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 "Being British," and it fits into the unit "Communities: How can we show respect to people of different races and cultures?" During this lesson, we are going to be talking about discrimination and sensitive content, so we recommend that you have an adult with you for the duration of this lesson.

If at any point you do feel worried or uncomfortable, it's really important that you stop the video and that you speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start on today's lesson.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe the many different characteristics that British people can have and how this benefits our country.

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

These help to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all, Laura says that we need to listen to others.

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

Next, 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." This means that if someone chooses to share a story, feeling, or an experience, we're 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're now going to take a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

These are gonna come up multiple times in today's lesson, so it's really important that we feel confident in knowing what these words mean.

First of all, we have the word British.

This is someone from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Next, we have fundamental.

In this context, this means something very important and basic, like the foundation of something.

And finally, we have value.

In this context, this is something that we think is important and should guide how we behave.

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 is split into three learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called, "What does it mean to be British?" Our second learning cycle is called, "What are the fundamental British values?" And finally, our last learning cycle is called, "How would we like Britain to be when we are older?" Let's make a start on our first learning cycle, "What does it mean to be British?" This lesson is about British identity, what it feels like to share in British culture and British values.

Being British isn't about where you or your family come from.

People can be British if they're born here, or they can become British later by choosing to live here and making it their home.

We're now going to take a look at some illustrations of lots of different British families.

Here we have some British families coming together to celebrate the Coronation.

Here we have a British family that are coming together to cheer on Team GB.

And here we have a British family that are sitting down to have some fish and chips.

A person is British if they're from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Someone may choose to identify as British if they live in or are from England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

Whether someone identifies as British is up to them.

This person wants to share their experience of identifying as British.

They say, "I live in Scotland and was born here, so I identify as Scottish and British." This person says, "I was born in England, but I moved to Wales when I was little, so I identify as Welsh and British." This person says, "Even though I live in Australia now, I still consider myself to be British because I grew up there." Identifying as British can mean something different to everyone.

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

A person might be British if they're from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and A, Scotland, B, Northern Ireland, or C, Wales? A person might be British if they're from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and where? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that Northern Ireland is correct, a person might be British if they're from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Well done if you got this right.

Each British person has a different idea of what it means to be British.

Izzy wants to share her story.

She says, "I'm British because I was born here and I've always lived here." Ruben says, "I'm British because even though I haven't always lived here, Britain is my home." Alex says, "My family is from Wales, Scotland, and England, so British feels like the right word for me." And Aisha says, "I love living in England and I know that I belong here, so I identify as British." There are many stereotypes about being British.

Like any other stereotype, these are often not true.

Ami says that there are many reasons why people may identify as British, and many people have diverse cultures and family backgrounds.

There's not one particular way to be British, although there is a broad shared culture that many people identify with.

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

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

People could only be British if they were born in Britain.

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

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that there are many reasons why someone may identify as British, and being British can mean different things to different people.

Although there are stereotypes about being British, many British people have diverse cultures and family backgrounds.

Well done if you had this or something similar.

We're now moving on to your first practice task, and well done for your hard work so far.

Let's put all of your learning so far into practice.

I'd like you to rewrite these incorrect statements so that they are now correct.

Number one, people can only be British if they were born in Britain.

Number two, every British person has the same idea of what it means to be British.

Number three, someone can only be British if they were born in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.

And four, it's up to us to decide who is British and who isn't.

Can you rewrite those incorrect statements so that they are correct? Pause the video and we'll go through some potential answers in a few minutes.

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

For number one, you might have said that there are many reasons why someone may identify as British, and being British can mean different things to different people.

For number two, you might have said that every British person has a different idea of what it means to be British, not the same idea.

Number three, you might have said that someone can be British if they were born in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, but they can also be British if they live in those countries or if it feels like the right word to describe them.

And finally, for number four, you might have said that whether someone identifies as British is up to them, and it's not up to us to decide who is British and who isn't.

Well done if your sentences were anything like mine or maybe you had some similar ideas.

It's now time to move on to our second learning cycle.

This learning cycle is called, "What are the fundamental British values?" The fundamental British values underpin some of the values that all British people should have and develop.

They aim to reduce discrimination and inequality.

To encourage respect towards others.

To help everyone feel like they belong.

There are four fundamental British values.

First of all, we have democracy.

This is rule by the people.

This is the belief that everyone's voice deserves to be heard.

In a democratic society, everyone has the right to have a say in how the country is run.

For example, by voting.

Democracy wasn't invented by Britain, but it is how our society is set up.

Not all countries around the world are democratic.

In a democratic society, not everyone gets what they want, but everyone accepts this because everyone has a voice.

In your school, you might have a democracy.

So for example, you might vote for someone to be on your school council.

The person that you vote for might not necessarily win.

However, everyone gets a vote and the person with the most votes wins.

We're now going to talk about the rule of law.

This is another fundamental British value.

The rule of law is the belief that the law should apply equally to everyone.

This means that every person has the same protection by the law, and that everyone is expected to follow the law in the same way.

It's important to remember that the police don't make up the law, but they do enforce it.

Laws are decided by MPs in parliament.

We're now going to talk about individual liberty.

This is another fundamental British value.

This is the belief that everyone should be able to enjoy their own rights and freedoms, such as saying what they believe in.

However, this shouldn't infringe on the rights of others.

So for example, you might be allowed to play football at lunchtime.

However, you might be asked to play in a certain part of the playground so that your playing doesn't disrupt anyone else and they can still play as they want to.

Mutual respect and tolerance of other faiths and beliefs is another British value.

Mutual respect and tolerance means treating others kindly and fairly, even if they have different faiths, beliefs, or ways of living from us.

