Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Barry, and I'm going to be your citizenship teacher today.

We've got a really interesting lesson about identity to look at together.

Some of this learning might be new to you, but that's okay because I'm here to work with you.

And by the end of this lesson, we'll have achieved our outcome.

So when you are ready, let's make a start.

Today's lesson comes from the unit, "How Does Identity Affect Rights?" Today's lesson is called "Identity and Rights: A Deliberative Discussion." Our outcome for today is to create a reason discussion about how identity affects our rights.

During today's lesson, there's a range of ground rules that we need to consider.

Laura tells us to "Listen to others.

It is okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, not the person." Andeep reminds us to "Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone including ourselves." Jacob reminds us "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." And Izzy reminds us to "Choose level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join discussion.

We never put anyone on the spot." During today's lesson, we're going to use a range of keywords.

Let's have a look at them together now.

Identity, that's who a person is or the qualities of a person or group that make them different than others; rights, which are something we are entitled to by law; and deliberative, a decision-making or discussion approach where people take time to consider different viewpoints and weigh all the relevant information.

Our lesson today has three parts.

What do we mean by identity? What do we mean by rights? And how does identity impact rights? So let's have a look at this first one together.

What do we mean by identity? Identity is all about who we are and is made up of different things.

For example, we can have individual identities, group identities, and national identities.

Aisha reminds us that "Identity is personal.

We each understand ourselves in unique ways, and we use different things to describe and define ourselves." British values are a part of our national identity.

The government has stated there are five fundamental British values.

Do you know what they are? Aisha reminds us "The five British values are: tolerance, democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect." Does everyone believe that the British values represent our national identity? Consider the example of tolerance.

Aisha says, "Of course, we are a tolerant nation.

We have laws like the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that all people are treated equally." Andeep says, "Is tolerance part of our national identity when some of our citizens experience hate crimes?" Is this true or false? Individual choice is a British value.

Well done if you spotted that's false.

Individual liberty is a British value, not individual choice, although individual liberty does mean a person has the freedom to make their own decisions and choices.

Stereotypes are an oversimplified view of a group of people based on an aspect of their identity.

They can be both positive and negative.

The stereotypes can lead to prejudice.

Izzy tells her that "Prejudice is prejudging a person or people based on a characteristic.

For example, having a negative view of a person because of their background." Britain has lots of stereotypes linked to our national identity.

For example, that British people drink lots of tea or we like to queue.

These aren't negative and they won't lead to prejudice.

But there are some negative examples such as we are rude or we only speak English.

So is this true or false? There are not negative stereotypes of British people.

While done if you spotted that that's false.

There are negative stereotypes about the British.

For example, as a group of people, we have a poor reputation for speaking foreign languages.

There is a negative stereotype about us only speaking English.

The British are a diverse group of people.

Throughout history, Britain has experienced migration from different places.

This has also had an impact on our national identity.

For example, 400 CE, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes arrived in Britain from mainland Europe.

1930 to 1945, we had World War II Kindertransport.

And in 1948 we had the Windrush Generation.

Each group of people has contributed something unique to our national identity.

For example, the Anglo-Saxons gave us the name England, which means home of the Angles.

The Windrush Generation came to Britain after World War II to help rebuild the country, settling here, raising families, and making Britain more diverse.

Is this true or false? The British are mono-cultural.

We are just made up of one people.

Well done if you spotted that's false.

Britain is a diverse nation.

We are made up of different groups who have come to make Britain their home.

For example, the Anglo-Saxons came here from Europe and settled in Britain.

So let's bring that together.

Define the term identity by considering the following things: how stereotypes shape our views of others, the role of British values in shaping national identity, and what makes up national identity in Britain.

So pause the video here and define the term identity considering all those different aspects.

And once you've given it a go, come back and we can have a look together at what you might have written.

Well done for giving that a go.

I asked you to define the term identity, and you may have included these different things.

Identity is about who we are both individually, as a group, and even as a nation.

In Britain, our identity is shaped by British values such as tolerance and mutual respect.

These values are central to our national identity, helping others understand who we are as a nation.

And national identity is important because it is what people around the world know about us.

