Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Sakomi, I'm a teacher from London, and I'm going to be taking you through today's lesson.

Let's get started.

Today's lesson is called "How Are Communities Changing?" It's part of the wider unit, "What are our identities and our communities?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how and why communities have changed over time.

The key words we're going to hear in today's lesson are communities.

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

Change, this is an act or process through which something becomes different.

And migration, this is the movement of people from one place to another.

For example, moving from one country to another.

Keep an eye out for these key words as we move through today's lesson.

We are going to start by thinking about what were early communities like.

Communities have developed over time as things change.

There have been lots of different events and changes in society, which mean that communities have had to change according to what is happening.

Can you have a think about some changes that you might have seen in your communities that have caused that community to change? If we rewind a long time, we can think back to the first forms of communities.

Originally, humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers.

That meant that they moved around to find food.

They hunted animals and collected plants, and therefore the communities had to be reflective of them finding this sustenance.

During the Neolithic period, which was about 12,000 years ago, they learned how to farm.

Growing crops and keeping animals allowed them to build villages.

That meant that people could stay in one place and form communities rather than having to move around to find food and hunt animals in order to live.

Let's do a check of what we've learned so far.

True or false.

Communities built cities during the Neolithic period.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

Can you also have a think about why you've chosen that answer? The correct answer is false.

This is because during the neolithic period people learned how to farm and therefore built villages.

They formed the early communities.

It wasn't until much later that cities were built.

In the Bronze Age people began using metal to make better tools and weapons.

This had impact on communities.

They began trading with other places and built famous monuments like Stonehenge.

Let's do another quick check.

When did people start using metal to make tools? Was it A, the Gold Age, B, the Silver Age, or C, the Bronze Age? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is C.

By the Iron Age, people lived in hillforts and formed tribes with leaders and warriors.

When the ancient Romans came to Britain in 43 CE, they built towns and roads, but many rural areas and rural communities stayed the same.

So we can already start to see how the time period and what was going on had an impact on the way that people were living or not.

Let's do a check.

When did the ancient Romans invade Britain? Was it A, 23 CE.

B, 33 CE.

C, 43 CE or D 53 CE? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is C.

After the ancient Romans left Britain in the 5th century, the country faced invasions by the Anglo-Saxons.

They settled in communities and formed kingdoms. From 793 CE, Viking raids and invasions occurred in Britain.

This led to battles for control between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons.

Eventually, the Normans invaded Britain in 1066.

This brought about significant changes to the country's culture, society, communities, and government.

One of the most significant changes that the Normans introduced to Britain was a system of feudalism.

Alex is asking a really good question.

What is feudalism? Lucas is telling us, "Feudalism is a system where people got land and protection from more powerful people, and in exchange they had to work and fight for them." This was very different to how communities have lived before.

Since the Norman Conquest, communities in Britain have changed even further.

Firstly, there was a rise of towns, and then later in the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, there was a transformation into cities.

On the slide, we can see a picture that is showing the Iron Bridge construction in Sunderland in 1796.

So we saw a move from communities where people were more rural up into these much more urban cities scapes.

The industrial revolution further increased urbanisation and created more infrastructure for cities, meaning that there was more of a desire for people to live in these places and find work.

The Industrial Revolution was also really important as it introduced significant social change to communities, particularly having an impact on people's jobs and also family life.

New infrastructure meant that more factories were built.

More technology and investment resulted in more machines in factories, so that meant that we needed more people to operate them.

Therefore, people began to work in cities instead of farms. Therefore, it made sense that they would live closer to where they worked, so we had people moving into those urban city areas.

This led to new kinds of work like factory jobs, and therefore created crowded city communities where people were living in a smaller more dense space.

This also led to changes in people's routines.

Lots of families moved to live closer to factories.

Let's do another check.

Communities in the UK were transformed by what? Was it A, the Industrial Revolution.

B, the industrious revolution, C, the industrial revolution, or D, the industrious revelation.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is A, the industrial revolution.

Let's do a longer task to put what we've done so far into practise.

I'd like you to create a timeline that explains the key features of some of the historic communities within Britain.

You might want to include some of these headings on your timeline that explain what was happening at this point.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I asked you to create a timeline explaining some of the communities that happened across the history of Great Britain.

You might have included some of the following.

In the Neolithic age, people began farming and formed villages and communities for the first time.

Then in the Bronze Age, people began using metals for tools and trading with other communities.

