5B

5B's Democracy in Action

This term, we have been putting on our thinking caps and diving into the world of government, democracy and citizenship! We started by asking some big questions: What is democracy? Why do we need governments? And how did we get here? Along the way, we explored human rights, the Magna Carta, constitutions, laws and Australia’s three levels of government.

We then brought things closer to home by exploring local government and how it helps our community. We were lucky enough to welcome Monash City Council for an incursion, where we learnt about the many activities, services and opportunities provided by our local council. This was a great way to see that government isn’t just something that happens in Canberra. In fact, it is happening right here in our own community!

Next, we moved on to State and Federal Government and discovered just how many people and organisations are involved in making decisions. We explored the roles of different political parties, their values and priorities, as well as how electoral maps help us understand representation. We also started asking some pretty important questions about whose voices are being heard, whose voices might be missing and how we can have respectful conversations when people don’t agree.

Things became even more interesting as we explored contemporary issues affecting Australians today. We investigated topics such as the cost of living, energy, sustainability and transport, considering different perspectives and thinking about possible solutions. We have had plenty of opportunities to share our opinions, challenge ideas and, most importantly, explain why we think a particular way.

But we didn’t stop at learning about democracy. We put it into action! We learnt about preferential voting and then used the process ourselves to vote for our very own Class Premier and two Acting Premiers. From casting our votes to counting and considering preferences, we experienced firsthand how our voting system works. It was a great opportunity to see democracy in action and understand why every vote matters!

Throughout the unit, our GWPS values of Respect, Integrity, Initiative and Global Empathy have been at the heart of our learning. We are learning that having a voice is important, but so is listening to others, considering different perspectives and using our voice responsibly. It has been fantastic to see us becoming more confident in sharing our ideas, asking questions and realising that even as young citizens, we can have a say in the world around us.