Task 1 — Who Makes the Rules?
Before we explain anything about governments or laws — feel the question first. A wonder trigger designed to awaken curiosity and surface your assumptions about how the world is decided.
What happens in Task 1
A 7-minute Phase 1 — Anticipation activity. The goal is to awaken curiosity and surface prior assumptions before any civic content is introduced. Three text blocks are revealed sequentially on a dark background, followed by a 45-second immersive video montage (no voice-over), a wonder question appearing phrase by phrase, a four-option prediction poll, a 60-second silent reflection timer, and a private journal entry (max 150 chars). The Continue button to Task 2 unlocks only after the journal is submitted.
🎯 Learning objectives
To awaken curiosity and emotional engagement with civic life before any content is introduced. To surface students' prior assumptions about how decisions are made in society. To create a personal connection to democracy through wonder and lived experience. To establish a diagnostic baseline for the teacher on students' starting assumptions.
📋 Activity sequence
Sequential steps that unlock one after another:
- Text reveal — three blocks appear with 1.2s pauses; all remain visible once shown
- Video montage — 45s immersive mode, ambient sound, no voice-over; auto-plays after Continue
- Wonder question — appears phrase by phrase after video ends; question mark pulses gently
- Poll — four pre-written options, single tap, no confirmation; results on teacher screen only
- 60s silent timer — green circle empties slowly; no digits; journal field locked during timer
- Journal entry — pre-loaded starter "I think democracy means…"; 150 chars; private; auto-saves to portfolio
📊 Assessment role
Diagnostic only — no grade. Poll results visible to teacher in real time as a bar chart. Journal entries accessible in teacher dashboard after submission. Both used to identify class starting assumptions before Investigation phase begins. Results visible in teacher dashboard CSV export after lesson.
- Read-aloud button on all on-screen text blocks — reads each block individually on tap (speaker icon, top right)
- Voice-to-text input available on journal field via microphone button — student can dictate their response
- Breathing animation alternative to circle timer — slow expand/contract circle instead of emptying ring — toggled per student in teacher dashboard accessibility settings
- High-contrast display mode available — toggled per student in accessibility settings
- Extended thinking time on poll — per-student setting; vote buttons withheld until student taps "I'm ready"
- No time pressure on journal field — field remains open until student submits; no auto-advance
- All interactive elements meet WCAG AA minimum contrast and tap-target size standards
- Teacher shows 3 printed photographs and describes each briefly — instead of the video montage
- Teacher reads the three text blocks aloud (printed script), one at a time, with a natural pause between each
- Teacher reads the wonder question aloud phrase by phrase with meaningful pauses between each phrase
- Poll by show of hands — teacher records the class tally on the whiteboard
- Teacher calls 60 seconds of silence verbally: "I am starting the timer now — 60 seconds of quiet"
- Journal written on printed paper worksheet — students keep it and do not hand it in
- Bridge sentence read aloud by teacher before moving to Task 2