Should the People Rule?

At a glance

• Student introduction
• Focus question 1: Who rules us?
• Focus question 2: What are the main types of government?
• Focus question 3: What was it like to live in a democracy in ancient Athens?
• Focus question 4: How do the people rule in Australia?

Focus question 1: Who rules us?

Content	Activities (Assessment tasks are in bold italics.)	Preparation
Influencing government decisions in a democracy	Hypothetical incident analysis: Government bans American TV shows

Teaching and learning activities

Focus question 2: What are the main types of government?

Content	Activities (Assessment tasks are in bold italics.)	Preparation
Types of government: monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, democracy	Poster creation Oral presentation Note-taking Mapping	Poster paper for each student Textas, glue, scissors Have atlas available

Teaching and learning activities

Focus question 3: What was it like to live in a democracy in ancient Athens?

Content	Activities (Assessment tasks are in bold italics.)	Preparation
Life, government and citizenship in ancient Athens Contrast with ancient Sparta	Definitions crossword Group development of a newspaper	Newspapers and magazines to show examples of headlines and articles Paper suitable for making newspapers Pencils, textas, glue and scissors Arrange for use of Stories of Democracy CD ROM, atlas and Year Book

Teaching and learning activities

Focus question 4: How do the people rule in Australia?

Content	Activities (Assessment tasks are in bold italics.)	Preparation
Representative democracy Senate and House of Representatives Preferential voting Direct democracy in Australia How groups govern themselves	Class discussion: extending direct democracy in Australia Interview task: oral or written Group work: prepare and participate in class debate	Arrange for use of relevant activities on Stories of Democracy and Parliament at Work CD ROMs

Teaching and learning activities