How are laws made?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what a law is, the process laws go through to be made and evaluate the effectiveness of this process.
Key learning points
- Laws are created within a three branch system.
- Separation of powers includes the three branches of the legislature, the executive and the judicary.
- Before a Bill becomes a law, it goes through many stages.
- There are advantages and disadvantages to these different stages.
Keywords
Society - people living together in an ordered community
Parliament - the institution of government in the UK; it comprises of three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch
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)
Bill - a proposed law under consideration by Parliament
Act of Parliament (Act) - a law that has been passed by Parliament
Common misconception
The Prime Minister alone makes all the laws.
Laws are created by Parliament, this involves members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords debating and voting on what they should look like.
Teacher tip
Use examples of recent Bills which have made their way through Parliament to make the process more relatable.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What are laws?
Q2.What is the difference between a rule and a law?
Q3.Who is the head of state of the UK?
Q4.At what age do you become criminally responsible for yourself in England?
Q5.Match the chamber to who sits in it.
Members of Parliament (MPs)
Lords, Ladies or Peers
Q6.Who is the head of the UK Government?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which one of these is the odd one out?
Q2.Who is involved in the final stage of lawmaking?
Q3.Match the branch to its role.
Parliament; it creates laws
Prime Minister and Cabinet; they put laws into practice
judges; they interpret the law
Q4.Is this statement correct? The Prime Minister can create new laws on their own.
Q5.Order these stages of the lawmaking process.
Q6.Which of these is a disadvantage of the process Bills go through to become laws?
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: How are laws made?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: How are laws made?, 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 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the legal system? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.