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Democracy in Action
Maintaining a democratic society requires the ongoing participation of all members—young and old. It's never too early for young people to identify and work on issues of importance to them and their communities. Here are some suggestions for activities that afterschool staff can use to integrate literacy-building with the development of young people's civic muscle.
Reading Aloud
I hope you have some read-aloud time set aside each day or several times a week. (Why? See last issue's Wire on reading poetry aloud or read excerpts from Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook.) Reading a book about democratic processes aloud is a great way not only to teach new vocabulary and concepts but also to begin lively discussions.
Younger children love to be read to; when they really like a book, they will ask you to read it over and over! This month's Bookshelf includes two books for young readers about the electoral process: Duck for President and Max for President.
Before reading aloud, be sure read the book yourself so that you will be familiar with the story and can read with feeling. When the children are gathered for read-aloud time, begin by asking questions to activate their prior knowledge, such as:
- Have you ever voted? For what? Why did you vote for the person you voted for?
- Has anyone in the group ever been elected to a position such as class president? Who elected you? Why did they vote for you?
- Have you ever gone to vote with an adult? What was it like?
Knowing something about the topic helps listeners (or readers) understand the story better and gives them a chance to become familiar with its vocabulary and ideas.
Older children also benefit from being read to. For example, Operation Clean Sweep, which deals with women's fight for the right to vote, can help you begin a discussion about voting rights and the role of voting in a democracy.
Before read-aloud time, read the book yourself and choose a section or chapter that you think will interest your group. As with younger children, begin with pre-reading questions:
- Who is eligible to vote in this country?
- Were all of these people always eligible to vote?
- How were voting rights different in the past than today?
These questions can lead to an exploration of the history of voting in this and other countries. If the youngsters have questions about, for example, who can and can't vote, make a list.
After pre-reading activities, read the chapter you selected, and then be prepared with a follow-up activity such as role-playing. Assign students roles from the period represented in Operation Clean Sweep and let them play out the conversation:
- A group of women who are not allowed to want to vote but would like to
- A group of men, some of whom think women should have voting rights while others disagree
After the role-plays, have students write down their reactions. Go back to the questions you listed before the reading. How would the group answer these questions now? What new questions do participants have?
Framing read-aloud time with activities such as these helps build both literacy skills and content knowledge, in this case of democratic processes.
Advocacy Research
Advocacy—active support of an idea, cause, or policy—is a form of democratic participation. I'm willing to bet that every young person has an interest he or she is passionate about. Reading stories about historical figures who have served as advocates, such as Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela can help identify issues young people care about and inspire active participation.
Starting with the websites listed below, have participants select an area of interest and then research ways they can participate in that area. Have them write their reflections on the activities in a journal and share them with the group. Questions to get them started might ask, for example:
- Which of these activities have you participated in?
- How effective was your advocacy effort?
- If you haven't participated in any of these activities, which would you like to try?
Participants might then try a new activity. Point them to YouthAction NYC's tips on effective youth advocacy. Help them select a low-risk, low-cost activity to start with—writing a letter to a policymaker, for example, rather than trying to organize a public demonstration. After they try the activity, they can describe their experience in their journals and share with the whole group.
Here are some websites with advocacy information on specific topics:
- Children's issues:
Children's Aid Society
Child Welfare League of America - Schools and education:
Center for Education Reform Grassroots Action Center
YouthAction NYC's "In School" page
Global Kids' human rights advocacy on the DREAM Act - Poverty issues::
National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness
National Coalition for the Homeless - Juvenile justice reform:
The Freechild Project - Environmental issues:
National Wildlife Federation
NYC Partnership for Parks
The Sierra Club - Animal rights:
ASPCA
Additional Activities
The curricula and lesson plans below will give you even more ideas for activities that combine literacy with democracy.
- Kids Around Town (KAT) is an inquiry-based approach to civics education that supports students' academic achievement as they research and resolve a community issue that concerns them. Literacy is an inquiry topic as well as a tool for democratic action.
- Adapt a lesson plan from the International Reading Association to have advanced students write a persuasive essay on an environmental issue.
- Try adapting a lesson plan from The New York Times Learning Network such as Character Study: Creating Collages Reflecting Desirable Qualities in a Political Leader or Keeping Time: Composing Song Lyrics That Examine Social or Political Issues.