Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms Willow, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called Rule of Law, and it fits into the unit Communities: What does it mean to be British? I can't wait to teach you today's lesson, so let's make a start.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain why rules and laws are important, and you'll be able to describe what the rule of law means.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These help to make sure that we all feel safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

We have some friends from Oak National Academy to help us to remember these rules.

Our friend Laura says that we need to listen to others.

This means that if someone else is speaking, we're not going to interrupt them or talk over them.

Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

This means that we're not going to ask anyone any personal questions as this can make some people feel uncomfortable.

Next, Jacob says, "No judgment!" If someone chooses to share a feeling, story, or an experience, we are not going to judge them for it.

And finally, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

This means that it's up to us how much we want to join in.

We are now going to go through the keywords for today's lesson.

These are gonna come up quite a few times in today's lesson, so it's really important that we feel confident about what each of these words mean.

First of all, we have rules.

These are expectations to follow that can keep us safe.

Next, we have laws.

These are important rules made by the government that everyone in the country must follow.

Next, we have rule of law.

This is the idea that everyone, including leaders, must follow the same rules and laws to keep things fair.

And finally, we have citizen.

This is someone who belongs to a community and helps to look after it.

As we go through today's lesson, keep an eye out for these keywords and when you spot them, see if you can remember what they mean.

Today's lesson has three learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called What are Rules and Laws? Our second learning cycle is called Who Makes the Laws? And our last learning cycle is called Why Do we have Rules and Laws? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle.

What are rules and laws? Ms. Welsh wants to ask us a question.

She says, "What rules do we follow in school? Why do we need them?" You might want to answer this question with the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Let's see what our friends at Oak National Academy have come up with, and you can see if you have something similar.

Andeep says that, "We walk in the corridors to stay safe." Laura says that, "We share equipment so that it's fair to the class." And Izzy says that, "We listen to the teachers so that we all learn." These rules help us to stay safe at school and they help us to learn too.

Ms. Welsh explains to us the difference between rules and laws.

She says that, "Rules are for small groups like our class or our school, but laws are rules for the whole country.

Everyone must follow them, both children and adults.

Rules are made by teachers or leaders, but laws are made in parliament by the government." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you are doing.

I'd like you to decide if this statement is true or false.

Rules and laws are exactly the same.

What do you think, is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you.

Tell me or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that rules and laws are not the same because rules are for small groups like schools, but laws are for the whole country.

Well done if you had an answer similar to this.

As a police officer, it's Kofi's job to enforce the law and to make sure that everyone is following them.

He says that, "Laws are in place to keep you safe and make sure that people are treated fairly.

Laws also help people to know what is expected of them so everyone can live together peacefully and respectfully." This shows why laws are so important and why we need police officers like Kofi to enforce them.

Amara repeats a comment that she's heard someone else say.

Amara says, "I heard laws are just there to stop people having fun." Do you think this is true? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said the same as Police Officer Kofi.

Police Officer Kofi says, "No, laws help to make sure that fun is safe and fair.

Imagine football with no rules, it would be unfair and it would be unsafe too." Well done if you agreed with Police Officer Kofi.

There are lots of examples of laws.

A driver and their passengers must wear a seatbelt.

A person cannot steal something from a shop.

Can you think of any other laws that you know about? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, Tell me or have a think to yourself.

Let's have a look and see what our friends at Oak National Academy came up with.

You might have said that we must not drop litter, otherwise we could get fined.

This means that we need to pay some money.

Laura says that, "Drivers must stop at red traffic lights." Izzy says, "We mustn't hurt other people." Well done if you had some of these ideas in mind as well.

Let's do another check for understanding.

I'd like you to decide which of these examples is a law, A, putting your hand up before speaking in class, B, wearing a seatbelt in the car, C, don't run in corridors, or D, share equipment in the playground.

Which of these is a law? Can you remember? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that wearing a seatbelt in the car is a law.

A, C and D are all examples of rules that you might have in school, but they're not laws that we have in the country.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now going to put your learning from this learning cycle into practice and well done for all your hard work so far.

For the first part of this task, I'd like you to sort the following into rules or laws.

Wear a seatbelt.

Do not litter in public places.

Do not run in the corridors.

Do not steal.

Line up quietly.

Or listen to the referee.

Sort the examples that I just said into rules and laws.

Pause the video and we'll go through the answers in a few minutes.

Okay, let's have a look and see what you might have said.

Listen to the referee is an example of a rule.

Lining up quietly and not running in the corridors are examples of rules too.

Some examples of laws are wear a seatbelt, do not steal and do not litter in public places.

Well done if you had the same answers as me.

For the second part of this task, I'd like you to explain what makes a law different from a rule.

To help you I'd like you to think about the following questions.

Who makes rules? Who makes laws? Do rules apply to everyone? Do laws apply to everyone? And which ones help with fairness and safety for the whole country? Can you explain what makes a law different from a rule? Pause the video and we'll go through a model answer in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

You might have said that a rule is for school or one place, but a law is for the whole country.

You might have said that rules are made by teachers or leaders, but laws are made in parliament by the government.

And you might have said that laws must be followed by all people, not just some people in one place.

Well done if your answers were anything like this.

We are now moving on to our second learning cycle.

Well done for your hard work in this lesson so far.

In our next learning cycle, we're going to answer the question, who makes the laws? In the United Kingdom, often just called the UK, our laws are made in parliament in London.

Parliament is where members of parliament, often called MPs, meet to discuss and agree new laws.

MPs are chosen by citizens in elections.

This is linked to the British value of democracy.

Here is what a member of parliament might say, "I speak for people in my local area.

