Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. T, and thank you for joining me today.

Our lesson today is going to focus on communities, communities that we're a part of, communities that other people are a part of.

We're going to talk about what makes a constructive, positive, and responsible community.

We really look forward to hearing what you've got to say.

So let's get started with today's lesson.

The outcome for today's lesson is to be able to describe what an inclusive community looks like, and also to be able to confidently explain why it's important for a community to be inclusive.

Before we start, we just need to remind ourselves of the ground rules that we follow when we take part in these discussions.

Firstly, we need to make sure that we're listening to each other.

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

If we disagree, that's fine, but we challenge the statement, and not the person that's making it.

We respect each other's privacy.

We can discuss examples, but we don't use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves.

We can choose the level of participation that feels right for us.

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

We never put anyone on the spot.

However, we know that you've got some good ideas and some really interesting things to say, so we want to hear your voices as well.

And finally, we come to these sessions with no judgement.

We're going to be exploring beliefs.

We're going to be exploring misunderstandings about a topic, but we do that without fear of being judged.

If we follow these ground rules, then we know that we can have a really constructive and positive discussion about the topics that we've got ahead.

So now that we've been through the ground rules, let's get started with our lesson.

So before we begin, let's just spend some time considering the key words that are going to come up in today's lesson.

Firstly, we have the word community, which is a group of people brought together by shared attitudes, interests, beliefs, or location.

We then have the word diverse, which means including people from a range of different backgrounds.

Our third word is responsible, which means to take care of or protect something.

And finally, we have the word inclusive, which means including people from a range of backgrounds, and treating them equally and fairly.

As we go through our lesson today, try to notice how these words are used, and when they're used, and see if you can use them in some of your ideas and responses as well.

Our lesson outline for today begins with being part of a community.

We're then going to move on to thinking about how we can be part of a responsible community.

And finally, we're going to talk about what it means to be part of an inclusive community, and to ensure that we can be inclusive in all the communities that we're a part of.

So let's begin with our first learning outline.

So we're going to start today by thinking about what a community is.

So a community can be a group of people who share hobbies or interests, who share similar experiences, who live in the same area, who support each other, who maybe share a religion, a language, or a culture, because being part of a community shapes our identity and helps us to feel like we belong.

We can belong to many communities.

These will help us to share our interests, hobbies, and passions with other people.

But as we change and as we grow up, so do some of our communities.

Izzy says "Can you be part of more than one community?," and Jun replies "Yes, I'm part of my local basketball group, "and I volunteer at my church, "and I'm also part of our school community." You are all part of the Oak school community, and Jun is part of three different communities there.

So let's have a quick check for understanding.

True or false? You can belong to many different communities.

Decide which answer is correct.

I'll give you just a second to think about it.

If you put the answer true, then you'd be correct, and that's because a community is a group of people with a shared interest.

For example, that could be a sport, it could be a hobby, it could be a religion, or it could be sharing a culture or language.

You can be part of multiple communities, like we saw Jun talking about earlier, and some of those communities will change over time, but many of them will stay the same.

So now it's our opportunity to think about some of the communities that we're a part of.

Take a moment just to tell somebody you're near to, or to write down quickly some of the communities that you belong to.

Some examples could be from Izzy who says, "I'm part of my school football team," or we've got Andy who says, "I'm part of a group who sing at my temple." We've also got an example from Alex who says, "I'm part of a dance group." Can you think about some of the communities that you belong to? So we've learned that communities are made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds.

It's really important that everyone feels welcome within a community because this makes our communities diverse.

Having a diverse community means that we can represent a range of voices and experiences from all of the members of our community.

So our check for understanding today, how can you make sure that you have a community that is diverse? If you came up with some of the answers that included by making the community welcoming, by representing everybody's experiences, or by making sure that everybody's voice is heard, then you've done a really good job at answering that question.

Well done.

So let's move on to our first task.

Sofia belongs to lots of different communities.

We're going to hear what she's got to say While we're reading, can you identify three communities that she is a part of? Sofia says, "I love going to school because I get to work "and socialise with my friends.

"Every Friday lunchtime, I play basketball in a club, "and at weekends, we participate in tournaments.

"We've won the last three games.

"I also wear a cochlear implant to help me hear, "and I'm part of a group with other kids from the area "who are also deaf or hard of hearing.

