Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Allchin, 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 to complete a check for understanding or a larger task.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

The title of this lesson is "What is citizenship?" and it's taken from the units of lessons: "What's It All About?" By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain what the subject of citizenship includes, what social change is, and how statistics can help enact social change.

Our keywords for today's lesson are: "citizen," which is a person who belongs to a country and has certain rights as they either live in the country or were born in the country.

It is a legal status given to people.

"Social change," which is changes that occur in society over time.

And "statistics," pieces of data or facts gathered in the form of numbers.

Our lesson outline for "What is citizenship?" is first, we're going to look at: What we will study in citizenship? Then: How does social change happen? And then lastly, we're going to look at: Why are statistics important for social change? So let's begin by looking at what we will study in citizenship.

One way to define a citizen is someone who is legally recognised as belonging to a country.

This legal status can come from being born there or from meeting certain conditions through living there.

As a result, citizens are granted certain rights and responsibilities.

So Izzy is saying, "I'm a citizen of the United Kingdom as I've lived here since I was two and have a British passport," whereas Jun is saying, "I'm a citizen of the UK as I was born here and have lived here my whole life." But being a citizen and citizenship is about much more than just a person's legal status.

All people can be active members of their communities, take responsibility, and make a positive impact within society.

In citizenship, we'll explore what it really means to be a citizen.

Citizenship education is a subject that builds your knowledge and skills so you can play an active and responsible role in society.

It helps you become a responsible citizen who works to make your community, country, or the world a better place.

These images show some of what you'll learn.

So you can see there we've got a picture of a crowd because you learn all about communities and identities, a picture of Parliament because there's lots of learning about politics and democracy.

There's money there, shown, looking at the economy.

There's a social media page because media literacy is really important in citizenship.

They have the scales of justice, which links to law and justice, and of course, human rights.

So lots and lots of really fantastic things that you'll learn in citizenship.

So let's have a look at some of these concepts.

So during citizenship lessons, you will study lots of different concepts like: democracy, politics, Parliament and government, rights and responsibilities, identities and communities, the law and justice system, the economy and finances, media and digital citizenship, active citizenship, which is making a positive difference to communities.

So let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Citizenship is just about a person's legal status.

Is that true? Is that false? And can you tell me why? And it's false.

And why? Citizenship is about much more than a person's legal status.

Even if someone doesn't have legal citizenship within a country, they can still be part of that community and take on the rights and responsibilities that come with that.

Let's have another one.

Which one of these is not a citizenship concept? Is it A, the economy and finances? Is it B, democracy? Is it C, rights and responsibilities? Or is it D, emotional well-being? And the correct answer was D, emotional well-being.

Emotional well-being is an RSHE concept, not a citizenship concept.

In citizenship, you will also develop lots of skills.

So alongside all of that fantastic knowledge, you will also develop lots of skills.

For example: critical thinking skills, analytical skills, research skills, communication skills, being able to express opinions and evaluate ideas, to be able to discuss and to debate, and also work with others through teamwork and collaboration.

Let's have a check for understanding about skills.

Which one of these is not a citizenship skill? So is it A, critical thinking? B, research? C, communication? Or D, drawing? Which one did you come up with? Let's see if you got that right.

And it was D, drawing.

For task A, I would like you to complete the diagrams by adding what concepts you will explore and what skills you will develop while studying citizenship.

So you can see here you've got an example of a template of what that might look like.

So pause and have a go at completing these diagrams, really thinking about the concepts and the skills that you'll gain through citizenship.

Let's have a look at what those diagrams might look like.

So in citizenship studies, you will look at.

So in terms of looking at all of those concepts, these are some of the things that you might have looked at.

You might have said: law and justice, identities and communities, media and digital citizenship, democracy and politics, the economy and finances, and active citizenship and making a difference.

So these are the concepts.

And then in terms of the skills, these are some of the things, hopefully, that you've got on your diagram.

So, critical thinking, analytical skills, research skills, communication, teamwork, discussion and debate, evaluating, and expressing opinions.

For part two of task A, I'd like you to pick one of the citizenship concepts from your diagram and write down three questions you would like to explore the answers to while studying citizenship.

So pick something that you're really interested in.

So, Jacob has given you an example question for the concept of democracy.

So for democracy, Jacob might want to ask: "What is an MP, and what do they do?" So pick one of the citizenship concepts.

I'd pick the one that you're most interested in and then three questions that you would like to explore.

So when you were picking one of those citizenship concepts, looking at questions, it might have looked something like this.

