Unit A
Activity 4

Where the Money Goes

To the Teacher:

This activity consists of a one-page article, and written exercises that require the students to scan the article, name their current political leaders, and identify which government services they themselves use. We have also included a demonstration.

Students may do this activity alone, in small groups, or as a class. We recommend discussion and cooperation at any time.

The point of this activity is not for the learner to remember exactly which level of government provides which service; rather, it is hoped that the learner will become better at reading to find that out from the article, and will understand the general idea that different levels of government are responsible for different services.

Students might ask about government services that aren't mentioned in the article (e.g., fire fighters, post offices, subsidized housing, snow clearing). If you would like to follow up on which level of government is responsible for these, you could refer your students to the blue government pages of the phone book, where services are either sorted by level of government, or listed together with 'F' for federal or 'P' for provincial next to each one.

After the article and exercises for this activity, you will find an answer sheet, a demonstration, an assessment sheet, and a list of performance indicators.