How can we get involved in our school community?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify a number of ways we can make a positive difference in our school communities.
Key learning points
- An active citizen is someone who works towards making a positive change in society and in communities.
- Understanding who key decision-makers are makes active citizens more able to bring about positive change.
- An active citizen can campaign by raising awareness, writing letters, and more to bring about change.
- There are many famous young active citizens such as Greta Thunberg and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez.
- We can use the campaigning methods of famous active citizens to inspire us to make change within our communities.
Keywords
Community - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
Active citizen - a person who actively takes responsibility, becomes involved in areas of public concern and tries to make a positive difference in their community
School council - a formal group of pupils who act as representatives for their fellow students in discussing school issues with the people who run the school
Campaigning - actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim
Common misconception
To make a difference within the school community an active citizen has to make a big change.
Even small actions at school can make a meaningful change.
Teacher tip
Empower pupils through engaging them with real-life examples from the school in which you teach or from schools within the local area.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What word is this the definition for group of people existing together who share particular characteristics?
Q2.True or false? The word democracy comes from Ancient Greece.
Q3.Which of the following are features of a democracy?
Q4.True or false? Treating people fairly always means treating them the same.
Q5.Match the word to its definition.
the basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to
the right to vote
a system of government in which we vote in regular, fair elections
Q6.In a democracy, how can you help make decisions and influence leaders?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to its definition.
actions or events organised by people to achieve an aim
a formal group of pupils who act as representatives for their peers
a person who becomes involved in areas of public concern
Q2.Which of the following is an example of being an active citizen in your school?
Q3.Which of the following are examples of active citizens who campaigned for sustainability and climate action?
Q4.Which of the following does Article 12 from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child protect?
Q5.Why is it important to know who the key decision makers are if you want to make a positive change?
Q6.Which of the following is not a key decision maker in a school?
To help you plan your 7 citizenship lesson on: How can we get involved in our school community?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 citizenship lesson on: How can we get involved in our school community?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the Citizenship - what's it all about? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.