Nominations and Self-reflection

Year 4 

AC9HS4K08 – the roles of local government and how members of the community use and contribute to local services 

AC9HS4S05 – draw conclusions based on analysis of information 

AC9HS4S06 – propose actions or responses to an issue or challenge that consider possible effects of actions 

AC9HS4S07 – present descriptions and explanations, using ideas from sources and relevant subject-specific terms 

Year 5

AC9HS5K06 – the key values and features of Australia’s democracy, including elections, and the roles and responsibilities of elected representatives 

AC9HS5K07 – how citizens (members of communities) with shared beliefs and values work together to achieve a civic goal 

AC9HS5S05 – develop evidence-based conclusions 

AC9HS5S06 – propose actions or responses to issues or challenges and use criteria to assess the possible effects 

AC9HS5S07 – present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions 

Year 6

AC9HS6K07 – the roles and responsibilities of the 3 levels of government in Australia 

AC9HS6S05 – develop evidence-based conclusions 

AC9HS6S06 – propose actions or responses to issues or challenges and use criteria to assess the possible effects 

AC9HS6S07 – present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions 

Local Government Teaching and Learning Unit PDF

How Does Local Government Work? video   

Faces of local government poster  

Personal statement worksheet Word Doc

Personal statement worksheet PDF

Councillor ballot paper template  

Mayor ballot paper template  

Preparing election materials website 

Introduce the tasks for today’s lesson. Students will work on their Personal statements and re-explore the roles available in local government. This is also the first lesson where students can nominate to take on a government role.  

Watch the How Does Local Government Work? video and discuss the following: 

• Councillors and mayors have different roles in council meetings. Which would you prefer to be and why?  
• Council meetings are open to the public. Why is this important? 
• Many people are eligible to nominate for council. Do you think it is important to have a mix of different kinds of people as elected members? Does this improve the decisions a council makes? Why or why not? 

Re-visit the roles in local government using the Faces of local government poster. Ask students to re-cap the roles and responsibilities of the community, the staff and elected members. 

Ask students to nominate themselves for the role(s) they are interested in. Record the names of the students against their preferred role(s). It will be important to have at least the same or more students nominating for each role as there are spaces available.  

• Councillors – 10 x roles available 
• Mayor – 1 x role available 
• Returning officers – 3 x roles available 
• Council staff – 6 x roles available 

The returning officers should be picked now as they will need time to prepare for their role in the upcoming election.  

Hand out the Personal Statement worksheet and explain the various sections, guiding students with examples where necessary. Remind students that the topics they discuss could cause real change in their classroom. If the class is unsure about the “initiatives, issues and ideas” you could brainstorm together. Once students are ready, give them time to work on their worksheets. 

During this time, returning officers should prepare ballot papers for the election. They will need to edit the template document by typing the names of the nominees for mayor and the names of the nominees for councillor into two separate ballot papers. Once complete they can join the rest of the class working on their worksheets. 

Nominees for councillor and mayor may want the opportunity to create campaign materials to promote themselves and their chances of getting elected. You could provide them with time and materials to create and display these promotional materials ahead of the election in the next lesson. Take a look at the Preparing election materials website page for more guidance. 

Reflect on the day’s learning as a class. In the next lesson, you will be holding a mock election where the class will elect the councillors and the mayor.  

Before the next lesson, the ballot paper worksheet will need to be edited and printed and the room will need to be prepared according to the Voting space guidelines. Please factor in additional time to prepare ahead of time.