Lesson summary

In this lesson, students will watch a current or former Australian politician discuss their career on IMAGI-NATION{TV}. They will investigate what this politician stands for and what he/she has achieved and think about how the decisions of government officials affect others. They will learn about the formal processes for communicating with politicians and how to create a compelling case for change. They will then imagine they are running for government and develop a political platform that earns public trust. Students will also have the opportunity to share their political views and participate in a political debate.

Learning intentions:

Students will...

learn about the role of government officials and politicians
learn what it means to govern
understand the benefits and challenges of working in government
examine how politicians negotiate trust with their communities.

Success criteria:

Students can...

identify formal and informal channels for communicating with government representatives
create a compelling case for change
build your own credibility and communicate your vision for a better future.

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson details

Choose by subject for Primary year level mapping:

HASS

Years 5 & 6 HASS:

Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI104, ACHASSI132)

English

Years 5 English:

Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences and present and justify a point of view (ACELY1699)
Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources (ACELY1703)
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704)
Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1707)

Years 6 English:

Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (ACELY1713)
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)
Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts (ACELY1717)

Health and Physical Education

Years 5 & 6 Health and Physical Education:

Recognise how media and important people in the community influence personal attitudes, beliefs, decisions and behaviours (ACPPS057)
Investigate the role of preventive health in promoting and maintaining health, safety and wellbeing for individuals and their communities (ACPPS058)

Choose by subject for Secondary year level mapping:

Civics and Citizenship

Year 7 Civics and Citizenship:

Present evidence-based civics and citizenship arguments using subject-specific language (ACHCS059)
Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australia’s democracy (ACHCS060)

Year 8 Civics and Citizenship:

How citizens can participate in Australia’s democracy, including use of the electoral system, contact with their elected representatives, use of lobby groups, and direct action (ACHCK062)
Present evidence-based civics and citizenship arguments using subject-specific language (ACHCS073)
Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australia’s democracy (ACHCS074)

Year 9 Civics and Citizenship:

The role of political parties and independent representatives in Australia’s system of government, including the formation of governments (ACHCK075)
Present evidence-based civics and citizenship arguments using subject-specific language (ACHCS088)
Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australian, regional and global contexts (ACHCS089)

Year 10 Civics and Citizenship:

Geography

Year 7 Geography:

Year 8 Geography:

Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social considerations, and predict the expected outcomes of their proposal (ACHGS062)

Year 9 Geography:

Reflect on and evaluate findings of an inquiry to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic, political and social considerations; and explain the predicted outcomes and consequences of their proposal (ACHGS071)

Year 10 Geography:

English

Year 7 English:

Year 8 English:

Interpret the stated and implied meanings in spoken texts, and use evidence to support or challenge different perspectives (ACELY1730)
Use comprehension strategies to interpret and evaluate texts by reflecting on the validity of content and the credibility of sources, including finding evidence in the text for the author’s point of view (ACELY1734)
Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)
Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to create, edit and publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1738)

Year 9 English:

Year 10 English:

Work Skills

Year 9 Work Skills:

Investigate a wide range of occupations, and the skills and personal qualities required in these fields (ACWSCL006)

Year 10 Work Skills:

Examine the creative and problem-solving techniques used within workplaces to resolve the tensions arising in business and community projects (ACWSCL030)

Health and Physical Education

Years 7 & 8 Health and Physical Education:

Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing (ACPPS073)
Plan and use health practices, behaviours and resources to enhance health, safety and wellbeing of their communities (ACPPS077)

Years 9 & 10 Health and Physical Education:

Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance health, safety and wellbeing of their communities (ACPPS096)
Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health and wellbeing of diverse communities (ACPPS098)

Tips for teachers and carers: This lesson is designed to be flexible for use with various year levels and across the curriculum. It can easily be tailored or expanded to focus more deeply on the skills that students are exploring in their classroom context. For example, an English teacher might choose to place more focus on viewpoints or issues being presented in the clip/s or how to effectively use persuasive techniques to build a case for change. A Civics & Citizenship teacher could focus on the role of the government and the way democracy and parliament works. A Health & Physical Education teacher could focus on solving challenging community wellbeing issues. A Geography teacher could focus on how to make a community or municipality more socially connected and liveable for its residents.

Safety advice: Remind youngsters to keep their personal information private. If they want to share their ideas with the public they can do so, but let them know that they do not need to provide their full name, address, phone number or email address. Keeping oneself anonymous on the internet is the most effective way to ensure safety. If this cannot be achieved, or is not desirable, encourage them to use only their first name and city/local area name.

This lesson is part of a wider program: IMAGI-NATION{TV}

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low – students can be self-directed

Syllabus outcomes: GE3-4, GE4-1, GE4-8, GE5-4, GE5-6, GE5-8, EN3-1A, EN3-2A, EN3-3A, EN3-8D, EN4-1A, EN4-2A, EN4-4B, EN5-1A, EN5-2A, EN5-3B, EN5-7D, DMS3.2, SLS3.13, PDHPE4.2, PDHPE4.6, PDHPE4.7, PDHPE4.7, PDHPE4.8

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Cross-curriculum priority (optional): Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures (OI.6, OI.9)

Time required: 90+ minutes.

Device with internet connection
Pen and paper (optional)

This lesson has been developed in partnership with AIME. AIME is an Imagination Factory that since 2005, has been creating pop-up Imagination Factories on university campuses around the world to unlock the internal narrative of marginalised kids, taking them from a world that tells them they can’t to a world that tells them they can. Kids who experience the Imagination Factory have gone on to achieve educational parity, rise up as entrepreneurs, and take on a whole new mindset that prepares them for success.

AIME created IMAGI-NATION{TV} & the IMAGI-NATION{CLASSROOM} experience to put a mentor in the home every day during the tough times of COVID-19 and beyond. It’s a daily TV show broadcast live on the internet, and it’s a gift for teachers, parents and kids to help make sense of today and imagine tomorrow.

The pursuit is to elevate knowledge; every guest we bring on knows something and has wisdom to share. This show is not just about entertainment to pass the time. We want to remake the mould for the modern hero – from beauty to brains, from selfies to self-knowledge, from hashtags to hope. IMAGI-NATION{TV} is seeking to unlock the best in every single one of us; to inspire a generation of heroes in the form of mentors who fight for a fairer world.

IMAGI-NATION{TV} - Being a Government Guru

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

In this lesson