"We often get food together or go bowling, "and sometimes we watch films at our local cinema." Sofia's got a lot going on, but can you identify three communities that she is a part of? Pause the video here while you try to find them.

Well done.

I'm sure you've had some really good discussions about the different communities that Sofia is a part of.

But the three communities that she talks about include her school community because she says, "I love going to school "because I get to work and socialise with my friends." She's also a part of a basketball club.

She says that she plays basketball in a club at weekends.

And finally, she's a part of the deaf community, because she says, "I'm part of a group "with other kids from the area who are also deaf "or hard of hearing." So three different communities there from Sofia.

Now, moving on through our lesson outline, we're now going to consider what it is like to be part of a responsible community.

So being part of a responsible community means that we include everybody, that we make sure that everyone has the opportunity to speak, we don't speak over them, or we don't stop anyone from speaking, that we listen to everyone's opinions, that we're fair when we decide what to do as a group, and that we make decisions democratically.

It's really important that your community is fair, and that it includes everyone, and so that means that decisions should be made democratically, and Jacob reminds us that being democratic means that everyone has equal rights and are involved in making important decisions.

So there's no one leader who makes all the decisions for the group.

It's a group decision.

Aisha wants to know how we can make sure that our discussions and decisions are democratic.

She says, "How can we make sure our community is responsible "and fair to everyone?," and notice some of our key words that we're using there, community and responsible.

Alex replies and says, "We can make sure "that everyone has the same time to speak in meetings, "and then we can vote to make a final decision." So really nice suggestions there from Alex, describing how we can be responsible and democratic.

So now that we've looked at those examples, let's think about this check for understanding.

Which of these would be an effective way to make sure that everybody gets to speak in a community meeting? You've got A, have an order of speakers and a clear time limit.

You've got B, let people take turns and talk for just as long as they want.

Or we've got C, decide before the meeting who can speak.

Pause your video here while you decide whether you think the answer is A, B, or C.

If you put that you thought the answer was A, have an order of speakers and a clear time limit, then you're correct.

Well done.

We don't want it to be B because we do want people to take turns, but people can't talk for as long as they want, because we've only got a certain amount of time for the meeting.

Also, deciding before the meeting who can speak wouldn't always work because sometimes people change their minds during the meeting, or have different things that they want to say.

So A seems like a really sensible response there.

So what does a community group do? Well, some community groups come together to participate in a shared interest.

So that could be a sport, an activity, an act of worship, or a hobby.

Some community groups come together to provide support, or to help make change, or achieve a shared goal.

Sometimes those groups will work together to raise awareness of an issue or a campaign to make change, and we often see that with local community groups who want to change something about their local area.

So Aisha and Jacob think about ways that they could help out in their school community.

Aisha says, "I volunteer in the library "and make sure that I speak to new pupils "to make them feel welcome." And Jacob responds by saying, "I'm part of the school council," which is a really good way to get involved in your school community.

So some community groups will campaign to raise awareness and encourage action.

Some of the ways that community groups campaign can include: starting a petition for people to sign, it could be delivering a speech to encourage others to join, or it could be making a leaflet to raise awareness.

These are all really good ways to raise awareness and encourage action within your local communities.

Alex reminds us that a petition is a written request signed by many people to show support for a cause or change.

So we have our check for understanding here.

Which of the following are examples of responsible campaigning? Is it starting a petition for people to sign? Is it making a leaflet to raise awareness? Is it ignoring an issue and hoping someone else fixes it? So pause your screen while you think about the answers A, B, or C, to decide which you think it is.

I'm sure you've had some really interesting discussions thinking about this question, but if you put that the answer was A and B, then you're correct.

Starting a petition for people to sign or making a leaflet to raise awareness are really good ways of responsible campaigning as part of your community.

So let's move on to Task B.

We've got Jacob here, and he's become really frustrated by the amount of litter around his school, and he's decided to start a school community group to tackle this.

What I would like you to do is to provide Jacob with three ways in which the community group could start to tackle the problem.

So it's a school community group that are frustrated by the amount of litter.

What three ways could they start to tackle the problem? Pause your screen here while you think about the answers.

Well done.

I'm sure you've had some really interesting discussions about this, but you were asked to provide Jacob with three ways in which the community group could tackle the problem, and so you may have included some of these suggestions.

You might have said that you could start a petition in school to show how many people care about the issue.

It's a really good way to gauge the numbers of people that are passionate about it.

