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Unit 10 Questions for Young Changemakers
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High school students participate in class.
Lesson

Getting to Know the 10 Questions

Students begin thinking about civic engagement in terms of their own passions and identities as they are introduced to the 10 Questions Framework.

Duration

One 50-min class period

Subject

  • Civics & Citizenship
  • History
  • Social Studies

Grade

6–12

Language

English — US

Published

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About This Lesson

Conventional approaches to teaching civics and democratic participation often begin with topics such as the branches of government or the lawmaking process. This approach is distant from the lives and experiences of young people, and it can fail to engage students. That’s why the 10 Questions Framework begins with a student-centered question: “What do you care about, and why does it matter to you?” This is designed to spark students' interest and help them think about civic engagement in terms of their own identities and passions. This lesson asks students to respond to that question, and then it introduces them to the framework as a whole.

Guiding Question

What is the 10 Questions Framework for Young Changemakers?

Learning Objectives

  • Students will identify the main ideas of the 10 Questions Framework.
  • Students will connect the 10 Questions Framework to their experience.

Teaching Notes

Before you teach this lesson, please review the following guidance to tailor this lesson to your students’ contexts and needs.

Before beginning the first lesson, it is strongly recommended that teachers familiarize themselves with the 10 Questions Framework for Young Changemakers. The 10 Questions website introduces relevant examples of the structured implementation of the framework, moving from understanding to inquiry to action. It is important for teachers to understand how the 10 Questions Framework supports young people in the development of equitable, effective, and self-protective civic agency.

Harvard’s Democratic Knowledge Project has created a 10 Questions Framework Infographic that explains the framework. Consider projecting, printing, or otherwise sharing the infographic with your students as you teach about the framework.

Related Materials

Activities

Activity 1: Begin with Question 1: “Why Does It Matter to Me?”

Ask students to take five minutes to write in their journals about an issue in the world that matters to them. Ask:

  • Why is the issue important to you personally?
  • Why would you like to see change on this particular issue?

Once students have finished journaling, ask them to share their thoughts with a partner in a Think, Pair, Share format.

Activity 2: Class Discussion

Transition into a whole-class discussion by asking some volunteers to share their issue. As students share, ask the class to brainstorm some ways they might involve themselves (big or small) in the process of bringing about change on that issue. Record students’ ideas on the board.

Activity 3: Introduce Students the 10 Questions Framework

Tell your students that this series of questions is designed to help people effectively and safely “choose to participate.” Share the 10 Questions Framework Poster with students, which displays the following questions:

  1. Why does it matter to me?
  2. How much should I share?
  3. How do I make it about more than myself?
  4. Where do we start?
  5. How can we make it easy and engaging for others to join in?
  6. How do we get wisdom from crowds?
  7. How do we handle the downside of crowds?
  8. Are we pursuing voice or influence or both?
  9. How do we get from voice to change?
  10. How can we find allies?

Next, explain to students that at the beginning of the class, they already began to answer Questions 1 (Why does it matter to me?) and 4 (Where do we start?) about an issue that is important to them. Let students pick one additional question (other than 1 or 4) from the framework to reflect on further. Then ask them to spend five minutes journaling in response to the following prompts:

  • Paraphrase the question in your own words.
  • Why might the question help young people who are planning to take action on an issue of importance to them?
  • What questions do you have about it?


Ask students to pair up and share their responses in a Think, Pair, Share.

Extension Activities

Consider introducing students to the concept of “levers of power” as a way of thinking about the concrete actions they can take when they “choose to participate.” Legal scholar Martha Minow developed the framework to map out the organizations, institutions, and technologies that can enable us to strengthen the impact of our voices and our actions.

First, you might spend a moment exploring with students the metaphor of the “lever” in the title. In a literal sense, a lever is a tool that allows one to pick up or move something much heavier than could be lifted without it. In other words, a lever allows someone to use a small amount of force to have a big impact.

Share with students the graphic organizer Analyzing Levers of Power, or share the list below, which outlines the individuals, organizations, and technology platforms that can have this sort of amplifying effect on a societal level:

  • Government (National, State, Local)
  • Nonprofit Organizations/Charities
  • Industry/Commercial Organizations
  • Professional Media
  • Social Media/Internet
  • Schools and Education
  • Influential Individuals (Authors, Lecturers, etc.)

Ask students to come up with examples of individuals or groups that belong to each category in order to make sure that everyone understands them.

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Unit

10 Questions for Young Changemakers
Unit

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10 Questions for Young Changemakers

This unit uses the 10 Questions Framework to explore two examples of youth activism: the 1963 Chicago schools boycott and the present-day movement against gun violence launched by Parkland students.
Unit

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