Unit 1: Creating Democratic Classrooms in Elections in Action

STOP! We know you want to jump right into Elections in Action, but this unit is where you need to begin!

Why? Much of action civics classroom practice looks, sounds, and feels different than traditional instruction. The expectation for youth leadership and ownership of the process is a shift in teacher-student dynamics. The centrality of youth voice and youth choice is also a shift. And the engagement with the larger community beyond the classroom in authentic democratic experiences is most definitely a new experience for most students (and teachers).

This unit provides a necessary on-ramp for you and your students to create the foundation to engage successfully in action civics learning. You will build your class foundation on the following question:

How will we be together?

You need to create the “container” to hold successful action civics learning, which is what this unit is all about. We strongly encourage you make the time to build this foundation and nurture it throughout the year.