Unit 1: Citizens Impact on Society

 Our first unit of inquiry, under the transdisciplinary theme of How We Organize Ourselves is well underway. Here are the details about it:

Central Idea:

 Citizens impact societies of which they are a part

Lines of Inquiry:

- meaning of citizenship - rights and responsibilities of citizens

- the obligation of citizens towards society

Key Concepts:

Form, responsibility, causation

Related Concepts:

Organization, Government, Community

Approaches to Learning:

Self-management, Social Skills

Learner Profiles:

Principled, Caring

Learning Goals and Success Criteria:

- Identify some of the ways people can impact society 

- Explain how decisions are made within a society

- Demonstrate responsibility with chosen or assigned roles

Action:

Decide on a set of classroom agreements

Propose, vote upon and modify classroom roles and responsibilities (Job Titles and Responsibilities)

How to Support Your Child at Home:

- Discuss any roles you may have in your community/ society.

- Discuss any news about people who are making a difference in their society

- Discuss how cities or countries make decisions for the citizens and how citizens can have a say

This week we discussed our own roles and responsibilities as teachers and students before going into more detail as we worked together to establish classroom helper roles and responsibilities.

To give the students more agency and say in the direction that the unit takes, I opened up a discussion on the Central Idea, by asking them the questions, "So what!?!" What does it mean to you if we learn about How citizens impact societies of which they are a part. Why are we learning about this topic? What does it mean to you? How is this unit relevant to your life?

The ensuing discussion, in particular, the questions from Aruto and Yoshika about how we can help or improve society and questions about what government is helped us expand our understanding of the unit. As did a separate discussion on how our parents or other adults can take an active role in society. 

We will continue to inquire into these themes in more detail in the coming weeks.