Overview
During this lessons pupils will look at the history of the Magna Carta and consider how it has helped shape the laws we have today.
Pupils consider what ‘fairness’ and ‘justice’ mean by taking on the role of head teacher at a new school, deciding what rules the school should have. The lesson concludes with pupils exploring what is meant by the following clause from the Magna Carta, ‘no free man shall be imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions … except by the lawful judgement of his peers’ and how this is put into practice in today’s justice system.
You might like to run this lesson as a precursor to the lesson ‘Why do we have rules?’ which looks at how laws are made in the UK in more detail.
More Lessons resources
Social Media and the Law (KS4) (SmartLaw Subscription)
Students explore the law in relation to social media posts, the types of offences that people are committing (whether knowingly or not) and the consequences of these offences. Finally, students…
Let’s Get Active!
In this lesson pupils will think about the physical and mental benefits of exercise for health and wellbeing. They will learn about the importance of keeping active as part a…
Climate Change
Learners explore what climate change is and what is causing it. They consider who is responsible for climate change: individuals, politicians, businesses? They are then challenged to think of a…
More Politics and Democracy resources
Fake News: The Evolution of Media
In this lesson, students explore how media has changed since the 1900s and the impact this has had on...
How to share learning with your peers
Originally designed to be a companion pack for the Democracy Ambassadors programme, this handy toolkit will support students who...
Biodiversity: Using the Law to Drive Change
During this lesson, students consider what biodiversity is, why it is essential to all life on Earth and what...
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Being An Online Citizen
During this lesson pupils consider their rights and responsibilities as digital citizens, focusing on how the online world can be used as a force for good. Pupils consider what skills,…
Social Media and the Law (KS3) (SmartLaw Subscription)
Students explore the law in relation to social media posts, the types of offences that people are committing (whether knowingly or not) and the consequences of committing these offences. The…
What Are Human Rights?
In this lesson pupils will explore what human rights are. They will examine individual human rights and discuss why they are of primary importance to all people and society. Pupils…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
Working as Part of a Team (certificate)
Our pupil certificates are linked to 12 ethos statements, such as We Work as a Team. Each statement supports character development and the acquisition of key citizenship skills The values, skills…
The G7 (Assembly Pack)
During this assembly pupils explore the history and function of the G7 and are introduced to the sort of discussions held at the annual G7 Summit. They learn about the…
Caring About Other People’s Feelings (certificate)
Our pupil certificates are linked to 12 ethos statements, such as We Care About How Others Feel. Each statement supports character development and the acquisition of key citizenship skills The values,…