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    Lessons - Activate

    Democracy is all about having a voice, and being able to translate that voice into authentic action. Activate your students as they work through action plans, examples of activism, and the many different kinds of ways people can have a say and make an impact in our democracy. 

    • decide
    • research
    • activate
    • vote

    The objective of the Activate module is to empower students to create campaigns and plan actions that have the potential to raise awareness, influence behaviour and create change. The lessons contain examples of different kinds of activism and teachers are encouraged to supplement these examples with current and relevant examples.

    Students will be guided to create action plans, delegate tasks and enact these plans (where possible). If you have limited class time, we recommend that students investigate the examples of “what activism looks like” in Lesson 1, and use these as inspiration for their planning process.

    As with all our resources, choose the activities and lessons which suit your needs (and those of your students) the best. The lessons which we consider to be a “core” component of the Passport to Democracy program have been highlighted in red in the downloadable resource.

    Teacher Lesson Plans

    All lesson plans include curriculum links, learning activities, links to additional resources and Learning Intention & Success Criteria statements.

    Lesson 1: Changing the world

    Students investigate and analyse real life examples of active citizenship, before considering what behaviours could be seen as an act of activism.

    Lesson 2: Our action plan

    Students develop an action plan with clear steps laid out to meet the specific outcomes for their issue. This plan should also include who will be responsible for each task, encouraging students to conduct effective group work.

    Lesson 3: Our campaign

    Students work through the creation of social media content, event plans and  campaign pitches. This lesson is a great opportunity for students to take the lead and teach their peers (and teachers!).

    Lesson 4: Making it happen

    These activities serve as lesson starters for classes working on enacting their action plans.

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    Collect your passport

    Download the Passport to Democracy map to help you and your students conceptualise their learning journey.