So Jacob picked democracy.

Do his questions match any of yours? So Jacob's questions were: "Why can't citizens vote until they're 18? How are leaders chosen in a democracy? And how can I make my voice heard by those in power?" So we've had a bit of a look at what we will study in citizenship.

Now we're going to look at: How does social change happen? In citizenship, we also learn about social change and how to make it happen.

Social change means the changes that take place in society over time.

So Laura's asking, "Can you think of an example of social change?" So, pause and consider Laura's question.

Aisha said, "One example could be how voting rights have changed over the last 150 years.

In 1918, a law was passed allowing some women in the UK to vote for the first time." So suffrage and the ability and the right to be able to vote is an example of social change.

There are different types of social change.

For example: behavioural patterns, changes to how people act.

So, for example, more people using reusable water bottles.

That's a change in behaviour.

Cultural values, which is changes to people's views and beliefs.

So, for example, more people accepting that everyone should be treated equally.

And also social structures, and these are changes to types of families and types of communities.

So, for example, families living further away from each other, whereas historically they perhaps stayed closer together.

So social change can occur on different levels, from local communities to global societies.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Changes in people's patterns of behaviour is an example of social change.

Is that true? Is that false? Can you tell me why? It's true.

And why? When a lot of people start behaving and acting differently, it can change the way society works.

For example, if lots of people start walking or riding a bike to school and work, this could lead to less traffic and better air quality in the area.

There are many different methods people can use to try to enact social change.

For example, they could start a petition.

They could organise or attend demonstrations.

They could volunteer to support that cause.

They could join or support a pressure group.

And they could also write to their MP or local representative.

A petition is a formal written request, usually signed by many, many people, which appeals to people in power to bring about change for a particular issue.

A petition can be on paper, where someone will literally collect paper signatures, or it can be something that's created and shared online.

Demonstrations are public meetings, marches, or protests against a specific issue.

And volunteering is when people choose to give up their own time to help others or a particular cause, usually without being paid.

So let's have a check for understanding.

Fill in the missing word in this sentence: So, "A petition, a demonstration, and 'something' are all examples of methods that citizens can use to enact social change." Let's see if you could work out what the missing word was.

And it was volunteering.

So Laura's asking, "I've never heard of a pressure group.

What do they do?" So, pause and have a think about that question.

You might have heard that term before.

If not, think carefully about the words and have a go.

So Aisha's saying, "A pressure group puts pressure on those in power to change something.

They do not want to have power themselves.

They want to achieve a goal, and that's why they're putting pressure on decision-makers to help them achieve a goal." So let's have a check for understanding.

A pressure group puts pressure on the public.

Is that true, or is that false? And can you tell me why? It's false.

Why? A pressure group does not put pressure on the public; it puts pressure on decision-makers and those in power, like the government, to change something.

Pressure groups try to convince those in power to make changes to improve things for society.

For task B, I'd like you to match the method of enacting social change to its correct description.

So, down one side we've got "petitioning," "pressure group," "writing to politicians," "demonstration," and "volunteering." And on the other side, we've got "writing to a person who represents you;" "a group that puts pressure on those in power to change something;" "collecting signatures to show support for a cause;" "public meetings, marches, or protests against a specific issue;" and "giving up your time freely to make a change." So pause and have a go at matching them up.

So, let's see if you managed to do that correctly.

So, petitioning was collecting signatures.

Pressure group is a group that put pressure on those in power.

Writing to politicians, writing to a person who represents you.

Demonstration and those public meetings, and volunteering, giving up your time freely.

The second part of task B, I'd like you to look at another task.

So, Izzy and Lucas are two students at Oak National Academy.

They want to make a change within their school community regarding the food served at lunchtime.

After discussing the different methods of enacting social change, they decide to either gather signatures for a petition to give to the headteacher or write to their local councillor.

Which method of achieving social change do you think Lucas and Izzy should use: a petition or contacting their local councillor? Have a think about that, and also give a reason to justify your answer.

So pause and have a go.

So, when you were giving a reason to justify your answer about which method they should use, your answer might have included the following ideas: I think a petition would be the best method for Lucas and Izzy to use in their social change campaign.

This is because school lunches are an issue with the headteacher, and they have the power to change it.

If they gather lots of signatures for their petition, it will show the headteacher that there is lots of support for changing the food, and it will be more likely that the headteacher will support the social change.

We're now going to move on to the final part of the lesson, and we're going to look at: Why statistics are important for social change? Statistics are pieces of data or facts gathered in the form of numbers.

