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
Democracy (Part 3): Why Do We Have Laws?
This lesson forms the final part of a three-part unit on democracy. Pupils learn about democracy and the rule of law. They discover the different roles of parliament, government and…
Who Can Help?
In this lesson pupils will learn about the ‘special’ people who help in their community. They will consider who can help them in different situations and how they can ask…
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…
More Politics and Democracy 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...
Brexit: Part 1 – Referendum
Pupils will be given a brief introduction to the European Union. They will learn about why people’s opinions about the EU are divided and the results of the EU referendum.…
Democracy Ambassadors
What was Democracy Ambassadors? Between April 2018 and March 2019 Young Citizens worked with youth leaders to recruit 1,000...
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Cyberbullying (SmartLaw Subscription)
According to research by the charity Ditch the Label, 7 in 10 young people have experienced cyberbullying, 20% of whom experience it daily. Support your students to know their legal…
Migration of People
To help you engage your students in the topic of migration Young Citizens have developed a flexible teaching resource...
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…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
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…
What is a Citizen?
In this lesson pupils will be encouraged to think of themselves as citizens with the potential to make a positive difference in society. The lesson opens with the traditional tale…
Representation
Pupils consider the importance of equal representation through learning from the example of Marley Dias and her campaign for better representation of black girls in literature. To access this content,…