Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Alchin and I'm going to be taking you through your citizenship lesson today.

I'm going to be giving you all the information that you need to be successful, and I'll be pausing and telling you when you need complete a check for understanding or a larger task.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson is called "What is a Democratic Community?" And it comes from the unit of lessons, Citizenship, What's it All About? By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain what a democracy is and what key features democratic communities have.

The key words for today's lesson are democracy, which is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.

Community, which is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

Human rights, the basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to and suffrage, which is the right to vote.

Our lesson outline for what is a democratic community is first we're going to look at what is a community and then what is democracy.

We're then going to look at how can we recognise a democratic community before lastly, looking at how can we create a democratic community.

So let's start by looking at, what is a community? So look at the images.

They'll give you a clue about what a community is.

If you like, pause the video and just have a think about this yourself.

A community is a group of people living or existing together.

Sharing common values, interests and ways of doing things.

Where you live is one example of a community.

Some people live in small villages and may have a very close community where everyone knows each other.

In larger towns and cities, there are also communities which will be much larger.

Laura is saying school is another example of a community.

So you've got a school community and then all of the pupils in school might also belong to communities within their local area too.

Jacob was saying, in our school communities, we wear a uniform to show that we belong to the school community.

We also follow the rules in school and are part of a class.

You can belong to lots of different communities all at once.

For example, you could belong to your school community.

You might be a part of local clubs and societies like scouts or guides, which is another community, you might be a part of, a religious community or even sports clubs.

All of these are examples Of different communities that you're a part of.

Let's have a check for understanding Which one best describes a community.

Is it A, a group of people, B, a democracy, C, rights and responsibilities, or D, a group sharing a place or characteristic? And it was D, a group sharing a place or characteristic.

I'm proud to be part of my school community as we look out for each other.

Which two of the following are examples of a community? Is it a, people waiting at a bus stop? B, scouts or guides, C, religious groups? B scouts or guides and C, religious groups.

Group of people waiting at a bus stop have a shared interest, they've got something in common.

They're all waiting for the same thing, but they're not a community.

For task A, I'd like you to think about all the different communities that you belong to.

Draw a mind map to show all of your community connections.

You might base it on what you can see in front of you.

So let's have a look at Laura's example.

So Laura belongs to all of these communities.

You might also want to consider if any of her communities are the same as yours.

So she's saying that she's a part of a church community, gardening club, horse riding, girls guides, school and choir.

So lots of different communities that law belongs to.

We're now going to look at what is democracy.

Democracy comes from a Greek word Demos means people, and Kratos means strength or power.

The word democracy, therefore means rule by the people.

It means that people have got some power.

A democracy is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.

In a democracy, you have more rights and you can influence decision makers and those in power because there's some rule by the people.

Let's have a check for understanding, which of the following is the definition of democracy? Is it A, a system where citizens vote to elect representatives who make laws and decisions? B, a Greek word, which refers to all the freedoms that you are entitled to, or C, someone who works towards making a positive change in society.

And it's A, a system where citizens vote to elect representatives who make laws and decisions.

One of the key features of a democracy is free and fair elections.

Elections are held regularly, in the UK, we have a general election at least every five years.

Sometimes it might be sooner, but we have to have one every five years to make sure that they are regular.

Other key features of a democracy are, votes are cast using a secret ballot.

So you don't need to tell anyone who you are voting for.

So Izzy's asking, "What is a secret ballot?" And Laura's going into more explanation here, and she's telling us that a secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election is kept anonymous.

So not only does the voter not have to tell anyone who they're voting for, but actually their whole identity is kept secret.

So no one knows who has voted for who.

And that's really important in a democracy.

Everyone that is entitled to can vote and this is known as universal, so everyone suffrage.

Suffrage, if you remember, means the right to vote.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? Universal suffrage means that all people can vote.

Is that true, is that false? And can you tell me why.

it's false and why? Universal suffrage means that almost all adults in a country have the right to vote, but it doesn't mean everyone can vote.

You have to be eligible to vote.

For example, in the UK you have to be old enough and legally a citizen of the UK.

Let's have another one.

What is a secret ballot? Is it A, a voting method in which a person's identity is not kept secret? B, a voting method in which a person's identity is kept secret or C, a voting method in which a person's identity Is sometimes kept secret.

And it was B, a voting method in which a person's identity is kept secret.

