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Scenario Cards -- Civic Literacy

Use these to start a discussion or practice civic reasoning. All scenarios use fictional communities or characters.

The New Playground Rule​

Scenario: The playground at Maplewood School used to have no rules about the swings. Kids started arguing over them every day. The student council is deciding between: (A) a time limit of 5 minutes, (B) a sign-up sheet, (C) only two people can use swings at once.

Discussion:

  • What is the problem the rule is trying to solve?
  • What are the tradeoffs of each option?
  • Who should be involved in making this decision?

Extension: Research how a real school or community made a similar decision.

The Town That Ran Out of Water​

Scenario: The fictional town of Riverton has one water reservoir. Some residents use very little water; some use a lot for large gardens. A drought is coming. The town council needs to decide on a policy.

Discussion:

  • What is the public resource here?
  • What are the different positions residents might take?
  • What would a fair policy look like?

Extension: Research how one real city handled a water shortage.

The Letter That Got Ignored​

Scenario: A neighborhood in the fictional city of Westfield has been asking the city council to fix a pothole for two years. Three letters were sent, one petition was filed, and nothing happened. Some neighbors want to block traffic in protest. Others want to run for city council.

Discussion:

  • What civic tools have already been tried?
  • What options remain?
  • Which approach is most likely to succeed?

Extension: Research how a real community successfully pressured local government to fix a problem.

The Two Branches Disagree​

Scenario: The fictional Parliament of Northland passed a law requiring all children to wear helmets while biking. The President vetoed it. Parliament voted again and the veto was overridden. Now the Supreme Court says the law violates a constitutional protection.

Discussion:

  • What checks and balances are at work here?
  • Which branch had the final word? Why?
  • Is this a sign the system is broken, or working?

Extension: Research one real US case where all three branches were involved in a single issue.

The New Citizen​

Scenario: A family moves to the fictional town of Clearwater from another country. They are not yet citizens. A local ordinance is being voted on that would affect their neighborhood. They ask: "Can we vote? Can we attend the public meeting? Can we speak?"

Discussion:

  • Which of these civic activities requires citizenship?
  • What is the difference between civic participation and voting rights?
  • Why might some civic activities be open to non-citizens?

Extension: Research what non-citizens can and cannot do in your real local government.

The Global Pollution Problem​

Scenario: A fictional river runs through three countries. One country's factory is polluting the river upstream, harming fish and drinking water in the other two countries. Each country claims the others should fix it.

Discussion:

  • Why is this a difficult problem to solve through one country's laws?
  • What kind of agreement might help?
  • Who would enforce such an agreement?

Extension: Research one real international environmental treaty.