CHV2O Unit 2: Democratic Values in Action

Students define four core democratic values (democracy, human rights, freedom and the rule of law) and trace their roots from Athens, the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and Magna Carta to responsible government, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter, and the expansion of the vote in Canada. They study why people take civic action through examples from Mary Ann Shadd and the Winnipeg General Strike to Viola Desmond, Terry Fox, Shannen Koostachin and Autumn Peltier. They learn how foreign actors try to interfere in elections and debate, and how Canada and citizens defend against it. They meet Canada's main federal parties and the political compass, describing every party objectively, and compare perspectives on civic issues before stating their own positions. The summative, Values in Action Case Study, asks students to profile an example of civic action, the values behind it and its results.

Assessment of learning: Values in Action Case Study: a profile of a historical or current example of civic action, explaining the democratic values behind it and judging its results.

Lessons

1. Democracy and Its Roots
2. Why People Take Action
3. Foreign Interference and Disinformation
4. Parties and the Political Compass
5. Where Do I Stand?

What you get

• A teacher lesson plan for every lesson: curriculum expectations, learning goals and success criteria, a timed sequence, differentiation, look-fors and answer guides
• Detailed slideshows (15 to 18 slides per lesson) with speaker notes on every slide: what to say, what to ask, what to look for and how long to spend, plus warm-ups, worked examples, model answers and answer-key slides
• Student handouts, organizers and exit tickets, with original scenarios and examples
• Editable Word and PowerPoint files, plus PDFs
• A unit overview and the summative task with a rubric and teacher guide

Built for the Ontario curriculum (Civics and Citizenship, Grade 10, Open, CHV2O, revised 2022) and Ontario's 2026 evaluation policy (65% classroom work, 20% final exam, 15% attendance and participation), and easy to adapt for any Canadian civics course.

Need just one lesson? Single lessons from this unit will also be available for CA$3.99 each.