Another key feature of a democracy is a protection of our basic human rights.

Andeep is telling us human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to.

A strong democracy should protect our human rights, and these include our rights to freedom of speech, freedom of association, to practise any religion or to not practise religion and a democracy should protect the rights of all individuals.

It should be universal.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UNCRC is a legally binding international agreement that protects your rights.

Article 12 of this agreement says you should be free to express your views in all matters that affect you.

So you should be able to talk about the things that matter to you.

In a democracy, all people are treated equally under the law.

The law protects our rights and treats all people equally.

All people within a community are expected to uphold the law no matter who they are.

Let's have another check for understanding.

Which of the following is not a key feature of democracy? Is it A, the protection of our basic human rights? B, all that are entitled to can vote.

C, all people are treated equally under the law.

Or D, a group of people living in the same place.

And it's D, a group of people living in the same place isn't a key feature of democracy.

For task B, I would like you to have a look at what is on the slide.

So Lucas has explained why democracy matters to us as members of a community.

What we're going to do is we're going to read Lucas's response and we're going to give one more reason why democracy matters in communities.

So we're looking for one more reason.

So let's hear what Lucas has to say.

"As we live in a democratic country, democracy is really important and matters to us in a community.

It means we vote for our leaders and have freedom to do so.

Our votes guide the decisions of the government.

This shows that our voice matters and this helps us feel valued as an individual and in our communities." So you need to try and give one more reason why democracy matters in communities.

Pause while you have a go at this task.

So your response to Lucas might have included the following ideas.

Another reason why democracy matters in communities is because it is all about how we live together and how we make decisions together, even while disagreeing.

It is both a way of and a system of governance.

To remain peaceful and stable, disagreement must be grounded in mutual respect and tolerance.

We're now gonna consider, how can we recognise a democratic community? So we've looked at what a democracy is, we've looked at a community and now we're gonna put those together.

A community is a group of people who live or exist together and share common values or characteristics.

A democracy is a system of governance in which citizens vote for representatives who then make rules, laws and decisions on their behalf.

A democratic community therefore is a safe place with rules or laws in place, which makes sure that everyone is treated fairly.

So Jun is saying, "My community is democratic because we work towards a society where everyone is respected and free.

We have rules in place that help us to do this." Let's have a check for understanding.

Below are three examples of communities.

Which of the communities are examples of democratic communities? Is it A, in this community they work towards society where everyone is free and respected.

B, in this community they have a democratic voting system where votes are held regularly or C, in this community, they lack commitment to respect and don't follow a voting system.

So A is an example of a democratic community and so is B.

A key feature of a democratic community is that citizens can make their voice heard by those in power on important things.

A democratic community will hold elections where citizens decide who they want to represent them within that community.

To make your community more democratic, you could hold a vote if you had different views about a rule or law.

So let's have a check for understanding on what we've just learned.

How can you make a community more democratic? Is it A, one person has the final decision.

B, pull straws to to see who has the longest and then decide what happens.

Or C, hold a vote on important decisions.

And it's C, hold a vote on important decisions.

That's democratic because everyone's getting their say.

B is kind of fair, but it's based on chance and A, it's just one person making the final decision.

So C is definitely the most democratic.

And Lucas, holding a vote would be the fairest way to make a decision.

For task C, I would like you to pick one of the communities that you listed in task A.

If you remember when you did your mind map of the communities that you're a member of, and I want you to have think by yourself or discuss with a partner if this is an example of a democratic community.

Write a short paragraph to summarise your discussion.

So for example, if you remember Laura's diagram from Task A, these are all the communities that Laura is involved in.

So she's going to choose one of those.

So for example, it might be Girl Guides and she's going to try and explain whether Girl Guides is democratic, if it's a democratic community, and I'd like you to try and do the same with one of the communities that you belong to.

So let's have a look at what Andeep has done about one of the communities that he's involved in.

So he said, "I belong to lots of communities.

One of them is my local tennis club.

The tennis club is an example of a democratic community because they have a board who decide the rules.

The board is elected every two years, every couple of months the board holds a group meeting where all members can come and discuss anything they're unhappy about or want to change.

When we first join, we have to sign a letter to say we will stick to the rules of the club." We're now going to move on to the last part of the lesson and we're going to look at how can we create a democratic community.

