How is the country run?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain who governs the UK, how they get the authority and describe some of the responsibilities of the Cabinet.
Key learning points
- The Government has the authority to govern the UK. The Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM).
- The UK Government has three main branches: legislative, executive and judiciary.
- The Cabinet is chosen by the PM. It leads government departments and makes key decisions on government policies.
Keywords
Government - the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK, the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM)
Cabinet - a group of MPs who lead major government departments; the Cabinet meets weekly to make decisions about how government policy will be carried out
Common misconception
The Prime Minister and the Cabinet have total control over the UK.
The Prime Minister leads the Government but must answer to Parliament. Members of Parliament (MPs) debate and approve laws and can challenge a Prime Minister. The Cabinet makes decisions but is accountable to Parliament and the law.
Teacher tip
You may want to fully create the guide suggested in Task B. You could present your guide in different ways, e.g., fact file, poster, leaflet. You may also choose to include illustrations.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to its correct definition.
Q2.Which statement is true?
Q3.What is this describing? When people vote to choose their leaders or representatives.
Q4.The is the leader of the political party who is in power and head of the Government.
Q5.Which statement is accurate?
Q6.What is this describing? Courses of action or goals that people plan to carry out, or are in the process of carrying out.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the sentence: The Government is chosen and led by the .
Q2.Match the words to their correct definitions.
Q3.Which is not a branch of the UK Government?
Q4.Who does the leader of the Government answer to?
Q5.Members of Parliament debate and approve and can challenge a Prime Minister.
Q6.What does the Cabinet do?
To help you plan your 9 citizenship lesson on: How is the country run?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 citizenship lesson on: How is the country run?, 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 How is the UK governed? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.