Teacher Background Information

Goals

Objectives

• the council-manager form of government as a democratic process;
• the division of labor among city departments to provide quality services;
• the role of City Council members as representatives and liaisons;
• the concept of budgeting and major sources of funds and expenditures;
• the many ways in which citizens shape city policy and improve community life.
• the city resources that have a youth focus.

Standards

PO 6. the roles and relationships of different levels of government, including federal, state, county, city/town and tribal.

PO 2. involvement in political decision-making, including voting, petitioning public officials and analyzing issues.

PO 3. the government function in taxation and providing certain goods and services.

Suggested Activities

• Ask students to read the City Council district map and locate their district.
• Ask students to attend a City Council meeting or watch one on Phoenix Channel 11, the city's government access channel on Cox Cable and Qwest Choice TV.

To help students understand the division of labor among city departments to provide quality services to the citizens:

• Ask students to observe and record city departments at work in their community; students could survey community members to discover how their neighbors use city services.
• Visit city departments that provide tours. See the Publications, Mascots and Tours section for more information on educational tours.
• Ask students to investigate a city department further by collecting organizational charts, brochures, publications, forms and manuals developed by the department. Students could present their knowledge in the form of advertising a service offered by the department.
• Visit phoenix.gov, the city's World Wide Web page, to learn more about an individual department and to see jobs listed by the Personnel Department. The address is www.phoenix.gov on the Internet.

To help students understand the role of council members as the representatives from each council district:

• Ask students to find their council district on the Internet at phoenix.gov, or call (602) 262-7029 to obtain the information. Schedule permitting, council members or their representatives often will visit classrooms as guest speakers.
• Run an election and establish a city government in your classroom, designating areas of the room as council districts. Have students represent their constituents in a vote. In a class discussion, allow students to evaluate their peers' skills as representatives.
• Watch a council meeting on Phoenix Channel 11.
• Read council district newsletters on the internet.
• Participate in Kids Voting during city elections.

• Have students complete the youth budget exercise.
• Ask students to create a budget for themselves (including food, clothing, school supplies, entertainment, etc.)
• Ask students to rank city services in order of priority and prepare an argument about why a particular department or service should receive funding.
• Ask students to prepare a visual aid exhibiting the services their tax dollars paid for.
• Attend the city's Youth Budget Forum in the spring and give input into the city's budgeting process. Call (602) 495-0314 for the date, time and location.

To help students identify the wyas in which citizens shape policy and improve community life:

• Keep track of city issues reported on in the newspaper and post on a bulletin board; take on an issue as a class and invite proponents of each side to address your class. Students can formulate an opinion and address a letter to their council representative stating their opinions.

• Share with students the complete list of boards and commissions found in Your City Government or on the Internet at phoenix.gov/CITYGOV/bdcomm.html. Ask students to choose a board or commission to which they would apply and state the reasons for their choice.
• Establish commissions similar to the city commissions in your classroom and have the "student citizens" prepare recommendations to present to the mayor and City Council.
• Find out about the neighborhood associations near your school; invite a member of the neighborhood association to talk about his or her experiences. Contact the Youth and Education Programs Office at (602) 495- 0314 for a list of neighborhood associations around your school or visit phoenix.gov/APPINTRO/nbhdassoc.html.
• Involve your class in a community service project. Your students could poll the neighborhood to determine needs, consult with their neighborhood association or council representative, or contact the city's municipal volunteer coordinator at (602) 534-1687 for a specific assignment. Financial Assistance for service learning projects is available through the PAYBACK (Phoenix Assisting Youth by Advancing Civic Kindness) fund. Contact the Youth and Education Programs Office at (602) 495-0314 for more information or download an application at phoenix.gov/YOUTH/nbp.html

To help students communicate their knowledge about city government:

• Ask students to send their projects or lessons to the mayor or their City Council representative.
• Send student projects for lessons to Youth and Education Programs, Office of the City Manager, 200 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85003. Projects can also be sent via e-mail to mailbox.youth@phoenix.gov

Last modified on 07/11/2008 09:44:02