National identity is also influenced by stereotypes, like the idea that we drink a lot of tea.

While some of these may be true, they don't capture the full complexity of our identity.

Britain is a diverse country made up of people from various backgrounds shaped by centuries of migration.

That's why our national identity is so unique, constantly changing and diverse.

Well done if you included all those different aspects to help you define the term identity.

On to part two of our lesson now, and we're going to look at what do we mean by rights.

Citizenship means being a citizen of a country and being vested with the rights and responsibilities of that state.

Normally when a person is born in a country, they're given citizenship.

When a person wants to remain in a country they have moved or migrated to, they can request to become a citizen.

Alex tells us here that "Rights are an important part of citizenship.

Rights give us a legal entitlement to do something.

For example, eligible British citizens have the right to elect their representatives during a general election." As citizens grow older, they're given more rights.

Our rights change depending on our maturity.

For example, citizens are able to drive a car at 17 years old.

When they reach 18, they're considered adults and can make even bigger decisions such as getting married.

So which of these statements is true? A, our rights change as we get older; B, we are born with rights they never change; or C, we get the right to vote at 15.

Well done if you spotted that our rights do change as we get older, and that is the correct statement here.

Everyone has rights regardless of citizenship.

For example, people who move to a new country are called migrants.

Migrants move to different countries for lots of reasons.

There are push and pull factors.

Pull factors, for example, better lifestyle in economy; and push factors, for example, fear of persecution or conflict.

People who have fled their countries to escape conflict, violence or have a well-founded fear of persecution and have sought safety in another country are called refugees.

When they arrive in a safe country, they will look to be granted the legal right to remain there.

This is known as refugee status.

During this process, they're called asylum seekers.

Asylum seekers have rights protected by international law.

For example, they're safeguarded by the UN Refugee Agency.

However, if asylum seekers arrive in the UK, they do not automatically have all the rights of a UK citizen.

For example, generally speaking, they cannot work.

The UK is considered a safe country, and so some asylum seekers arrive here looking for refuge.

Once the government has assessed their asylum claim, they may be granted refugee status.

This extends more rights to them.

For example, they can open a bank account, they can apply for a job, they can apply for certain benefits, for example, housing support.

So is this true or false? Asylum seekers are granted the same rights as UK citizens.

So that's false.

Well done if you spotted that.

UK citizens are given their rights from birth, although they change as you grow older.

Asylum seekers do not have the same rights.

Their claims must be assessed, and if they're granted refugee status, then they are given more rights.

Despite the rights given to citizens and to refugees, there are a large number of hate crimes that take place every year.

The government produce yearly reports about levels of hate crime in England and Wales.

Alex tells us that "According to Government statistics, racially motivated hate crimes account for 70% of all hate crimes that were reported." Izzy tells us that "Pakistani and Nigerian applicants who grew up in the UK and have British citizenship and qualifications are invited to interview significantly less often than White British applicants." So let's practise what we've learned.

Izzy is explaining what the term rights means and describing how identity affects our rights.

Is what Izzy is saying correct? If not, rewrite her explanation giving some specific examples.

So Izzy says, "Rights are things that we are legally entitled to.

As a citizen of a country, you get certain rights.

These can change as you get older.

Everyone in the UK has the same rights no matter who they are." So pause the video here, consider that statement, and note down anything that isn't correct, and rewrite anything using specific examples where needed.

Once you've done that, come back and we can have a look at what you might have put together.

Well done for giving that a go.

So Izzy is explaining what the term rights means and describing how identity affects our rights.

Is what Izzy is saying correct? You might have said something like this.

"Izzy's explanation is partly correct, but there are a few points that need changing.

Rights are indeed legal entitlements, but they can vary depending on a person's status, age or citizenship.

Therefore, not everyone in the UK has the same rights.

For example, asylum seekers who are people applying for refugee status have fewer rights than UK citizens.

For example, they're generally not allowed to work while their application is being processed.

If they're granted refugee status, they gain more rights.

For example, they can apply for jobs, they can open a bank account and they can access welfare support.