You may have said that you could write a letter to the headteacher to ask for more bins to help reduce the littering in the school.

Maybe you suggested organising a litter pick at school to improve the environment.

Or you may have said that you could deliver a speech in assembly to raise awareness about the issue.

When you're really passionate about something, sometimes that's a really good option.

So well done for your contributions in response to that task.

So well done for all of the contributions that you've made so far in response to our questions about our community.

We're now going to move on to the final part of our lesson outline, which means to think about what it is to be part of an inclusive community.

An inclusive community makes sure that everyone can be involved, no matter who they are.

A group should make changes to ensure that people feel welcome, and that applies to online communities, as well as communities that meet in person.

Jacob and Sofia discuss access to their community group.

Jacob says, "How can we make sure "that a wheelchair user can access our community group?," and Sofia responds, "We need to make sure "that there is easy access, "like the use of a lift.

"If not, then we need to make changes, "such as including ramps "or using a meeting room on the ground floor." So some really good suggestions from Sophia here on how to make the community group inclusive.

So here's our check for understanding.

An inclusive community group is a group who only meet in person.

Do you think that's true or false? Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

So if you put the answer down as being false, then you'd be correct.

And why is that? Well, it's because a community can meet in person, they can meet online, or they could meet in a combination of both of those ways.

Meeting online can be a way to make a community group more accessible for more people, but others might prefer meeting with a community group in person.

So we should be proud to be a part of our inclusive, local, national, international, and online communities because being part of an inclusive community helps us to think about others, support other people, improve our environments, and make change for the better, but it's also a really nice way to make new friends, meet new people, and have fun.

So in this check for understanding, can you have a look at the answers in response to this question? Which of these are good reasons to be a part of different inclusive communities? Is it A, so that we can make new friends? Is it B, so we can feel supported? Is it C, so we can help others? Or is it D, so we can improve our environment? And remember, the answers could be more than one.

Pause your screen here while you think about your response.

I'm sure you've had some really interesting discussions about this, but if you said that good reasons to be a part of different inclusive communities included A, we can make new friends, B, we can feel supported, C, we can help others, and D, we can improve our environment, then you'd be correct.

They're all really good reasons to get involved.

And Jacob says the same thing.

So let's move on to our final task for this lesson.

Jacob's school litter awareness group has become very popular, and lots of pupils from school have been attending the meetings.

It was clearly a good idea of Jacob's.

However, some of the Oak National Academy children have worries about attending due to their accessibility needs, and we've got some of their concerns on the next slide.

So let's have a read of those.

What I want you to do is choose either Sofia or Lucas, and think of three ways that Jacob could help make them feel welcome.

So Sophia's concerns are, she says, "Even though I wear a cochlear implant, "I sometimes find it hard to hear clearly "when lots of people are talking.

"I'm worried I wouldn't be able "to understand what is going on." And then Lucas says, "I really want to come "to Jacob's community litter group, "but I'm worried about the access to the classroom." And so can you choose one of those students, and think of three ways that Jacob could help make them feel welcome? Pause your screen here while you think about your answers.

Well done.

So you were thinking about Sofia and Lucas, and you were going to decide on three ways that Jacob could help make them feel welcome.

So your answers for Sophia and Lucas might have included: ensure the classroom has a ramp or is on an accessible floor, create a set of clear meeting rules that everyone has to follow, use a computer programme that records voices and turns it into text.

You might have said that you could ensure that everyone speaks one at a time, and not over each other to make sure that it's really clear.

You may have said that you could take notes in the meeting, so people can read over what was said afterwards.

You may have included the idea about publishing an agenda, so members can prepare what they want to say in advance.

You could have said that you could give everyone a different role each week.

So for example, you could have someone who took notes, and someone who chaired the meeting, or you could have said that you would write a pledge, that the group will be supportive, patient, and that they will listen to everyone.

So well done for all of your responses today.

In summary, we've been thinking about the idea that a community is a group of people brought together by shared attitudes, interests, beliefs, or location, and being part of a community shapes our identity and helps us to belong.

We've discussed that our communities are made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds, and it's that that makes our communities diverse.

We also said that having a diverse community means that we can represent voices and experiences from all members of our community.

And finally, we said it was our responsibility to make sure that everyone is welcome because an inclusive community makes sure that everyone can be involved, no matter who they are.

So well done for all of your ideas, responses, and discussions.

See you next time.