- You are here:
- Home
- For Teachers
- Other Resources
- A Gift to the Nation
- Using the DD resources to teach about civic values:
Using the DD resources to teach about civic values:
Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Collection
The Australian Readers contain a range of fictional, factual, historical and contemporary texts that support the understanding of civic values in the classroom and allow students to reflect on the links between what they read and their own society.
The following are some examples from these texts.
| Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Lower Primary Collection | ||
| Example | Page | Values |
| The Bindi Gully Band, Stacey Hattensen | pp 2– 18 | Community values |
| Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Collection | ||
| Example | Page | Values |
| The Cemetery Committee, Nina Bawden | pp 11– 13 | Good and bad rules and laws |
| Equal Opportunity, Jim Wong-Chu | pp 18– 19 | Fair and unfair laws |
| Common Ground, Bruce Woodley and Terry McArthur | pp 22– 3 | Qualities and values of Australians |
| Australians Don't Have Goats, Nadia Wheatley | pp 30– 1 | Qualities and values of Australians |
| Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Upper Primary Collection | ||
| Example | Page | Values |
| Freedom, Anon. | pp 2– 3 | Valuing liberty, equality and fraternity |
| Making Change, Theresa Tomlinson | pp 8– 9 | The right to vote |
| I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King | p 12 | Freedom |
| The Australian Citizenship Pledge | p 26 | Patriotism and loyalty |
| The Stone in the Road, Anon. | p 31 | Responsibilities of citizens |
| Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Lower Secondary Collection | ||
| Example | Page | Values |
| The Rights of Man, Thomas Paine | p 4 | Human rights |
| Two Philosophers Debate Democracy | pp 8– 9 | Participation and representation in government |
| Why Our Parliaments Matter, RG Menzies | p 51 | Values of parliamentary democracy |
| Freedom Isn't Just a Word, Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem | pp 60– 1 | Freedom |
| Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Collection | ||
| Example | Page | Values |
| A Woman's Place, Edith Cowan | pp 12– 14 | Political equality |
| Trying to Change the World, Charles Perkins | pp 17– 18 | Political equality |
| An Australian Citizen First, Neville Bonner | p 18 | Indigenous equality |
| Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King | pp 22– 4 | Just laws |
| I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King | pp 36– 7 | Political equality |
| Through My Eyes, Ella Simon | pp 38– 40 | Equality for Indigenous citizens |
| Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Upper Secondary Collection | ||
| Example | Page | Values |
| Challenging Attitudes – The Power of the Press, The Dawn | pp 16– 17 | Political participation; the rights of women |
| What Makes Democracy Possible?, Charles-Louis Montesquieu | p 36 | The common good |
| Someone Has To Take Charge, Jean Anouilh | pp 39– 40 | The individual versus authority |
| What To Do? The Problem with Dirty Hands, Michael Walzer | p 43 | Is it possible to avoid moral compromise as a leader? |
| A Struggle Within | p 49 | The oppression of women |
| Who is My Neighbour?, The Bible | p 56 | Compassion for others |
| Ethics for a Global World, Peter Singer | p 63 | Global ethics and good citizenship |
| Humanising Globalisation | p 64 | Human rights for all |
Discovering Democracy Units
Through the Discovering Democracy Units, teachers can introduce students to the principles of Australian democracy and implicit civic values. These principles are studied through understanding historical and contemporary contexts, developing critical understanding of events and looking at issues of contemporary democratic participation.
| Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Units | |
| Unit | Learning contexts and democratic values |
| Stories of People and Rulers | Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, contemporary Australia Representative democracies and citizens rights. |
| Rules and Laws | School rules, road laws, Aboriginal law, parliamentary law Rules and laws – what is fair? |
| We Remember | Australia What symbols do Australians use to show who they are and what they value? Investigation of the symbols of state and of our nation from the past, present and future, and what these say and should say about Australia. |
| Joining In | School and community groups Active participation in community. |
| Discovering Democracy Upper Primary Units | |
| Unit | Learning contexts and democratic values |
| Parliament versus Monarch | Magna Carta, King Charles 1, Australia The transfer of power from the monarch to the people through representative parliamentary democracy. Importance of voting in a representative democracy. How people have the power in Australia's democracy. |
| The People Make a Nation | Pre-federation and contemporary Australia Reasons for federation and the role of the people in effecting it. The sharing of power between the States and the Commonwealth and the levels of government in Australia's democracy. |
| The Law Rules | Historical and contemporary judicial procedure The rule of law in Australia: the right to a fair trial, the process of making laws, the independence of the courts, equality before the law. |
| People Power | The Australian Freedom Rides, the Eight-hour Day movement, the campaign for equal pay for women Investigation of the kinds, structures and functions of groups in a community, and the ways people can participate in a democracy. |
| Discovering Democracy Lower Secondary Units | |
| Unit | Learning contexts and democratic values |
| Should the People Rule? | Ancient Athens and Sparta, contemporary Australia Characteristics of governance. Features of a representative democracy. |
| Law | Ancient law, Saxon law, Aboriginal law, constitutions, court operation The role of laws in protecting citizens' rights and wellbeing and to acknowledge what is right and wrong. Issues about proposed new laws. The role of the constitution in determining the powers of governments and the independence of the High Court in interpreting the laws passes by parliament. Fair laws and features of a fair trial. |
| Democratic Struggles | The Chartists, the Eureka rebellion, the Australian Constitution, the 1938 Day of Mourning and the 1967 referendum Elements of a fair democracy: suffrage, secret ballot, equal electorates, payment for Members of Parliament, regular elections, the campaigns for achievement of rights at Eureka, votes for women and Aboriginal citizenship. |
| Men and Women in Political life | Australian political leaders Qualities and values of leaders. |
| Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units | |
| Unit | Learning contexts and democratic values |
| Parties Control Parliament | Political parties Representing the interests of the people, polling and influencing voters. |
| A Democracy Destroyed | Nazi Germany, contemporary Australia Features of democracy, threats to democracy, using the legal system for undemocratic purposes. |
| Human Rights | Declaration of Independence (USA), Declaration of the Rights of Man (France), the Bill of Rights (USA), UN Declaration of Human Rights, Australian Constitution The kinds and historical development of human rights, values associated with particular rights and responsibilities. Human rights and Aboriginal peoples. |
| Making a Nation | American War of Independence, federation, constitutions, the republic debate Constitutions as a basis for government, the balance of power between governments. Should Australia become a republic? Argument for and against. |
| What Sort of Nation? | Images and information about Australia Some of the factors contributing to Australian identity. Aboriginal peoples, immigration, multiculturalism, economic factors, social security. |
| Getting Things Done | The Franklin Dam dispute How do governments and parties respond to issues? How effective is direct citizen action? |