For example: "According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 605,479 babies born in England and Wales in 2022, and that was a 3.

1% decrease from 624,828 babies born in 2021.

So that there is an example of statistics, it's using numbers to give information.

Statistics help us to summarise data and work out what it means.

Statistics can help us understand social change by showing us facts about society in a helpful summary.

For example, statistics can tell us: how many people recycle, how many people drive an electric car, how many people use the internet, how many people live in cities compared to the countryside.

By looking at statistics, we can see what is happening in society and how things have changed over time.

We can also use statistics to spot problems in society and work out where social change might be needed.

So, for example, if statistics were to show us that only 20% of people within a certain local community recycle, a pressure group may decide to petition the council to improve recycling facilities and to educate people about recycling to increase this percentage.

Because they've got a number, 20%, that gives them facts they can work on to really try and increase that percentage.

Later, the statistics can be checked again to see if the group's and the council's efforts have worked or if more social change is needed.

So, for example, they could carry out the same questionnaire or survey or whatever they were doing to collect that data, and if that percentage has gone up, it's shown that they're having an impact.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? We can use statistics to spot problems in society and work out how to create social change.

Is that true, and is that false? Can you tell me why? And it's true.

Why? Statistics can show us information we can use to create social change.

Statistics help us to understand social change by summarising data and helping us to understand what it means.

Statistics can be found in different places, such as in books, news and media outlets, government websites such as the Census, charities, local community groups, and research papers.

"The Census is an official count of the population." So this is something that is released every 10 years that the population completes, and it provides lots of data about the people living within the country.

We need to be mindful of where we get statistics from, though, to make sure that they are factual and they're not fiction.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which two places would you be most likely to find statistics? So, A, government website; B, newspaper; C, in fictional novels; or D, in a comic book? So, which two places would you be most likely to find statistics? And the answer is A and B.

"Fictional novels and comic books are less likely to contain statistics, as they focus on stories rather than facts." For task C, we're gonna actually have a go at using some statistics, so make sure you give yourself long enough to pause on these tasks.

So, for the first part, I'd like you to look at this graph and use the statistics to answer the following questions.

So the first question: "What is happening to the UK population over time? And this graph is showing the UK population from mid-1951 to mid-2041.

So pause and have a go at answering that question.

We're now going to have a look at another type of statistic.

So, for this one, I would like you to answer: Which is the most common religion in the UK? And this is a pie chart that's showing information about people's religion from the 2021 UK Census.

So give yourself long enough to pause to look at all of the statistics.

It's quite interesting.

But make sure you are answering that question correctly: Which is the most common religion in the UK? We're now going to look at another type of statistic.

And this time, it's a graph showing the 2024 general election results, and I want you to answer the question: Which political party won the most seats in the 2024 UK general election? So give yourself long enough to pause to answer the question.

Also, to have a look at the other statistics as well.

So, your answers to the following questions could include.

So, first of all, what is happening to the UK population over time? And you may have said that the UK population is increasing over time.

Then we were looking at religion.

So, which is the most common religion in the UK? And you should have put the most common religion in the UK is Christianity.

And then lastly, we were looking at the election results, and the question was: Which political party won the most seats in the 2024 general election? And it was the Labour Party that won the most seats in the 2024 general election.

So by answering those questions, you've been using statistics.

So, well done.

For the second part of this task, I'd like you to write one paragraph to explain how statistics can help create social change.

You could use the following sentence starters to help you: So, "Statistics can help us understand.

," "Statistics can be useful in creating social change because.

," or "An example of this is.

." So use those to help you if you need to.

So, your answer might include the following ideas: Statistics can help us understand patterns and problems in society.

Statistics can be useful in creating social change because they show the facts, which can support any arguments we put forward to those in power when we want to see change.

An example of this is if a person really wanted to stop pollution, they could use statistics to show how pollution harms the environment and people's health.

They can then use these facts to show how serious the problem is and why action should be taken.

So, in summary of the lesson: "What Is Citizenship?" Citizenship is a subject that develops your knowledge, skills, and understanding so you can play a full part in society as an active citizen who can enact social change.

In citizenship, you study a range of concepts such as democracy and the law.

There are many ways to make social change happen, such as writing to your local representative or collecting signatures for a petition.

Statistics help us better understand society.

They support social change by providing facts that strengthen our arguments when we push for change from those in power.

That brings us to the end of the lesson.

Well done for working hard, and I hope that you'll come back for some more citizenship lessons in the future.