How have our political rights changed over time?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what political rights are and how they have changed over time.
Key learning points
- Political rights are the rights people have and may use in a democracy.
- The fight for political rights in the UK has been a long one.
- One of the biggest changes has been in relation to suffrage.
Keywords
Right - something we are entitled to by law
Democracy - a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf
Suffrage - the right to vote
Common misconception
All men had the right to vote before 1918.
Approximately 40% of men could not vote before 1918.
Teacher tip
Highlight key historical moments, like the fight for women's suffrage and the expansion of voting rights, and ask students to imagine a world where they couldn’t ever vote. This helps them grasp the significance of these changes.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Is the UK a democracy? Yes or no?
Q2.Which of the following are features of a democracy?
Q3.Who decides who becomes a Member of Parliament?
Q4.Complete the quote about voting in a democracy: "One person, __________ ."
Q5.Who makes laws in the UK?
Q6.Which of the following do you associate with the term 'Human Rights'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Political rights are:
Q2.Suffrage means:
Q3.At what age can you vote in the UK?
Q4.In 1900, which of the following were issues with the voting system?
Q5.What did the 1918 Representation of the People Act do?
Q6.Which king signed Magna Carta in 1215?
To help you plan your 8 citizenship lesson on: How have our political rights changed over time?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 citizenship lesson on: How have our political rights changed over time?, 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 Why was the struggle for the vote important today? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.