Democracy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what democracy means and why it is important.
Key learning points
- Democracy is an important British value with a long history in Britain.
- Democracy means everyone has a voice in decisions.
- We use voting to make fair choices as a group, for example, when adults vote for MPs in elections.
- Sometimes our choice won’t win, but the process is still fair.
- Many countries around the world do not have democracy like Britain does.
Keywords
Democracy - when people vote to choose leaders who make laws and decisions for everyone
Vote - to choose someone or something in an election, like picking who you want to be your leader or what rule you want
Common misconception
Democracy means everyone always gets what they want.
Democracy means everyone has a chance to share, but the majority decision is followed.
Teacher tip
If your school has a School or Student Council, connect their role and decisions to the values introduced in this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Why is it good to have rules in our classroom?
Q2.Which of the following are the fundamental British values?
Q3.When your class needs to choose a game to play, what is the fairest way to decide?
Q4.Match each way of behaving with what it helps us do in our community.
working as a team
showing respect
keeping everyone safe
having your say
Q5.Which of these shows mutual respect and tolerance in your classroom?
Q6.Values are things we think are and should guide how we behave.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means when people vote to choose leaders who make laws and decisions for everyone?
Q2.In a democracy, who gets to have a voice in making decisions?
Q3.Which statement is true about democracy?
Q4.Match each democracy idea with what it means.
all people can share their ideas in a decision
groups pick the most popular option together
voting has a long history in Britain
Q5.Which statement is true about democracy around the world?
Q6.Which word means to choose someone or something in an election?
To help you plan your 3 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Democracy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Democracy, 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 2 RSHE (PSHE) lessons from the Communities: What does it mean to be British? unit, dive into the full primary RSHE (PSHE) curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.