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

Which British value is missing? Democracy, rule of law, mutual respect and tolerance.

Which British value is missing? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that individual liberty was the missing British value, The fundamental British values give us something that we can all share.

Even if someone's ideas about being British are different to us, they should still share the same fundamental British values.

Andeep says that, "The British values are important to me because they form part of my British identity." Laura says, "The British values are important to me because they encourage me to understand other people's faiths and beliefs." Ruben says, "When I moved to England, the British values helped me to know what I can expect from British people." And Jun says that, "We talk about the British values in school to help us to remember to treat everyone equally and respectfully." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to decide who is correct, Alex or Sam.

Alex says that, "Only people who are born in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have to uphold the British values." But Sam says that, "Everyone who's British or who lives in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland should uphold the British values." Who is correct, Alex or Sam? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have everything to yourself.

Well done if you said that Sam is correct.

It's true that everyone who is British or who lives in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland should uphold the British values.

Well done if you said the same thing.

It's now time to move on to our second practice task, and well done for your hard work in this learning cycle.

For this task, you're going to use the images to help you.

You're going to name each British value and briefly explain what each one means.

One has been done for you on the next slide as an example, so let's have a look.

You might have something like this.

So democracy is the belief that everyone's voice deserves to be heard and that everyone should have a say in how the country is run, and the image to go with it is a ballot box.

This is what people put their votes in.

Okay, now it's your turn to have a go.

Use the images to help you and name each British value and briefly explain what each one means.

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

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

So you might have said something a bit like our example.

You might have put the ballot box, and you might have said that democracy is the belief that everyone's voice deserves to be heard and that everyone should have a say in how the country is run.

You might have said that this image of a judge, you might have said that the rule of law is the belief that the law should apply to and protect everyone equally.

For the megaphone, you might have said that individual liberty is the belief that everyone should be able to enjoy their own rights and freedoms, but that they should not affect the rights of others.

And for the people shaking hands, you might have said that mutual respect and tolerance means treating others kindly and fairly, even if they have different faiths, beliefs, or ways of living from us.

Well done if your answers were anything like this or if you had some similar ideas.

We're now moving on to our final learning cycle, and well done for your hard work in this lesson so far.

This learning cycle is called, "How would we like Britain to be when we're older?" Although we're all different, we can still all be British.

Ms. Walsh is a teacher at Oak National Academy.

Ms. Walsh says that, "It's important to remember that everyone will have different ideas around or experiences of being British, and that this is a wonderful thing.

The British identity is varied and diverse, and this is something to be celebrated." In the same way that people may have different ideas about being British, people may also have different ideas about what they would like Britain to be like in the future.

Lucas says that, "In the future, I'd like Britain to be full of people who celebrate and accept difference.

I think it's important to not just tolerate difference, we should celebrate it instead." Aisha says, "I'm glad that British society is democratic and I look forward to voting when I'm older.

It's so important that everyone votes and gets their voice heard." And Jacob says, "I think looking after the environment is really important, so I'd like to see a new British value about everyone doing what they can to look after the environment." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

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

It's up to everyone to make choices about what Britain should be like in the future.

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

Well done if you said that this is true.

It is up to everyone to make choices about what Britain should be like in the future.

Well done if you said the same thing.

What Britain looks like is often shaped by the actions and the beliefs of the British people.

By being kind to others and respecting everyone regardless of their beliefs, we help to make Britain a kind, equal, and accepting place to everyone.

Sam says, "I want Britain to be a welcoming place, so I always introduce myself to new people in my class and I do my best to make them feel welcome." Andeep says, "I want Britain to be a place where everyone is treated fairly and with respect." And Alex says, "I want Britain to be a place where citizens help others to make a positive change." When we all work together as a caring community, we make Britain a better place for everyone.

Everyone deserves to feel safe, supported, and respected in Britain, whether or not they have a British identity.

Ms. Welsh reminds us that if you witness someone being treated unfairly or experiencing discrimination, it's really important to tell a trusted adult.

A trusted adult is an adult that we know offline that we trust to keep us safe.

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

And this time, I'd like you to finish this sentence.

If we want to make Britain a more welcoming place, we could A, be unkind to people who are different to us? B, challenge discrimination when we see it? Or C, be tolerant and respectful to others' faiths and beliefs? What do you think? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that both B and C are correct.

If we want to make Britain a more welcoming place, we could challenge discrimination when we see it and be tolerant and respectful to others' faiths and beliefs.

It's important to not be unkind to people who are different to us.

Everyone is different in some way, and it's important that we celebrate and accept difference.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now moving on to our final practice task, and well done for your hard work in this lesson.

Let's take a look at your next task.

Sam would like Britain to be a place where everyone is treated fairly and where the environment is looked after.

Can you give three suggestions of what she could do to help with this? Pause the video and we'll go through some potential answers in a few minutes.

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

You might have said that Sam could treat other people fairly.

She could challenge when someone is treated unfairly or experiences discrimination, for example, by telling a trusted adult.

She could always put litter in the bin and she could turn off electric appliances when she's not using them.

Well done if your answers for anything like this.

It's now time to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that there are many reasons why people may identify as British, and many people have diverse cultures and family backgrounds.

There are four fundamental British values and these are democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance.

We all share the four British values even if we have other ideas and experiences about being British.

We can all still be British even though we're all different whether we identify as British.

Whether we identify as British is a personal choice.

We can all choose what we would like Britain to be like in the future by making choices about our behavior.

In today's lesson, you might have found that you've got some worries or questions.

And if you do, it's really important that you share these with a trusted adult.

There's also a resource on the screen that's there to help you too.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you again soon.