Civic Participation & Collective Action

Taking part in shared life, making decisions together, and acting collectively for the common good.

K–12 objective ladder

• K D09.S3.K.01 Take part in a group decision or a small job that helps the class.
• 1 D09.S3.01.01 Take part in making a class rule or choice and give one reason for their idea.
• 1 D09.S3.01.02 Do a small job that helps the classroom or school and tell how it helped.
• 2 D09.S3.02.01 Explain how a group makes a fair decision together, such as talking it through or taking a vote.
• 2 D09.S3.02.02 Identify a way people in their community help one another, such as a food drive or cleanup, and how they could join in.
• 3 D09.S3.03.01 Explain how rules keep a group safe and fair and propose a rule for a shared space with a reason.
• 3 D09.S3.03.02 Explain what it means to have a voice in a group and what can happen when someone's voice is not heard.
• 4 D09.S3.04.01 Describe how people make decisions and choose leaders in their community and compare with one other place in the world.
• 4 D09.S3.04.02 Work with classmates on a small shared project, dividing tasks fairly and listening to each person.
• 5 D09.S3.05.01 Explain what government is and what it does, and compare how decisions are made in more than one country.
• 5 D09.S3.05.02 Plan and carry out a small collective action for the common good, such as a cleanup or kindness campaign, and reflect on what made it work.
• 6 D09.S3.06.01 Explain the difference between a democracy, an autocracy, and other ways of making decisions, and their strengths and limits.
• 6 D09.S3.06.02 Describe how ordinary people have worked together to change something unfair, using a historical or local example.
• 7 D09.S3.07.01 Analyze how people influence decisions in their society, such as voting, protest, petitions, or organizing, and the limits of each.
• 7 D09.S3.07.02 Explain what civil society is and how groups and movements act for the common good when government does not.
• 8 D09.S3.08.01 Analyze a social movement (its goals, strategies, and effects) and evaluate what made it succeed or struggle.
• 8 D09.S3.08.02 Explain how digital tools change civic participation, and weigh the risks and benefits of organizing online.
• 9 D09.S3.09.01 Analyze how power is distributed in a society and how citizens can hold power accountable, using a specific case.
• 9 D09.S3.09.02 Evaluate the strengths and limits of democratic participation, and compare with alternatives across different societies.
• 10 D09.S3.10.01 Design a plan for collective action on a real community or global issue, including goals, allies, and steps, and evaluate its likely effects.
• 10 D09.S3.10.02 Analyze the ethics of civic technology and digital citizenship, including misinformation, surveillance, and who is included or excluded.
• 11 D09.S3.11.01 Analyze a global collective-action problem, such as climate change or labor rights, and the coordination needed to solve it.
• 11 D09.S3.11.02 Evaluate solidarity (acting with others across difference and distance) and argue for what it requires of citizens.
• 12 D09.S3.12.01 Practice the habits of an engaged citizen by researching an issue, building coalitions, listening across disagreement, and acting collectively toward a fairer common life.
• 12 D09.S3.12.02 Reflect on their own role in public life and craft a considered vision of how they will participate to build a more just and sustainable world.

Taught in