A social studies sequence focused on local civic structures, leadership, and community public services. This unit helps students connect the roles of local government to their daily experiences through highly visual, interactive, and language-scaffolded activities.
Unlike the mayor, the city council is a legislative body made of multiple elected representatives. Council members meet to propose ordinances (local rules) and vote on municipal actions. They hold public meetings where citizens can express their opinions. When they agree on a decision, they vote, representing the community's choices.
Public Services: Sustaining the Community
None of our structures would work without public services. These include police officers, firefighters, water filtration systems, road maintenance crews, and park rangers. These critical roles are funded through tax dollars collected by the local government. Decisions about which services to prioritize are made collaboratively by the Mayor and City Council.
Collaborative Discussion Starters
Use these prompts to discuss what you read with your learning buddy!
Topic A: Making Decisions
"What is one big decision a mayor has to make? Why is that decision important for our town?"
Starter: A mayor must decide _______ because...
Topic B: Public Services
"If you had to choose one service to receive more funding, what would it be? Why?"
Starter: I would vote to help _______ so that...
Unit 3, Lesson 2 • Town Power Reading Passages Page 2 of 2
If I were on the city council, I would vote to ___________________________________________
because __________________________________________________________________________.
Sentence 2: Collaborating with Public Services
To do this, I would ask our public services to ________________________________________
so that citizens ____________________________________________________________________.
Exit Ticket: Public Services Matcher Turn this bottom slip in at the door
1. Circle one public service:
🚒 Firefighters
🗑️ Street Cleaners
👮 Police Officers
2. Complete the sentence about responsibility:
The public service I chose is responsible for ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
Unit 3, Lesson 2 • Town Power Activity Sheet Page 2 of 2
