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
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…
The Two Brothers
In this lesson pupils will read a tale adapted from Egyptian legend which tells of the love and care which two brothers showed for each other. In discussion, pupils will…
Voting and the General Election
This resource pack is the second of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the concept of democracy. Each pack can be delivered independently of each…
More Politics and Democracy resources
Who Runs the Country?
In this lesson pupils explore who runs the country and how they are elected. Pupils will learn about the important role that MPs play in representing the people who live…
Democracy Ambassadors
What was Democracy Ambassadors? Between April 2018 and March 2019 Young Citizens worked with youth leaders to recruit 1,000 Democracy Ambassadors. The programme aimed to give young people a better…
The G7 (Lesson Plan)
During this two lesson resource pupils learn about the G7 and take part in a mock G7 Summit meeting. During the first lesson pupils explore the history and function…
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Family Law – Cohabitation and Marriage (SmartLaw Subscription)
During the course of the lesson students will learn the difference between marriage and cohabitation and consider what legal rights come with both. Students will explore the changing attitudes in…
Housing Law (SmartLaw Subscription)
In this lesson students explore a range of different housing situations someone can find themselves in. They examine some of the common legal issues concerning housing including common landlord and…
Taking Responsibility (assembly)
During this assembly pupils consider what the word responsibility means. You can find the ‘Taking responsibility’ lesson plan on the KS1 lesson page. The PowerPoint for the lesson is the…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
What is Philanthropy?
In this lesson pupils will learn about the meaning of the word philanthropy through looking at real life examples. They will consider why philanthropy is important and what motivates philanthropists.…
Controversial issues: guidance for schools
Children are alert to information and images they see in the media. These may graphically influence their view of the world, and not always positively. Graphic images on TV and…