Imagine you have been cast away on a desert island.

You have had to form a new community.

One of the most important decisions you have to make first is how to feed everyone because that's how you're going to stay alive.

One of the communities suggests that everyone should get an equal amount of food.

Other members of the community are not so sure this is the fairest way as they argue that some people work harder than others.

The community decides to hold a meeting to discuss the issue of food.

So thinking about that with this check for understanding, which of the following characteristics would help make the meeting more democratic? Is it A, different members of the community are given a chance to explain their views.

B, community members listen to all views, even those they do not agree with.

Or C, only a few members of the community get a chance to have their say.

So it's A and B, different members being able to share their views is something you'd see in a democratic community.

And also making sure that we're listening to everyone is another that you would see in a democratic community.

During the meeting, the community could discuss lots of different things.

For example, the amount of food the community has available, the different types of jobs people in the community will have to do.

Perhaps some people might actually need more food because they're going to need more energy due to their job perhaps.

The different health conditions the people in the community have, the different ages of the people in the community.

A small child might need not as much food as a teenager, for example.

Lucas is saying the only fair thing to do is to give everyone the same.

We're a democracy, everyone must be treated equally, otherwise it's just not fair.

Whereas Sofia is saying, "I'm not sure that will work.

Different people have different needs.

For example, small children eat less than the adults.

People involved in building our shelters might need more food to give them energy.

Does fair always mean the same?" Lucas thinks the food should be split equally.

Everyone gets the same.

Sofia has suggested something different.

She thinks the food should be split based on the idea of equity.

Equity means giving everyone what they need based on their individual situation, rather than treating everyone exactly the same.

That idea actually people believe that equity could be fairer than equality.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following would be an example of splitting the food using the idea of equity? A, everyone gets a fair share of food based on their needs and contributions.

B, all members of the community get the same amount of food.

C, all children get the same amount and all adults get the same amount.

And it's A, everyone gets a fair share of food based on their needs and contributions.

So each person is looked at individually.

For a community to be democratic, People need to be listened to.

Should this apply equally to everyone? Pause and have a think.

In a democracy, people are listened to, but often certain age limits apply before this happens formally.

For example, in the UK you have to be 18 in order to vote in a general election.

In Scotland and Wales you can vote at 16 in some local elections.

Should all people on this island get a say in how the food is split? So children as well as adults, what do you think? So for task D, you have been tasked with planning and sharing the desert island food meeting.

You need to make sure the meeting is democratic.

So write an answer explaining your approach to each of the questions below.

Make sure that you justify each of the answers.

So one, how will you structure your meeting to ensure it's democratic? Two, who will be able to speak at the meeting? Remember, ensuring it is democratic.

And lastly, three, how will the final decision on food division be made? Remember, you are trying to make sure your community is a democracy.

So pause while you have a go at task D.

So your answer when thinking about how you would chair that meeting might have looked something like this.

I will make sure everyone understands what the purpose of the meeting is so we do not go off topic.

I will also make sure I leave enough time for different people's opinions to be listened to and discussed.

At the start of the meeting, we will set some ground rules like not interrupting and respecting other people's ideas in order to make sure everyone's ideas are heard.

So that is how this person is going to structure the meeting.

Now let's have a look at who will be able to speak at the meeting.

Your answer might look something like this.

I think it is important that everyone gets a chance to speak, young and old.

However, I do think it is important that people at the meeting are old enough to understand the issue fully.

So we will not invite very young members of the community to the meeting.

Each person who wishes to speak will be given a set time to share.

So there is time for everyone to contribute their ideas.

In terms of how will the final decision on food division be made, you might have written something like, I think the only fair way to decide is by a vote.

'cause this is the most democratic way.

We'll summarise the different ideas we discussed at the end of the meeting.

Each person will be asked to write down their preferred option and place it in a secret ballot box.

To make sure they are old enough to fully understand the decision they are voting on, we will only allow community members age 16 and over to vote.

So in summary of the lesson, What is the Democratic Community? A community is a group of people living or existing together sharing common values, interests and ways of doing things.

A democracy is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.

Democratic communities have many features such as the protection of human rights and access to free and fair elections.

We can create more democratic communities by listening to others and allowing views to be shared even if we disagree with them.

That brings us to the end of lesson, well done for working hard and I hope that you'll come back for more citizenship lessons in the future.