Step 4: Choosing to Participate
Students have an opportunity to explore one issue in-depth and to create an action plan that inspires change in their schools or communities.
![Uniformed high school students write at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/DSC08537.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=iu11BSxz)
Persuasive Writing: A Letter to a Newspaper for a Caring Community
Students write a persuasive letter to a local newspaper, which outlines the importance of considering the needs of others and suggests ways to create a more caring community.
![Calligraph pen and paper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/calligraphy_pen.jpg?h=e59c519e&itok=E0_gx0ch)
Persuasive Writing: A Letter to Parliament
Students write a persuasive letter to Parliament concerning the gig economy, having reviewed persuasive devices, generated claims and content, and read a model letter.
![Calligraph pen and paper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/calligraphy_pen.jpg?h=e59c519e&itok=E0_gx0ch)
Persuasive Writing: A Speech about Consent
Students write a persuasive speech for sixth-form students on the importance of consent, having reviewed persuasive devices, generated claims and content, and read a model paragraph.
![Calligraph pen and paper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/calligraphy_pen.jpg?h=e59c519e&itok=E0_gx0ch)
A New Generation of Young Voters Emerges
Explore why young people tend to vote at lower rates and how they can get more involved in elections.
![2016 Elections at University of Texas](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Youth_Voting_AP_16313634417978.jpg?h=fcf6c839&itok=MHIlP8cJ)
Blending In and Standing Out
Students use an excerpt from Sarfraz Manzoor memoir to reflect on identity, belonging, and wanting to feel invisible.
![Moving people step off and on a moving subway train in London.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2005_BritainExplosions_FH127100.jpg?h=5325492e&itok=TeJz7dWW)
Speaking Up and Speaking Out
Students analyse a spoken word poem about bullying and consider how they might use their voices to call attention to injustice in their schools or communities.
![One student talks in the center while two others sit on either side looking at the student speaking.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2017_classroomimage_sfba_FH152779.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=Rn7GgqI9)
Supporting Question 4: Memory of the Founding
Students explore the supporting question "How should we remember the nation’s founding?"
![Washington DC, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Building Southwest Pavilion. The Library has had an ongoing exhibition entitled "Thomas Jefferson's Library", which presents the Library's efforts to completely recreate Thomas Jefferson's personal library. The exhibit is located on the Building's second floor in the Southwest Pavilion, called the Pavilion of the Discoverers due to the paintings and bas-reliefs that adorn the space.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/2F36F1J.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=uc3dLkqF)
Activities to Connect and Celebrate at the End of the School Year
These six activities help students reflect on the past school year, celebrate their school community, and look ahead to what comes next.
![Two students in conversation with each other. Both appear to be joyful.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/FacingHistoryandOurselves_PressPhoto2_0.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=uUpzXtUW)
The Common Good in Times of Crisis
This mini-lesson invites students to explore how their actions and the actions of their leaders can help promote the common good in a time of crisis.
![Demonstrators stand in a crosswalk to protest climate change.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/2019_GlobalClimateStrikeActivists_FH2178688.jpg?h=5dcf5df9&itok=kLIXIfcm)
Haitian Migrants at the US–Mexico Border
This mini-lesson uses images and firsthand accounts of Haitian migrants to humanize the events happening at the US–Mexico border and give shape and nuance to the news.
![A group of adult and children migrants from Haiti stand in line to regularize their migratory situation.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-06/HaitianMigrantsinTijuana_FH2178689.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=84nyyZXu)