Great Government for Kids
Your Local Government
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City Council Simulation
Step 1:Getting Started: To start, you will pretend that you are a member of a group that will be at a city council meeting. Each group will have 4-5 members. (Your teacher may assign you to a group, or your teacher may ask you to choose a group.) These groups are:
Group 1: The City Council: A mayor (can be played by the teacher, a student, a high school student invited from high school government class, or the real mayor or ex-mayor of your town) and 3-4 City Council members
Group 2: People for a Natural Environment: A group of people that are interested in saving the environment and do not want waterslides to be built at the Reservoir
Group 3: Watersliding World, Inc.: people who work for Watersliding World and want to build waterslides at the Reservoir
Group 4: Citizens for Waterslides: people who live in Lafayette and want to have Watersliding World build waterslides at the Reservoir
Group 5: Neighbors Against Waterslides: people who live in Lafayette and do not want Watersliding World to build waterslides at the Reservoir.
Step 2: Group Brainstorming and Member Outlines
If you are a member of Group 1:
Meet with your group and decide who will play the part of the mayor and who will be council members. Give yourselves new names and identities. Brainstorm details about each identity. For example, since the mayor and city council of Lafayette do work full-time at other jobs in addition to being on the council, you can make up what each of you does for a job. Each member should have at least three things to say about themselves. The mayor will have the additional task of introducing each council member and leading the council meeting.
After your group has planned out their identities, each group member will write a biography outline about themselves. Click here to get a copy of the biography outline.
If you are a member of Group 2, 3, 4, or 5:
Meet with your group and brainstorm reasons why you feel the way you do about the waterslide issue. For example, if you are from Watersliding World, Inc. you will think up reasons why waterslides are needed and wanted in Lafayette. Write down these reasons on a piece of paper, then decide who will be responsible for saying each reason during the council meeting. You should have at least three reasons per person.
After your group has organized their reasons, each group member will write a speech outline that they will use when talking to the city council. Click here to get a copy of the outline to print and use.
Step 3: The City Council Meeting
Set the stage:
Move desks in rows with an aisle down the middle, facing a long table and chairs. Put a podium (or small desk) in the front of the middle aisle. The council members will sit at the long table facing the student desks. Each council member will have a nameplate with council member or mayor written on it. (Can be made from construction paper.) Now you are ready to have a meeting.
Starting the meeting:
The mayor will call the meeting to order. (If you can obtain a gavel, it is a great prop for the mayor to use.) The mayor will introduce him/herself and the council members. Each will in turn introduce themselves using the biography outlines they have prepared.
The mayor will then describe the issue to be decided:
"Watersliding World, Inc. has requested that the city council issue a land use permit to allow their company to build waterslides at the Lafayette Reservoir. We are meeting here today to decide whether or not to issue the permit. We will hear from all interested groups regarding this issue, then vote as a group on the issue. We will first hear from Watersliding World, Inc. Will you please have your first group member step up to the podium."
The meeting continues:
After hearing from Watersliding World, Inc., each remaining group is then invited to have their members step up to the podium and give their speeches about their position regarding the issue.
The council votes:
After each group member has said their speech, the council is directed by the mayor to vote. The mayor says:\
"We have heard from both sides of the issue. Now we will vote. All in favor of issuing a land use permit to allow Watersliding World, Inc. build waterslides at the reservoir, say 'Aye' and raise your hand."
The mayor states how many votes have been cast for the issue.
"All opposed to issuing a land use permit to allow Watersliding World, Inc. to build waterslides at the Reservoir, say 'No" and raise your hands."
The mayor states how many votes have been cast against the issue.
"The decision has been made to (issue, not issue) a land use permit to Watersliding World, Inc. Thank you to all who have attended this meeting today. Meeting adjourned. (Use gavel if available to end meeting.)
| Welcome | Your Local Government | State and Federal Government | Famous Citizens | Teacher Resources | Unit Overview, Lesson Plans, and On-Line Textbook | Internet Websites Bibliography |