The story so far
The crew wants changes, so now it has to make the case in public. Thirty people want ten free seats. A budget post mixes up a total and a per-student figure. Gia gets two minutes before the parks committee. A realistic image says the courtyard flooded. The crew learns to bring fair rules, honest numbers and one clear request.
Who leads each lesson
AnikaLesson 17
MariLesson 18
GiaLesson 19
SamiLesson 20
Your mentor for this unit
Grace Okafor
Legislative aide, city council, a city council member’s district office
What I watch for
- A decision with no meeting
- A meeting with no agenda
- A comment with no request in it
“Where is this decided, and when can the public speak?”
What you’ll learn to do
Four new skills, one per lesson. Each one uses skills you already have.
Lesson 17
Set fair criteria before choosing
Write the rule for a decision before you apply it, and say honestly who each rule leaves out.
Builds on
Lesson 18
Compare numbers on the same scale
Turn totals into the same unit, such as dollars per student, before comparing two budgets.
Builds on
Lesson 19
Fit a request to the body’s remit and time limit
Cut a comment to one request the committee has the power to act on, in the time allowed.
Builds on
Lesson 20
Confirm an image with independent sources
Trace where an image came from, look for separate sources that confirm it and publish only what you checked.
Builds on
- Find the original sourceLesson 1
- Correct a public mistakeLesson 3
- Check an official source for your own areaLesson 9
The four lessons
Each lesson has four steps: Story, Evidence, Practice and Task.
Lesson 17, 1 of 4
How should the crew give out ten free seats?
With Anika- Your role
- The one who writes down the rule before the crew picks the ten names.
- New skill
- Set fair criteria before choosing
- Key terms
- Criteria
- Equity
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Lesson 18, 2 of 4
Why is the theater curtain still falling apart?
With Mari- Your role
- The one who works out the per-student number before anyone repeats the post.
- New skill
- Compare numbers on the same scale
- Key terms
- Revenue
- Expenditure
- Per-pupil amount
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Lesson 19, 3 of 4
What should Gia say in her two-minute comment?
With Gia- Your role
- You’re the one holding the timer and listening for the request.
- New skill
- Fit a request to the body’s remit and time limit
- Key terms
- Agenda item
- Remit
- Public record
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Lesson 20, 4 of 4
Can the crew post this image as true?
With Sami- Your role
- The one who writes the verification note Jordy posts at six.
- New skill
- Confirm an image with independent sources
- Key terms
- Provenance
- Corroboration
- Verification note
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Words to know
Say each word out loud, then flip the card for what it means and how the crew uses it.
Educators: the lesson plans, slides, pacing and test keys for Unit 5 are on Educator home.