MPs listen to what their local people need and bring their ideas to parliament." Citizens play an important role in democracy.

They choose MPs who they think will best represent them in parliament.

Here's what a citizen might say "I vote in elections to choose my member of parliament or MP.

In an election, adults cast their vote for the person they want to represent their local area in parliament.

The MP that they choose helps to make decisions and shape any new laws.

That's how my voice is heard in our democracy." Ms. Welsh says that, "This is why democracy is important because citizens have a say through their members of parliament or their MPs." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Where are laws made, can you remember? A, police station, B, Buckingham Palace, or C parliament.

Where are laws made, can you remember? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that laws are made in parliament.

Remember that laws are made by MPs in parliament in London.

Well done if you remember this.

We're now going to take a look at how laws are made.

So first of all, members of parliament discuss and debate an idea.

Then they hold a vote.

Then if most MPs agree, the law can then be changed or it can be brought in.

Police officers don't make laws.

Instead, they just make sure that the laws are followed as there are consequences if people break them.

Police Officer Kofi says that, "My job is to enforce the law and to keep people safe.

For example, this might mean stopping someone who is speeding," so going too quickly in their car, "or helping people in danger.

This means I make sure people follow the laws and I support them when they need it." Judges and lawyers also don't make laws, but they do check that the law is applied equally to everyone.

A judge might say something like this, "My job is to make sure the laws passed in parliament are applied fairly in court.

This means I help decide what happens when someone breaks a law, and I make sure that everyone gets treated the same way." Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

Can you remember if the statement is true or false? The police make the laws in the UK.

What do you think, is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that the police don't make laws, parliament makes laws and the police enforce them.

Enforce means to make sure that the rules being followed.

Well done if your answer was similar to this.

It's now time to move on to our second practice task and well done for your hard work and focus so far.

For this practice task, I'd like you to complete the sentences with the missing words.

As an MP, I discuss and vote on ideas to make blank in blank.

As a police officer, I blank laws.

As a blank, I vote for an blank to represent me.

As a judge, I blank the law is applied blank to everyone.

Where I've said the word blank, can you decide which words are missing? Pause the video and we'll go through the completed sentences in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what your completed sentences could look like.

You might have said that as an MP, I discuss and vote on ideas to make laws in parliament.

As a police officer, I enforce laws.

As a citizen, I vote for an MP to represent me.

Or you could have said member of parliament.

As a judge, I check the law is applied equally to everyone.

Well done if you had these words in the correct place.

We're now moving on to our final learning cycle and well done for all of your hard work.

This learning cycle is called why do we have rules and laws? What would happen if there were no laws in our community? You might want to have a think about this question with the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Okay, you might have said that people may litter, that people may steal, that the roads could become less safe if we didn't have laws.

Therefore, laws are really important and they matter because it means that people don't litter, they don't steal, and that the roads are kept safe.

Police Officer Kofi tells us why laws are so important.

He says that, "Laws stop people from doing dangerous things and they protect us every day.

For example, laws about driving carefully protect us when we cross the road, and laws about not stealing protect our belongings.

Laws work like invisible helpers, keeping us safe even when we don't notice them." Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Which of these shows why we need laws? A, so that people know how to play a game.

B, to keep people safe and treated fairly.

Or C, to stop people having fun.

Which of those examples show why we need laws? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Okay, well done if you said that the correct answer is B, to keep people safe and treated fairly.

This is why laws are really important.

Long ago, kings and queens could make any laws that they wanted, even ones that were unfair.

Over many years, people in Britain decided that this wasn't a fair way to do things.

They agreed that everyone, even kings and queens should have to follow the same laws and this became known the rule of law and is now one of our important British values.

It helps to make Britain a fairer and safer place to live.

These are the fundamental British values, democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance.

All of these values helped to make Britain a fairer, safer and more respectful place.

Laws make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly and because of the rule of law, nobody is above the law in Britain, which means that the law doesn't apply to them, not even the prime minister or the king or queen.

They have to follow the laws too.

This means that even the most powerful people must follow the same laws as everyone else and they can't make unfair rules just for themselves.

Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to decide if this statement is true or false.

The rule of law makes sure that laws are applied fairly as everyone has to follow them.

What do you think, is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself Well done if you said that this is true.

The rule of law makes sure that laws are applied fairly as everyone has to follow them, including kings, queens, and prime ministers.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now moving on to our final practice task.

For this task, the Oak National Academy pupils are talking about rules and laws.

I'd like you to complete that conversation.

Laura says, "Rules and laws are important because they.

Some examples of laws are.

." Izzy says, "The law applies to.

." And Andeep says, "The rule of law is important because.

." Can you complete this conversation? Pause the video and we'll go through the completed conversation in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

Laura might now say something like this.

"Rules and laws are important because they keep people safe, make life fair, and treat everyone equally.

Some examples of laws are wearing a seatbelt in the car, not stealing and not littering in public places." Izzy might say something like this, "The law applies to everyone, no matter who they are, rich or poor, young or old, even people who are in power." Andeep might now say, "The rule of law is important because it makes sure that even leaders and powerful people can't break the laws or make unfair rules just for themselves." Well done if your answers were anything like this.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that rules are for small groups like schools or clubs, but laws are for everyone in the country.

We've learned that laws keep us safe, make life fair, and treat all people equally.

We've learned that police enforce the laws, judges apply them fairly and citizens help choose MPs to make them.

We've learned that laws help us to live safely and peacefully together.

And finally, we've learned that the British value, rule of law, means that no one is above the law.

Well done for your hard work in today's lesson, I'm really proud of you and I hope to see you again soon.