What is Parliament and what are its functions?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what the UK Parliament is and what it does.
Key learning points
- UK Parliament is made up of three parts.
- The government is formed after a general election.
- The main political parties in the UK are Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the SNP.
- Political parties and APPGs support democracy by offering choices and representing diverse views.
Keywords
Parliament - the institution of Government in the UK; it comprises three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch; its purpose is to debate, make laws and scrutinise the Government
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)
Political party - an organised group of people who share similar beliefs and goals about how society should run
Common misconception
All members of political parties share the same views.
Political parties generally align with core values and principles but will have varying opinions on certain issues.
Teacher tip
Visits to the UK Parliament provide an excellent opportunity to deepen pupils' understanding of how government works. If this is not possible, virtual tours are also available, offering an engaging way for pupils to explore Parliament.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Separation of powers in the UK occurs between which branches?
Q2.Match the type of democracy to the correct definition.
citizens vote directly on laws and policies
citizens elect officials to make decisions
Q3.Which of the following are considered national elections in the UK?
Q4.Citizens elect of Parliament to represent them in the House of Commons.
Q5.A low voter is when there is a lower percentage of eligible voters that actually voted in an election.
Q6.Which of these is an example of voter apathy?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to their correct definitions.
a group of people with the authority to govern a country
a group of people who share similar ideas about running the country
a place where laws are made and debated
Q2.Who leads the government after a general election?
Q3.A party is a group of people who share similar beliefs and goals about how society should run. They organise to try and gain political power.
Q4.Which of the following is a role of Parliament in the UK?
Q5.Which of the following statements is true?
Q6.What do All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) do?
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: What is Parliament and what are its functions?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: What is Parliament and what are its functions?, 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 4 citizenship lessons from the Should the UK be called a democracy? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.