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Step 4: Consider the Context

Lesson Plan

No issue exists in a vacuum, so in this step, students examine the factors that contribute to the circumstances surrounding their issue. By looking at laws, regulations, policies, attitudes, and root causes--in addition to the effect of money, politics, and factors unique to the individual issue--students get a deeper understanding of their issue and its interplay with the world. 

This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.

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  • Lesson Plan

    Step 9: Grab People’s Attention

    In this step, students get creative by developing “swag” to promote their cause. They learn principles of effective attention-grabbing that they apply to their own swag designs, including how to write a tagline and use visuals effectively.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Eight: Positions, Please!

    Students summarize their research and their proposed solution in one coherent document that describes what the issue is, what’s being done, and how the proposed public policy will help solve the problem.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Five: All About Public Policy

    Having built a foundation of knowledge about the chosen issue in Steps One through Four, students now learn the term “public policy.” Students identify government action and regulation as the two main ways the government works to solve problems. They analyze examples and evaluate the situations in which action and regulation are appropriate.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Four: Working With Websites

    To increase their knowledge about both the chosen issue and the three types of actors they studied in Step Three, students examine three websites of governmental and non-governmental organizations that are involved with the chosen issue. They apply the “5W + H” method in order to learn how to navigate and gather information from a website. At the same time, they record and analyze new information about the class’s chosen issue.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Nine: Action Campaign

    Now that the research is done and students have articulated a proposed public policy solution for the chosen issue, they learn how to gather support. Students learn 12 different campaign and publicity strategies, then apply what they’ve learned by creating publicity materials to promote the class' public policy solution. This lesson may be done as a fictional exercise or to kick off a real-life campaign.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step One: We've Got Issues

    In the first of nine steps, students explore two county issues you have chosen. They vote to decide which issue the class will focus on for its “County Solutions” project.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Seven: Brainstorm a-Brewin'

    Armed with knowledge about the chosen issue and about how public policy works from Steps One through Six, students brainstorm a public policy solution for the issue the class has been studying. Students use a “Thinking CAPS” method of organized brainstorming.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Six: Real World Policies

    Building on the concepts of public policy, government action, and regulation from Step Five, students analyze real-world examples of government actions and regulations. Students get a taste of the wide variety of public policies that exist, and they learn how to evaluate a public policy idea for benefits and limitations.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Three: Who You Gonna Call?

    To begin thinking about possible solutions for the issue they read about in Step Two, students learn about the difference between individual, group, and government action. They analyze examples, then apply what they’ve learned by suggesting ways each type of actor could address the class’s chosen issue.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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  • Lesson Plan

    Step Two: The News and You

    Having chosen an issue for the project, students analyze two news articles about the issue. They apply the “5W + H” method in order to learn how to gather information from a news article. Using what they learn, they describe the current state of the chosen issue.This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties.
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