Whilst rights may differ, depending on certain circumstances, there are certain basic human rights that all people are entitled to, regardless of their situation or identity." Well done if you used examples like these in your response.

You might have also said something like this.

"Rights can also change as we grow older.

For example, children do not have the right to vote because they're not considered mature enough to fully understand the implications of voting.

You do not gain the right to vote in general elections in the UK until you're 18.

Another example would be the right to marry.

In the UK, this is another right you do not gain until you're at 18.

This shows how age can also impact certain rights." Again, well done if you included an example like this.

Onto the last part of our lesson now.

So let's have a look at how does identity impact rights.

Deliberative means to carefully consider and discuss a topic.

During a deliberative discussion, we take time to consider different viewpoints and weigh all the relevant information.

This is an example how a deliberative discussion can be structured.

Firstly, we have the rationale; secondly, examples; third, analysis.

And the fourth thing is a link.

So a rationale is a short statement to summarise your overall argument.

Your examples might be a statistic, case study or story that supports your argument or rationale.

Your analysis, a bit more explanation of your viewpoint to make it really clear.

And the link is a link back to the rationale in your closing words.

What do we call your short overall statement that is your argument? Is it A, analysis; B, link; or C, rationale? Well done if you spotted that rationale is what we call your short overall statement that is your argument.

You are preparing to have a deliberative discussion based on the following question: does identity affect our rights? Consider the arguments you might use to suggest that our identity does affect our rights.

Then think about the opposite.

Alex tells us "The Equality Act 2010 ensures that everyone has the right to live free of prejudice and discrimination.

This means we are protected by the law and our identity is not affected.

The UK passed the Human Rights Act of 1998, which means we have rights protected by law, regardless of our identity." Izzy tells us "Our rights are affected by our identity.

For example, asylum seekers and refugees are not granted all of the rights of a citizen.

Despite the laws that exist to protect us, hate crimes happen because of our identity.

People are prejudiced against some people.

That shows our identity does affect our rights." Which part of a deliberative discussion is this describing: "A bit more explanation of your viewpoint to make it really clear"? Is it A, rationale; B, link; or C, analysis? Well done if you said that analysis is when you are giving a bit more explanation of your viewpoint to make it really clear.

So what I'd like us to do is to prepare for each element of a deliberative discussion on the question, does identity affect our rights? So I'm going to ask you to pause the video and work through each of these different steps to prepare for your deliberative discussion.

And once you've done that, you can come back and we can have a look at what you might have put together.

Well done for giving that task a go.

And remember, I'd ask you to prepare for each element of a deliberative discussion on the question, does identity affect our rights? And you may have covered some of the following during your preparation.

So rationale, our rights are affected by our identity.

Despite our British value of tolerance, people from different races are impacted by hate crimes.

Your example here might have included that in the UK, 70% of all hate crimes are committed because of a person's race.

You may have gone on to discuss the following.

In your analysis you might have said, "Our citizens are meant to be protected from racism by laws like the Equality Act 2010, and they have the right to feel safe.

This is even codified in the law because of the Human Rights Act of 1998.

However, racism has meant some citizens are not safe because of their skin colour.

The large number of hate crimes committed against people of colour reflects how large this problem is." And then you might have linked it back to your rationale by saying this.

"This clearly shows that our rights are affected by our identity.

Racism has meant that people of colour experience discrimination because of their racial identity.

In Britain, we are meant to be tolerant and shown mutual respect." Well done if you manage to work through each of those different steps and include that level of detail.

During today's lesson, we've considered identity and rights.

We've had a deliberative discussion.

Rights are things that we are legally entitled to.

Certain rights may change depending on your status as a citizen, refugee or asylum seek.

Rights also change over time.

For example, you are given more rights as you get older.

Identity is all about who we are and is made up of many different things.

For example, we can have individual, group, and national identities.

Identity is shaped by many things and can change over time.

There is much to discuss about how far our identity affects our rights.

Some will argue this is true because of issues like racism.

However, others sees acts like the Equality Act 2010 as progressive and removing the impact of identity on people's rights.

Well done for working through today's lesson with me, and I look forward to seeing you in another citizenship lesson soon.