Civics & Citizenship · Year 7

Active learning ideas

The Role of the Public in Law-Making

Active learning works because students need to experience the real-world impact of public involvement in law-making. When they role-play committee hearings or draft petitions, they see how their actions connect to political decision-making. This hands-on approach builds both civic knowledge and critical engagement with democratic processes.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9C7K02
• AC9C7S04

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Town Hall Meeting
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing

Divide class into stakeholder groups who prepare 2-minute submissions on a sample bill, such as a plastic bag ban. A central 'committee' group questions presenters and votes on amendments. Debrief on what swayed decisions.

Analyze various avenues for public input into the law-making process.

Facilitation Tip

For the Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing, assign roles with clear stakes—some students should represent opposing views to push the presenting group to strengthen their arguments.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario: 'A local park is proposed to be sold for development.' Ask them to list two different ways citizens could influence this decision and briefly explain which method they think would be most effective and why.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Town Hall Meeting
• 30 min · Pairs

Petition Drafting Challenge

Present a community issue like school uniform changes. Pairs draft a petition with clear demands and justifications, then pitch to the class for 'signatures' via quick votes. Discuss formatting and success factors.

Evaluate the effectiveness of petitions and public submissions in influencing legislation.

Facilitation Tip

During the Petition Drafting Challenge, provide examples of real petitions that succeeded or failed so students analyze what makes a petition persuasive.

What to look for

Present students with a headline about a recent bill debated in Australian Parliament. Ask them to write down one question they would ask a Member of Parliament about how the public could have influenced this bill's development.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Town Hall Meeting
• 50 min · Small Groups

Advocacy Campaign Design

Small groups select a real issue, like youth mental health funding. Brainstorm strategies including submissions, MP letters, and social media. Create posters outlining steps and present to class for feedback.

Design a strategy for a community group to advocate for a new law.

Facilitation Tip

In the Advocacy Campaign Design, require groups to include a timeline with milestones to help them think strategically about influence over time.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine your school wants to change a rule about mobile phone use. What steps would you take, as a student group, to persuade the school principal and board to consider your proposal?' Encourage students to use key vocabulary like petition, submission, and advocacy.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Town Hall Meeting
• 40 min · Small Groups

Effectiveness Debate Stations

Set up stations with case studies of successful petitions. Groups rotate, note evidence of impact, then debate whole class: 'Do public inputs truly change laws?' Vote and reflect.

Analyze various avenues for public input into the law-making process.

Facilitation Tip

At Debate Stations, rotate groups so they encounter different arguments and must adapt their responses rather than repeat the same points.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario: 'A local park is proposed to be sold for development.' Ask them to list two different ways citizens could influence this decision and briefly explain which method they think would be most effective and why.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers know students grasp civic processes best when they move from abstract concepts to concrete actions. Start with clear examples of public influence, then design activities where students must use evidence to support their positions. Avoid lectures about process without application—students need to see how a 50-signature petition or one well-timed submission can shape outcomes.

Students will demonstrate understanding by explaining at least two formal ways citizens influence laws and justifying their choices with evidence from simulated activities. They should use key terms like petition, submission, and advocacy confidently in discussions and written work.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing, watch for students assuming submissions are ignored because politicians make final decisions.

  Use the hearing structure to show how committee members ask follow-up questions based on submissions, demonstrating that public input directly shapes discussions.

• During Petition Drafting Challenge, watch for students believing petitions require massive signatories to matter.

  Have groups present their petitions to a mock committee and observe how even targeted arguments prompt discussion, not just signature counts.

• During Effectiveness Debate Stations, watch for students dismissing public submissions as ceremonial steps with no real impact.

  Provide excerpts from bills amended due to submissions and ask students to match changes to the public arguments that prompted them.

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Methods used in this brief

• Town Hall Meeting