One of the best ways to get your elementary class to take a hands-on approach to thinking about citizenship is to divide them into small groups, about four members, and have them come up with 10 rules for the classroom. Encourage your pupils to justify their rules and explain why they are important. After a set amount of time, bring the class back together and have the groups read aloud their rules and reasons. End with a discussion about why rules are important, and tie in the theme of citizenship.
Local and regional newspapers are full of people acting as good citizens. Divide your class into small groups of four to six, and give each a different newspaper in which to look for examples of citizenship. Have your pupils prepare a poem, play or song about their favorite story and perform it for the rest of the class. Finish the class with a debate about issues that have arisen during the exercise.
Start your lesson by singing the national anthem with the words displayed so that everyone can read them. After the first rendition, go back through and highlight each individual line before prompting a discussion about what the line actually means and represents. Clear up any uncertainties that your pupils have about the meanings of words and phrases, and emphasize how the lyrics of the anthem tie in with citizenship. For older elementary grades you could also introduce the importance of the anthem in the community for social cohesion.
Talk your elementary class through a list of situations, prompting them to work out what could happen next. For example, you read aloud, "You see a classmate being called names by some kids from another grade. What could happen next?" and then have your students write, draw or say what they would do in this situation. Conclude the class by bringing in issues of citizenship and offer your pupils good solutions to the scenarios you have read aloud.