Part Two: Activities

The activities in each lesson are designed to help students deepen their base of knowledge and test their understanding of the main concepts mandated in the curriculum. You can decide which (and how many) activities you’d like students to complete. There is one recommended activity per chapter that helps link the lessons forward, giving students the opportunity to build towards their final project, which is revealed next chapter.

Collaboration is Key:

Summary: In this activity, students will work to develop their collaboration skills.

Objectives: The objective of this activity is to help students improve their collaboration skills. Students will find a partner and explore different tools and resources that will aid them both in the development of their final projects.

Skills:

• Collaboration
• Marketing
• Time management
• Problem solving
• Creative thinking
• Communication

Instructions: 

Part One:

1. Begin by introducing the activity and explaining the objectives to the students.
2. Divide the class into pairs, or have them choose a partner working on a similar project.
3. Instruct students to share their idea with their partner, and collaborate on a plan that will help promote both ideas – both policy proposals.
4. Point students to the prompts provided in the activity as a guide to help them with this exercise.
5. Give students time to work on their plans and offer assistance where needed.
6. When plans are complete, encourage students to follow through with them, pitching their ideas to potential funders and decision-makers.

Part Two:

1. Instruct students to write a press release about their final project in order to generate publicity and build support for their idea.
2. Give students time to write their press releases, using the resource in the activity as a guide.
3. Once the press releases are complete, encourage students to send them to the media and see if a local news outlet will cover the story being pitched or the efforts of the entire class!

Assessment: Assessment for this activity should be based on how well students collaborate, and whether they work to complement each other’s skills and seek to help both projects succeed. Assessment can also be based on the quality of the plan and press release they create.

Success vs Failure:

Summary: In this activity, students will analyze two policies – one that was successful and one that wasn’t.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students better understand the policy-making process by exploring policies that worked and ones that didn’t. Students will evaluate two policies that focus on a similar theme or message in order to learn lessons that they can apply to their own policy proposal process.

Skills:

• Critical thinking
• Analysis
• Creativity
• Inquiry
• Communication
• Collaboration

Instructions:

1. Introduce the activity and explain the objectives.
2. Instruct students to find two examples of policy ideas that are similar to what they’re trying to accomplish. One example should be a success; the other should be a failure.
3. Tell students to investigate the processes behind each example to understand why one succeeded and one failed, answering the questions listed in Part One of the activity.
4. When students have finished answering the questions, divide the class into pairs and ask that the students compare notes. This will ensure that more students learn more lessons that, in turn, can be applied to their final projects.
5. Next, have students pick two podcasts from the Podcast Pool and instruct them to follow the prompts listed in Part Two of the activity.
6. Finally, direct students to Part Three of the activity and encourage them to review the How to Measure Outcomes resource. This knowledge might come in handy as they work to build their final project and it will most certainly come in handy later in life.

Assessment: Assessment should be based on how well students analyze and evaluate their examples, the quality of the answers to the questions listed in Part One and Part Two of the activity, and their participation and engagement in the group work and the activity as a whole.

Nail the Process:

Summary: Students will work to deepen their understanding of the Canadian policy-making process.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to review and reinforce student understanding of the key concepts presented in this lesson. This activity also tests comprehension by requiring students to answer questions about the Canadian policy-making process.

Skills:

• Research
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Decision-making
• Communication

Instructions:

1. Begin by presenting or having students review the slideshow presentations provided in the activity.
2. Assign students to answer the questions listed in the activity, either individually or in small groups.
3. Wrap-up the activity by facilitating a discussion on lessons learned.

Assessment: Student assessment can be based on the quality of their answers and their participation in the group discussion.

Process Planning: *Recommended*

Summary: In this activity, students will create a process timeline to map-out how they will bring their final project to life.

Objective: The aim of this activity is to build on the work students have completed in previous chapters and help them create an itemized timeline of tasks that need to be completed in order for their final project to succeed. Students will apply the process lessons they learned in this chapter and develop further tools that will keep them stay organized and manage their time effectively. Moreover, this activity also aims to help students measure success and reflect on whether their goal is too big or too small.

Skills:

• Critical thinking
• Self-reflection
• Process
• Measuring success
• Skill-building
• Organization
• Time management

Instructions:

1. Introduce the activity and explain its purpose.
2. Instruct students to follow the step-by-step instructions listed in the activity.
3. Monitor the students as they build their timelines, ensuring that they follow instructions and are setting both realistic and ambitious goals.

Assessment: The completed timelines should be assessed for detail, organization, time management, goal setting and realism/ambition.

Students also have access to the Curated Library – with featured resources presented in the Further Exploration section found at the base of the lesson page – to help them with the above activities.