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
The Government and the Economy
By the end of the lesson students will: Understand key economic terms including taxation, welfare benefits, public spending and...
You Decide! (KS4)
This resource will allow students to critically consider what reasons and ways the government can take to support different...
Design a Community Centre
In this lesson pupils will consider the varying needs and interests of a range of fictional characters and design a community centre and activity programme that matches their requirements. …
More Politics and Democracy resources
COVID and the Economy
During this session, students will critically examine some of the key economic considerations of the pandemic. They will explore...
Exploring Our Community
In this lesson pupils will research what is meant by the word ‘community’. Pupils will think about who lives in their area and what services and facilities there are for…
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
All at Sea: a story about fairness and the rule of law
During this lesson pupils use the story ‘All at Sea’ to explore how a group of citizens should organise a new society under a challenging set of circumstances. Each chapter…
Mock Trials Classroom Pack
The Mock Trial Competitions are our longest-running active citizenship experiences. Since 1991, we have provided unparalleled exposure to the...
Ethics, Innovation and the Law
Aimed at KS4 and Post-16, your students will: Explore the way technology is developing and the impacts this has...
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
Who Keeps us Healthy?
In this lesson pupils consider what being healthy means and who plays a role in keeping the population healthy. The coronavirus pandemic is given as an example of populations taking…
The Internet: a Power for Good
In this lesson pupils consider how the internet can be a power for good and support active citizenship. Pupils explore a range of case studies before being challenged to identify…
What is an Infectious Disease?
In this lesson pupils consider how infections can spread rapidly through a population and are introduced to the different infectious agents that cause disease (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasitic organisms).…