Civics in Action

Minds-On: Quick Write

For the next two minutes, answer the following questions on a sheet of lined paper:
● What is ONE thing that you would like to change in your school, your community
(remember there are many!) or society?
● What SPECIFICALLY could you do to change it?

Share your thoughts with a partner.

Learning Goals:

This is a 2 day lesson.

By the end of lesson, I will be able to:
● Provide SPECIFIC examples for the 4 ways that we can participate in civic actions
● Connect participation in civics with the actions of Black Canadians
● Explain how various “Heroes of Democracy” have taken actions to create change
What is civic action?
A form of citizenship practice consisting in initiatives
aimed at:

● Implementing rights
● Taking care of The Common Good
● Empowering citizens
When we look at
Civic Action, there
are many different
forms that it can
take.
Participating as an individual:
personal actions like volunteering,
signing a petition, attending a
meeting or expressing your opinion.
E.g. A person who signs a petition is participating as an individual.

6
Working together as a group:
collective actions such as joining or
forming a group with like-minded
people to plan and organize activities.
E.g. When many people decide to create and circulate a petition, that
is working together as a group.
Building public support:
outreach actions like holding a
rally or starting a communications
campaign to convince others to
support your cause.
E.g. When a petition draws widespread attention to an issue, that is building public
support.
Working through the political system:
actions like contacting a politician or presenting a
petition to bring an issue to elected officials and
others involved in politics and government.
E.g. When a petition is presented to an elected official, that is working
through the political system.
Activity:

There are 2 sets of cards:

• Women and the Vote
• Aboriginal and Treaty Rights

In your small group, decide where

you think each card belongs.
Then, let’s do a gallery walk to
see what other groups thought…
Civic Action can be done by
groups, as you saw above,
but also by individuals…

Let’s investigate HOW these

people contributed to the
Common Good.
● What did they want
changed in their society
(objective)?

● What ways did they

take action? (see
graphic)

● Did they achieve their

goals (results)?
● What did they want
changed in their society
(objective)?

● What ways did they

take action? (see
graphic)

● Did they achieve their

goals (results)?
● What did they want
changed in their society
(objective)?

● What ways did they

take action? (see
graphic)

● Did they achieve their

goals (results)?
● What did they want
changed in their society
(objective)?

● What ways did they

take action? (see
graphic)

● Did they achieve their

goals (results)?
Heroes of Democracy Activity
● Throughout this course, you will be building
skills and knowledge to help with your final
culminating project

● Because this course is about civics, we want

to familiarize ourselves with movements and
heroes who made positive change for The
Common Good

● Working with a partner, you are going to

research an individual, answer the questions
provided to you on chart paper and present
them to the class.
With a partner, pick a person or group…
Jean Augustine (CAN)
Martin Luther King, Jr. (USA)
Nelson Mandela (S. Africa)
Mohandas Gandhi (India)
Lincoln Alexander (CAN)
Elijah Harper (CAN)
Eleanor Roosevelt (USA)
Oskar Schindler (Germany)
Steven Biko (S. Africa)
Stanley Grizzle (CAN)
Marsha P. Johnson (USA)
Harvey Milk (USA)
Hans & Sophie Scholl (Germany)
Alberta’s Famous Five (CAN)
Abraham Lincoln (USA)
Sir Wilfrid Laurier (CAN)
Romeo Dallaire (CAN)
Harold Cardinal (CAN)
Cesar Chavez (USA)
Malala Yousafzai (Afghanistan)
Liu Xiaobo (China)
Mother Teresa (Macedonia)
Desmond Tutu (S. Africa)
Autumn Pelletier (CAN)
Murray Sinclair (CAN)
Jody Wilson-Raybould (CAN)
Carrie Best (CAN)
Lester B. Pearson (CAN)
Ruth Bader Ginsberg (USA)
Elie Wiesel (Germany)
Dalai Lama (Tibet)
Tawakkol Karman (Yemen)
Rosemary Brown (CAN)
Viola Desmond (CAN)
Greta Thunberg (Sweden)
Agnes MacPhail (CAN)
Mary Two-Axe Earley (CAN)
Cindy Blackstock (CAN)
Emmeline Pankhurst (UK)
Our Focus:
● What did they want
changed in their society
(objective)?
● What ways did they take
action?
● Did they achieve their goals
(results)?
Question 1: Introduce the group/individual and their objective

Anchor question:
What did they want changed in their society (objective)?

Success Criteria:
● Identify the group or individual
● Explain what they wanted changed (objective) and why
(Common Good)
Question 2: Explain what they did

Anchor question: What ways did they take action?

Success criteria:
● Indicate ways in which they took action using our Ways
of Taking Action graphic. Attempt to provide an
example for EACH quadrant
Question 3: Results?

Anchor question:
Did they achieve their goals (results)?

Success Criteria:
● Identify one fact, statistic or figure that demonstrates the
results (success, failure, compromise?)
● Has the Common Good been achieved? Is it still in process?
Level 4 extras: Common Good…and Controversy!
● All of the people on the next slide added to
The Common Good BUT…
● Some of them said and did controversial
and problematic things, too
● It’s important to look at the WHOLE person
and not fossilize them as “good” only
● Add their controversies to your chart paper,
too, if they have them!
Overall criteria for success …

➔ Information provided is accurate and thorough

➔ Anchor questions are answered (objectives, ways of taking action
and results are clearly stated)
➔ Additional information provides context
➔ Chart paper and overall presentation shows confidence and clarity
➔ Individual contribution, participation and feedback
Peer Feedback - use the Success Criteria
● Once we have all presented, you will choose a
peer’s chart paper to give feedback. On a
sheet of paper, answer the following:
○ What surprised you?
○ What are the similarities and differences between
this hero and yours?
○ Are the anchor questions answered?
○ Does it remind you of something else you have
seen or heard elsewhere (in or out of class)?
○ Does it meet all the criteria?