Entrepreneurship · Lesson Plan

Active Citizenship

Being an active citizen means contributing to your community, not just living in it. This lesson explains what active citizenship is, the many ways young people can get involved, and how to plan a citizenship project. Using local newspapers, charity leaflets, and other resources, students identify a local need and draw up a plan to help — a natural companion to the charities lesson.

Grades 4–6 Lesson Plan 90 minutes Free Lesson Plan Lesson & Activity: Full Membership

For Teachers

Lesson at a glance

Topic: Entrepreneurship
Grade Level: Grades 4–6
Resource Type: Lesson + Worksheet
Estimated Time: 90 minutes
Format: Lesson + activity
Materials: Printable lesson, activity sheet, pencils

What Students Learn

Learning objectives

Explain what being an active citizen means
Describe ways children can contribute to society
Identify a local need to address
Plan an active-citizenship project
Recognize the value of civic involvement

Materials

What you’ll need

Printed lesson and activity (one per student)
Local newspapers, charity leaflets, phone book
Internet access (optional)
Pens and paper

Key Terms

Vocabulary

Citizen: A member of a community or country.
Active citizenship: Contributing to and improving your community.
Community: The group of people living in an area.
Volunteering: Giving your time to help others without pay.
Civic: Relating to a community and its responsibilities.
Project plan: A step-by-step plan to accomplish a goal.

For Teachers

Lesson plan

Estimated time: 90 minutes (30 min teaching, 60 min activity).

Lesson sequence

What is active citizenship? (15 min). Discuss what it means to contribute to a community.
Ways to get involved (15 min). The many ways young people can help.
Find a need (25 min). Students use local resources to spot a need to address.
Plan a project (35 min). Groups draw up a plan to help.

Assessment

Assess the project plan for a real local need and a realistic, well-organized set of steps.

Discussion

Discussion questions

What does it mean to be an active citizen?
How can young people contribute to society?
What local need could you help with?
What steps would your citizenship project take?
Why does civic involvement matter?

Printable Lesson & Activity