to the village/city council meeting, and class discussion on student observations.
2. Research: duties and responsibilities of the mayor and councillors.
3. Council formations: election of two representatives from each class (8-10) to be councillors and one representative from grade 10 to be the mayor.

Preparation (by teacher and by students)

1. arrange material hand-outs with information.
2. set up the computer lab for students to research.
3. set up meetings with the mayor and councillors.
4. monitor students’ progress.
5. read the information (from the hand-outs), summarize and discuss their interpretation in groups with other students.
6. meet and shadow the council members on a regular basis.
7. research focussing on their roles and the means to accomplish these roles

Duration of Activity

This is a full school year program. Preparation for the first junior assembly will start in mid-September and culminate in mid-December. Preparation for the second junior assembly will start in mid-January and culminate in mid-June.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

1. identify the importance of their role/place in their community;
2. understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens;
3. select and analyse important issues facing their community;
4. undertake leadership roles to discuss, debate, and devise solutions;
5. demonstrate the importance of teamwork and collaboration in building consensus, building communities, and building nations.

Materials and Resources

1. school’s resources (library, computer lab, teachers)
2. community resources (information access centre, municipal office)
3. daily/weekly newspapers
4. regional/provincial government resources including www.gov.bc.ca

Evaluation of Activity

Besides writing assignments at regular intervals, the main assignment will be to hold a full junior council meeting twice yearly, videotape it and run it on the local TV channel for a few days for everyone to share.

Submitted By

Amrik S. Prihar, Captain Meares Elementary School, Tahsis

NOTE: The ideas and opinions expressed in this classroom activity belong to their authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Public Education and Outreach office only edits for clarity.