The Iron Age meant people lived in hill forts and formed tribes with leaders.

When the ancient Romans arrived, they built towns and roads, but rural areas did still stay the same.

When Anglo-Saxons arrived, they formed kingdoms and fought with the Vikings.

Then we had the Industrial Revolution.

This transformed cities and caused significant social change.

Well done if you included some of that in your answer.

Next, we're going to think about why have communities changed.

We've already seen some examples in today's lesson of communities changing as a result of things happening within a society.

Some of the factors that also cause change in communities include migration.

When people move, they introduce new cultures, ideas, and traditions.

Lucas is reminding us that migration is the movement of people from one place to another.

For example, moving from one country to another country.

We also have change as a result of economic shifts.

These transform work and living conditions.

We also have social changes that might include things like movement for equality and inclusivity.

These changes might shape values.

It improves diversity and also enhances collaboration, which is working together among people from different backgrounds and experiences.

For example, thinking about women's suffrage and the right to vote, that was a social change that ultimately changed what communities look like.

There are lots of reasons why communities also continue to change over time.

For example, politics.

People who we vote in make laws and these change how society looks.

The economy, thinking about all the money that is spent and made within society, the finances available and the wealth in an area will impact a community.

Demography also has an impact.

This is the structure of who lives in an area and migration might impact this.

We're going to look at these in more detail.

Starting off thinking about politics.

Politics will always be a force for change in communities with the power to make new laws and develop strategies, communities change as a result of changes to those laws and regulations.

Most new laws change communities in some way or another.

Lucas is giving us an example of this.

When a new law was introduced, which stopped people smoking in public places and on public transport, I found it much nicer travelling around.

That's just one example of how a change in the law might impact people living within a particular place.

A recent example of how politics has changed communities in the UK is the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act of 2022.

One of the things this new law did was to give the police more power to control protests and public gatherings.

This made some communities angry and upset 'cause they did not feel listened to anymore.

The Police, Crime, Sentences and Courts Act 2022 worried a lot of people.

Many communities, especially those involved in social movements, thought the law might take away their rights.

Some people felt that this restricted them and silenced their voice.

However, the new law also made many people feel safer and more secure in their communities.

Some people welcomed the new law as they felt it helped prevent disruption within their communities.

Let's do a quick check.

True or false? Political changes in communities are a result of government action.

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is true.

This is because if a government makes a change, this is considered political.

Governments can decide new laws which might impact communities.

Next, we can think about the economy.

Lucas is reminding us that the economy is about how people spend and make money.

It is how a country makes and uses things, and also how much money a country has to spend on things.

Communities in the UK have changed because of economic factors.

Such as the availability of jobs, the cost of living, so how much it costs for people to buy things like their food and pay their bills.

Access to education.

When the economy is strong in terms of all of these areas, more people will have good jobs and opportunities.

However, when it's weaker, people can struggle.

This might cause stress and sometimes force people to move or rely on forms of support.

An example of this and how the economy might affect communities is what happened after the 2008 financial crisis.

Lots of people lost their jobs and some communities faced cuts to services, things like libraries and youth centres.

This led to fewer opportunities for young people and made it harder for families to get by financially.

This also happened after the coronavirus lockdown in 2020 when lots of businesses were unable to keep their doors open due to the fact that they had mounting debt and a lack of income.

Let's do another check.

When the economy is strong, people have more what? is it, A struggles, B, opportunities or C, debt.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is opportunities.

Last, we're going to think about demography.

Demography refers to the study of populations and how they change over time in terms of size, structure and characteristics.

It looks at things like the birth rate, the death rate, the age, gender, and migration within particular communities.

For example, London has the largest group of young people in the UK, so this community might need more youth facilities, sports centres, and venues that are suitable for young people.

More young people live in urban areas like cities because there are better job opportunities in these places.

This shows us why it's important that we know the demographic information so we can build things that are relevant to those communities.

Governments use demographic information to understand trends such as how populations grow or shrink, and to help governments plan for things like schools, healthcare and housing based on those population needs.

For example, if a population is ageing, meaning it's getting older, there might be a need for more healthcare services for older people in certain communities.

In North Norfolk, there is the highest proportion of over 65s in the UK.

They might need more facilities for older people like community events and care homes.

So knowing this information helps the government plan.

Let's do a check.

True or false? Age is a demographic reason why community might change.

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is true.

