LESSON ONE What is a Public Issue? UNIT SIX: PUBLIC ISSUES FACING MICHIGAN CITIZENS

The BIG Ideas… Issues are things that people disagree about. Public issues are issues that affect a large group of people such as a school, community, or a state. Many times people disagree about how to settle, or resolve, public issues. One important responsibility of citizens is to learn about public issues.

List Two Important Responsibilities of Citizens Voting Serving on a jury Respecting the rights of others Obeying laws

Another important responsibility of citizens is participating in government by helping to solve problems. City Green is a book about a group of citizens who worked together to solve a community problem.

The people in the neighborhood were trying to find a way to turn the empty lot into a community garden. What problem in the book are the people trying to solve?

List the steps that the people took in order to solve the problem.

Use the following chronology to assist in summarizing the civic action in Green City. They went to see Mr. Bennett who had worked for the city. He gave them important information about the lot. They passed around a petition stating they wanted to lease the lot from the city. They presented the petition to city officials. They leased the lot from the city for one dollar. They got people together to clean the lot. The city dropped off tools like rakes and also a dumpster. More people joined the project. When the lot was clean, different people planted different things. People helped to weed and water the garden.

people often disagree on how to solve community problems Let’s think of some ways that they may solve disagreements and problems through civic participation. The character of Old Man Hammer disagreed with the rest of the neighbors.

Maybe, because he saw that the people had been successful on the project and that he wanted to be a part of the garden project. Why do you think Hammer changed his mind in the end?

Let’s identify ways the people in City Green showed responsible citizenship.  They signed a petition.  They obeyed the laws. They did not just take over the lot.  They talked about the problem.  They volunteered to clean the lot and to take care of the garden.  They helped keep the environment clean.  They formed a citizen’s group to work on a problem.

issue something that people disagree about Example: One issue in his family was whether or not he should be able to stay up until 10 PM.

An issue is an idea, problem, or proposal about which people or groups of people have differing points of view.  Families frequently have to deal with issues.  Establishing bed times for children.  How might parents and children disagree about this issue?  Try to think of other issues that may arise in families.  Many issues that arise in families are private.  Possible answers include whether a child should get an allowance, what kind of a family car to buy, what chores the children should do, etc.

public issue an issue that affects many, many people Example: One issue in her city was whether or not to build a new police station.

A public issue is an issue that affects many people in a school, community, or state. In City Green, the problem of what to do with the empty lot was a public issue. People disagreed about how to solve the issue. ___________________________________  The issue concerns the citizens in a whole community or a large part of it.  People disagree on how to settle or resolve the public issue.  Disagreement about the public issue is based on different points of view.

point of view the way a person looks at and thinks about an issue Example: People had different points of view about whether or not to build a new police station.

Group Activity Sheet People in the town of Stockton have been complaining about neighbors holding too many garage sales. They complain that traffic is very heavy in their neighborhoods during the garage sales. People park on their lawns and often leave litter in their yards. Some people have a garage sale every weekend. Stockton storeowners are worried that the garage sales are taking business away from them. Several people recently attended a town council meeting. They demanded that the town council do something to solve the problem. The town council has decided to pass a law that would limit the number of garage sales for each house to three a year.

Group Activity Questions 1.What is the problem in Stockton? 2. How is the town council planning to solve the problem? 3. Do you think some people will disagree with this solution? Why or why not?

Group Activity Questions – Sample Answers 1.What is the problem in Stockton? The problem is there of too many garage sales in Stockton. 2. How is the town council planning to solve the problem? Pass a bill into law that limits the number of garage sales in Stockton. 3. Do you think some people will disagree with this solution? Why or why not?

Local public issues can be identified using one of these methods:  looking through local newspapers  calling your local government officials  visiting your local community website  interviewing a community leader  interviewing parents  watching a local community news program