Who Represents You?


Unit 5 is about local governments in Alberta. You will learn how democratic values are reflected in local governments and how citizens can participate.

Targets


Read the I Can statements to see what you will learn in Unit 5.

I Can...

  • Explain how representatives are chosen to form a local government

  • List the responsibilities of local governments

  • Tell how local governments are structured differently in rural and urban settings

  • Explain the role of school boards within local communities

  • Tell how individuals, groups, and associations within a community participate in decision-making

  • Explain how elected officials demonstrate their accountability to the people

Introduction


Can kids influence government decisions?

This is Lord Lansdowne Public School in Toronto. Some students from the school went to their local government to fix a potentially dangerous situation outside their building.

The experiences of the students of Lord Lansdowne Public School in Toronto offer a glimpse into how local governments work.


Resources for Inquiry


  1. Textbook

    Read pages 100 and 101 of your textbook, and consider these questions as you read:

      • Can ordinary people have an influence on governments?

      • What did the students do to improve their lives?

      • Were they able to do it without the city council?

      • Is the political process described an example of democracy?

      • Can anyone do what these kids did?

Library Books


Check out the library books for this unit.

    Click here to download a PDF version of the Library List of Books

If you are not able to find these library books, look for others about local governments in Alberta.

Skill Builder


Click here to learn how to search for books in a library.

Notebook


Throughout this unit, you will keep a Notebook. The PDF downloads are the pages of your Notebook.

  • Create a folder on your computer or in the cloud titled "Unit 5 Notebook".

  • Save all of the PDF downloads to this folder.

Whenever you see this icon you will be directed to use the Unit 5 Notebook folder you created.