• Have students act upon their personal positions. 

• Students will develop a civic response(s) related to the topic.

• Students will implement the civic response(s) they develop. 

• 45 – 60 minutes 

• Regular seating or group seating 

• Worksheet: Civic Response (1 per student) 

• Explain the goal of this activity, reminding students that taking action based on personal positions is putting democracy in action, a very important component for effective democracies. 

Tasks

1. Define what is meant by a civic response (taking some sort of social action). 
2. Ask students to provide current and/or historical examples of civic responses which are local, national, or international in nature. 
3. Provide examples to supplement the student-generated examples. 
4. Brainstorm ideas for possible civic responses to the deliberation topic at hand that could be implemented by the students in the near term, as determined by the teacher. 

   Note: The scope of civic responses should be such that they can be implemented within the time allotted for the curriculum unit of which this deliberation is a part. 

5. Allow students to work individually, in groups, or as a class to develop their civic response(s) using the “Civic Response Worksheet.” 

Assessment Tool

Civic Response Worksheet (under Materials)

Conclusion 

Have students share their civic response ideas with the class. 

Role of the Teacher 

• Provide students with examples of civic outcomes (organizing a letter writing campaign or petition, blogging or other social networking, creating an informational video or piece of expressive art work for public display, leafleting Congress, preparing for and participating in public meetings, planning an event to create awareness and/or raise funds, volunteering at an organization, etc.). Allow plenty of class time for the development of their civic responses. Be encouraging of student ideas for action. Providing considerable support at this stage may be necessary (e.g., helping a would-be-volunteer student connect with a related community organization) because this is likely new territory for most students. This “nudge” from the teacher is often critical.