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
Who’s Really Paying for COVID?
Young people are, and will continue to be, some of the most impacted by COVID. However their voices have been largely kept out of public conversations about it and our…
Resilience: Bouncing Back
This lesson helps children to develop resilience and consider how to respond to challenges in a positive way. The Go-Givers characters share their experiences of difficult situations and how they…
Citizenship and the Wider World
During this lesson pupils consider what it means to be a global citizen and what rights and responsibilities come with this. They consider a range of global issues; analysing…
More Politics and Democracy resources
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…
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,…
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 Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Sentencing Guidelines (SmartLaw Subscription)
This lesson asks students to consider the key findings of a harassment trial and conclude what sentence should be given to the guilty party. During the course of the lesson…
Youth Justice (SmartLaw Subscription)
During this lesson, students will explore the process a young person goes through when they commit, or are suspected of committing a crime. They will also examine different types of…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
Digital Footprints
In this lesson, pupils explore what a digital footprint is. They consider what is and isn’t appropriate to share online thinking about the impact of this information both now and…
Challenging Stereotypes
This lesson is divided into two parts. In the first section of the lesson pupils will develop an understanding of the term ‘stereotype’, identify examples of stereotypical opinions and discuss…
We Think Before We Act (poster)
We think about how our actions and words might affect other people, communities and the environment. To access this content, register for our Primary School Subscription.