Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

40 minutes

Part A: Introduction to Democracy

60 minutes

Part B: Rule of Law and Democracy

20 minutes

Reflection

Part A: Introduction to Democracy

Preparation

Before the class starts, move the classroom furniture so that the tables are along the sides of the room and the chairs are set up in 1-2 rows facing a screen.

Step 1

Inform students that the learning intention for this section of the lesson is to find out more about democracy and the rule of law, and the impact they have on our rights and freedoms.

Watch the following clip as a class:

What is Democracy? (https://youtu.be/8Eu6G5YrBt4)

After viewing, explain to students that they will complete the ‘See-Think-Wonder’ visible thinking routine to explore what they observed and interpreted in the clip. Distribute three sticky notes to each student. Stick three pieces of butcher’s paper in a visible position, or draw a three-columned table on the whiteboard. Write each of the ‘See-Think-Wonder’ questions below on its own sheet of paper (or column).

What did you SEE/HEAR in the video?
What did it make you THINK?
What did it make you WONDER?

Ask students to respond to each question in writing on a separate sticky note.

If preferred, students could complete the visible thinking routine on the Student Worksheet.

Step 2

Invite students to stick each of their notes under the respective question on the whiteboard or butcher's paper. Ask volunteers to share what they have noted in a quick class discussion.

Step 3

Summarise the clip by explaining that democracy is a system of government where people participate in the governing (or running) of their country, either directly (‘direct democracy’) or by electing people to represent their views (‘representative democracy’).

Step 4

Ask students to form pairs. Inform the class that they will work together to choose one note in the ‘Wonder’ section of the visible thinking routine, and find out more about what they are wondering about.

If what students have wondered about in the clip is not researchable, you could guide students to think about what would like to know about democracy. They could think about the 5Ws - Who, What, Where, When, Why - when framing a research question.

Step 5

Inform students that they could use information from the Democracy Factsheet and conduct an online search, working together to think critically about the search terms they use, and the websites they source information from. Students could use the criteria below to assess the information they find:

Currency: check when the information (for instance, webpage) was created, and whether it has been kept up-to-date.
Reliability: vandalism and spam can be an issue for some webpages, especially websites that are edited by the public. Consider the accuracy of information, the images, style and focus of articles, if there is any false information and the quality of writing.
Authority: all statements should be backed up by references to reputable third-party sources. A quality article should have no [citation needed] flags, and should include a quality reference list.
Purpose/Point of view: be aware of what the intention of the writer is and whether what you’re reading is fact or opinion.

Students are prompted to summarise their research on the Student Worksheet:

Write down what you are wondering about.
Note down the information that you found out in your own words
Note down where you sourced your information from, give each source a credibility rating of 1-5 (1 = not at all credible, 5 = most credible) and note why you gave that rating.

Step 6

Once students are satisfied that they have found information addressing what they are wondering about, organise the class so that three pairs form groups of six. Invite students to take turns to share what they were wondering, and the information they found on it.

Step 7

Guide students to complete the prompts on the Student Worksheet to summarise their understanding of democracy:

In your words, what is democracy?
What did you already know about democracy?
What do you know about democracy now that you didn’t know before?

Part B: Rule of Law and Democracy

Preparation

Students can remain in their six-person groups for the next part of the lesson. The classroom furniture should be arranged so that groups are sitting together around a table.

Step 1

Introduce this part of the lesson by establishing students’ prior knowledge of the concepts of ‘rule’ and ‘law’. Draw the Venn Diagram below on one side of the whiteboard:

Ask students to contribute their ideas on each of the concepts and note them down on the whiteboard so that all students can see each other’s suggestions.

Optional

Watch the video below for an overview of Rights, Freedoms and the Courts (from Story of Our Rights and Freedoms - Year 9)

Rights & Freedoms and the Courts (youtu.be/wZMvQPVL_rY)

Step 2

Next, write the phrase ‘Rule of Law’ on the other side of the whiteboard. Ask volunteers to share their thoughts about the phrase, and record their responses on the whiteboard.

Once suggestions are exhausted, highlight the following for students:

Rule of Law requires that we have rules that are followed and enforced.
Rule of Law is an Australian legal tradition.
Rule of Law ensures that societies are governed by laws. It means that all people, regardless of who they are (their status) are expected to follow the same laws and are held to the same standard. This includes the government.
If a law is broken, then there is a clear process and guidelines for consequences for these actions.
Rule of Law is fundamental in maintaining a free, democratic and fair society.

Step 3

Explain to the class that the rule of law protects our democratic rights and freedoms. In this jigsaw classroom activity, students will work together to understand more deeply what the rule of law is, and what happens without the rule of law. The steps for this activity are as follows:

If they are not already sitting together, invite students to form a 6-person jigsaw group. The groups should be made up of students with different experiences and viewpoints.
If necessary, appoint one student from each group as the leader.
Ensure that each student has access to a web-enabled device. Each should go to and read one section (each) from the following link: https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/guide/index.html. Instruct students to scroll down the page to the pyramid and click on the 'Rule of Law Principles' drop down menu.
Note that there are more webpages than there are group members. Invite students with strong literacy to read about more than one principle on the webpage.
Encourage students to read and understand the information. Students should be encouraged to focus on only the Rule of Law principle they are reading and learning about.
Give students time to read over their section at least twice and become familiar with it. Inform students that they don't need to memorise it, and that they could write some notes that summarise the basics of what they have read.
Ask students to move their seats so that they form temporary ‘expert groups’. This means that one student from each jigsaw group joins other students assigned to the same factsheet. If possible, they should take their devices with them to their expert groups. Otherwise, ensure that each student has a piece of paper for taking notes.
Give students in these expert groups time to discuss the main points of their information and to rehearse how they will present what they have understood back to their jigsaw group.
Ask students to reform into their original jigsaw groups.
Ask each student to present the information they have learned to the group. Encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification and to take any notes on points they find interesting or challenging.
Float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having trouble (e.g. a member is dominating or disruptive), make an appropriate intervention. Eventually, it's best for the group leader to handle this task. Leaders can be trained by quietly giving an instruction on how to intervene in a kind way until the leader gets the hang of it.

Find more information about jigsaw classrooms at the Jigsaw Classroom website: https://www.jigsaw.org/

Step 4.

While seated in a group formation, ask students to summarise their understanding by listing three ways the rule of law protects our rights and freedoms. They can do so on the Student Worksheet. Then, encourage students to share their thoughts in a quick discussion with their jigsaw group.

Reflection

Students are prompted on the student worksheet with the following:

Think back to what you learned about democracy and the rule of law throughout the lesson, and complete the reflection pyramid below:

This lesson covered a large amount of content, so students may benefit from sharing their reflective pyramid with group members. This may act as a reminder of the breadth of content covered. This activity could also be completed by drawing a large pyramid on a board or a sheet of butcher's paper, asking students to write each of their reflections on sticky notes and inviting them to place them in the relevant spot on the pyramid.

Differentiated Learning

Extension

Students could create a mind map to illustrate the connections between the principles of rule of law, democracy and the rights and freedoms we enjoy in Australia. They could use images, symbols, words and phrases to represent ideas on their mind map. They could use paper, pens, or an online mind-map generator such as bubbl.us.

Provisional learning support

Be mindful when distributing the factsheets during the jigsaw classroom activity to ensure that students’ abilities are catered for. Allow students to use an online search to clarify any terms or concepts while they're reading the factsheets.

Story of Our Rights and Freedoms - Understanding Democracy

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