This fall our Grade 4/5 classes have been
studying the democratic ideals in Canadian society. This has included looking at citizen
participation in government, identifying elected government leaders at the
various levels of government and determining the different ways that
governments help people meet their needs.
To culminate their study, students participated in two hands on
activities.
The first was a mock election where
students worked with peers to form four different political parties, each made
up of student members from all classrooms.
Next they elected leaders and discussed ways that they could make a difference
in our school community. These ideas
formed the platform for their election.
A rally was held and each party shared their ideas with the electorate.
The
second activity was called Student Vote.
Student Vote’s website describes the event as “a parallel election for
students under the voting age, coinciding with federal, provincial, territorial
and municipal elections. The purpose is
to provide young Canadians with an opportunity to experience the voting process
firsthand and build the habits of informed and engaged citizenship.”
During
their study of government our students had an opportunity to learn about the
actual candidates running in their home riding of
Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia. Then
stood in line at the polls and cast their vote on Student Vote ballots.
We are
proud of our active democratic citizens!
