1 - Start ~4 mins
You have already chosen which citizenship action to record. Today you pull together everything you kept from that action and put each piece where the Citizenship Action Record will need it.
You will also name the gaps honestly. A gap you can point to is useful. A gap you invent later is not.
2 - What Counts as Evidence ~7 mins
The Features of Quality judge three things about a Citizenship Action Record:
- how you engaged in meaningful action
- the quality of your personal reflections on your learning
- how the record is presented
Evidence is anything that helps you show one of those three with specifics.
It counts when it is concrete — a real plan, date, photo, message, draft, or a clear line on your own role.
It does not count when it is vague, borrowed, or invented — "we did loads" with no detail, someone else's photos with no trace of your part, a quote nobody said, or work from first year, which cannot be included for reporting.
Your job is not to fill every box at any cost. It is to lay out what you really have, then decide what still needs to be gathered or honestly marked as missing. You will test the rule on your own items in a moment.
3 - Sort What You Kept ~21 mins
Take one sheet and set out three columns matching the board:
- My engagement in the action (what I planned, what I did, who I dealt with, what they said, what changed, my own role)
- My reflections on my learning (what I learnt about the issue, skills I used, how my views shifted or held)
- How I will present the record (written pieces, photos, audio, visuals, or a short talk that could carry this evidence)
Empty your paper notes, printouts and screenshots onto the desk. Place each real item under one column. If a piece serves two columns, put it in the stronger one and pencil a cross-reference.
Quick check on the first item you pick up: does it count (concrete, your role visible) or not (vague, borrowed, invented)? Use that same test on the rest.
In the Gaps I still need box, write every hole you can see: a missing date, a conversation you never noted, a photo you never took, a reflection you have not yet put into words. An empty bag is still real work — list what should exist and mark each row missing.
Then work with a partner for five minutes. Read each other's gap boxes only. For every gap, agree one honest close:
- gather the real thing before the next drafting period, or
- write in the record that it was not captured, and say what that limits.
Do not invent evidence to tidy the sheet.
4 - Make Sense of It ~5 mins
Talk these two prompts as a class. You do not type or save answers here.
- Which gap on your sheet would do the most damage if you ignored it, and why that one?
- Where did you feel tempted to invent something, and what honest line will you write instead?
5 - What You Covered ~3 mins
You can now:
- tell the difference between concrete evidence and vague or invented material
- sort what you kept under the three things the Features of Quality judge: engagement in the action, reflections on learning, and how the record is presented
- name your gaps and choose an honest way to close each one before you draft
Unlock the full learning experience
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.