This is because as people in a community grow older, their needs and their lifestyles change.

This can influence things like local services, housing and activities, and lead to shifts in the community.

Let's do a task to put this into practise.

I'd like you to look at the graph below and think about what does this show us about communities? Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

You could have said that this graph shows us since 1975, the number of people living in urban areas has increased.

There are now more people living in urban communities than rural communities.

Let's have a think about why this might be the case.

Why do you think communities have changed in this way? Pause your video and choose this answer now.

Let's think about your answers.

You might have said people might have changed in their communities because there are more job and educational opportunities in urban areas.

There might be higher wages in urban areas.

There may be more facilities and things to do in urban areas, which might account for that change.

Next, who do you think is more likely to live in each of these areas? Use the graph and explain your reasons.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

You might have said, young people tend to leave rural areas in favour of urban areas.

This might be to find work and opportunities.

Therefore, more young people are likely to live in urban areas.

Last, we're going to think about how has technology changed our communities.

Technological advances have changed our communities by making life easier and more connected.

Things like mobile phones, the internet and social media help us to stay in touch with people.

It allows us to share information and also work from everywhere.

Meaning we don't have to just live and work in our neighbourhood communities.

It has also changed how we shop, learn, and even play games.

Bringing people together in new ways.

Andeep is telling us, "The malaria vaccine produced in 2023, was a combination of work from India and the UK.

Without technology and advanced communication, the work would not have been possible." Technology has increased our ability to be part of a global community.

This is because we can connect with people all over the world in a way that we wouldn't have been able to in earlier times.

Communication previously was writing letters.

However, now it's developed to phones and the internet and also social media.

That means we can connect with people around the globe really easily.

The infrastructure, which is what makes up places we live, in our neighbourhood community allows this to happen.

We have cellular towers, routers, modems, and aerials that allow that technology and communication to occur.

Let's do a check.

True or false? Technology has helped us to become a more connected global community.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

Can you also have a think about why you've chosen that answer? The correct answer is true.

This is because technology has helped us to communicate with people all over the world.

Leading to amazing inventions across countries and improving life for communities all over the world.

Next, I'd like you to identify three technologies that have helped us become a more global community.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

You might have said social media, telephones and the internet.

The telephone is a really useful example to demonstrate how technological advances have changed communities.

The first popular telephone had to be wired into your home.

You couldn't take it with you.

Whereas now we have mobile phones.

This has changed the way that we live and also our communities function.

We can now stay informed about local events, have access to maps at our fingertips, and reach people much more easily in emergencies.

This has really changed how communities and society as a whole looks In the 1980s to phone abroad from the UK cost a lot of money, sometimes over five pounds a minute.

Now that we have the internet, social media, and mobile data, we can make calls abroad included in the cost of a phone package.

We can also phone people on the other side of the world at a much lower cost.

This has improved relationships and has meant that people who have migrated can now speak to their families more easily.

Let's do another check.

How have mobile phones helped people who have migrated to another country? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is C.

They can communicate with family easily.

Artificial intelligence has made it easier for people to find information quickly, like using voice assistance to answer questions.

This has seen changes in the way communities access information and receive it.

It helps businesses understand what customers want, allowing them to change their systems and provide better products and services.

In education communities like schools or universities, AI tools can personalise learning and help students learn at their own pace and improve their skills.

So there's lots of potential with these new technologies.

Let's do another check.

Fill in the missing word in the sentence below.

Let's check our answer and read the sentence.

Artificial intelligence has changed the way our communities receive and access information.

Let's do a longer task now to put this into practise.

I'd like you to think about whether you think technological advances will continue to change community.

Then I want you to explain your answer.

Pause your video, and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

I asked you to explain whether you think technological advances will continue to change communities.

You might have said, I believe technological advances will continue to change communities in the future.

New inventions like AI will improve how we communicate, travel and work, making life easier.

Technology can also influence migration, as people move to find better work and educational opportunities.

Therefore, communities will help keep changing as they adapt to new technologies and increase diversity, helping people stay connected and informed.

Today, we've been learning about how our community is changing.

We've learned that early communities change dramatically over time due to things, people, and places changing.

We've learned that there are many political, social, and economic reasons why communities change, like politics, economy, and demography.

Technological advances have brought change to communities by allowing them to communicate more easily and effectively Regardless of where they are in the world.

Communities will continue to change with the advancement of technology, changes across the world and migration.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.