Citizenship and Democracy
“Politics is just another word for your future.”- Unknown
| Citizenship | If I were |
| A day without laws | Hope for the future |
| Freedom to vote | Fun |
| Voting - two ballots | Other related units |
| Decision making project | Links |
“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start slowly changing the world. How lovely that everyone great and small can make a contribution.”
- Anne Frank
Democracy is the right of the people to choose their own government. In its purest form, every person would discuss and vote on every proposed law. This is rarely practical in today's busy world. In most democracies, citizens choose, or elect, representatives.
In a democracy, if the people are unhappy with the job their representatives are doing, they can replace them with new ones. For this reason, elected officials who want to keep their jobs tend to pay attention to what the citizens want.
Citizenship is a Special Status
Work with a friend: What are your rights as a citizen? What are your obligations?
We worked together. Our names are:
What are your rights as a citizen?
What are your obligations?
Laws define a person's rights and
obligations as a citizen.
Do you think laws are necessary?
I think that our life without laws
will be
Group work: what would a day without laws be like?
Examine a typical day of yours beginning from the morning until the
evening - without laws.
Think of driving without laws, no life guard at the
pool, no codes of ethics in school, etc.
Points to think about:
What is the purpose of having rules?
How are rules made?
Who must follow rules?
What happens if a rule is broken?
Write your answer as a small group
here:
Group work: write a class
constitution. Think of laws that would be fair for everyone.
Vote on the best class constitution. As a class edit the
chosen class
constitution.
Sign it and display in your English room.
Send us your class constitution and
we will publish it here.
Voting is a right that we have in our
country. In some countries people are not allowed to vote.
Write
your opinion on our freedom to vote. Send to the Discussion
Forum.
In the following activity you will
vote in two Ballots.
What is your opinion on the following
topics?
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Ballot A |
|
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1. School 2. Recess 3. Ice Cream 4. Homework 5. Television |
 |
What is your opinion on the following
topics?
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Ballot B |
|
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1. School will be year round. 2. Recess will be replaced by 20 minutes of sit-ups & push-ups. 3. Only garlic flavored ice cream will be served in the cafeteria. 4. There will be no homework on weekends. 5. Television will be in the classroom - but only the commercials. |
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“Liberty without learning is always in
peril
and learning without liberty is always in vain.”
- J.F. Kennedy
Voting with and without adequate information
What difference was there between Ballot A and Ballot B?
Did you change your vote once you had the information on Ballot B?
Why is it important to gather information before we vote?
Where can we get information before voting? How will
you get the information you need to decide?
Write in the Discussion Forum
Idea taken from http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/curr_samples/twoballots.pdf
“Voting
is the least arduous of a citizen’s duties.
He has the prior and harder duty of making up
his mind.”
Ralph Barton Perry
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Work with a friend. Choose a topic that you do not
agree on. In this activity you will have to reach a decision.
What is the topic? |
What do I know? |
|
This activity will help you learn how
to make a voting decision. |
What do
I want to know?
|
|
What
have I learned? |
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Were you surprised at some of the
results of passing your information through this
test?
Do you think voters often make uninformed decisions?
Do you think voters often make decisions based on inadequate information?
Why is it important to understand
that not all information is credible?
Which sources of information did you
find most credible?
How do you rank radio,
newspapers,television, magazines, individuals, etc., in
terms of their credibility?
What information passed the test?
Chart from http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/curr_samples/processing.pdf
If you were chosen as a member in
your class/school committee, what changes would you make?
Display what you wrote in the
bulletin board of your class/school. Now you stand a better chance to be
elected!
Make wishes for your neighbourhood/community/city or country.
In the following link you will read what kids from the U.S.A. wish for their country. Click here.
What are your wishes for Israel? What can you do to help these wishes come true? Write in the Discussion Forum
Write your wishes to a Knesset member. Which member of Knesset might be able to help you? Click here.
Fun
Online Word Search USA Elections
Word Search Elections (to print)
Puzzle (to print)
How does goverment affect me? (interactive)
President for a day (interactive)
Inside the voting booth (interactive)
Political Crossword (to print)
Political Word Search (to print)
To change you must act
Netiquette
Human rights what does it mean?
Human rights and children's rights
Current Events
Children's right - children and work
The Declaration of Independence
kidsvotingusa.org
abcteach.com
Election comics
teachervision.com
The Knesset
http://atozteacherstuff.com
Political words
Scholastic.com
Lesson plans - government
The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel
Last updated 26/10/08
If you have any comments
or suggestions please email
Sigalit Arditi