Upper KS2: Democracy- Democracy in Action

• British Values
• Primary Education

Introduction

Part of the British Values Series. In this session, we look at democracy, the UK parliament and voting.

Instructions

We have designed our British Values lessons so that teachers can pick up and teach a topic to their class with confidence.

We have chosen to use a balance of interactive tools and 'unplugged' creative activities.

Lessons can be taught directly from the LessonUp slides but work best when children have access to the pupil app

Lessonup.app

If you have any questions or want to know more, please do get in touch. We'd love to show you how LessonUp can make 'Every Class Better Than The Last'

British Values

Democracy

Upper KS2- Democracy in Action

In this lesson we will:

• Talk about the word 'democracy' 
• Look at the UK Parliament
• Consider voting and debates

Key vocabulary to be discussed:

vote

democracy

elect

election

representative

parliament

speaker

House of Commons

What does  democracy mean?

Use this mindmap to unpick any misconceptions around the word democracy.

This is a perfect opportunity to link to the UK Parliament website. There are some super resources available for KS2, including this video, which could be shown now.

The UK is a Democracy. People vote to elect people to represent their views.

Democracy: 'Rule by the People'

Democracy is quite a tricky concept to understand.

The BBC have resources about democracy here.

This is the Front Bench. It is where the Prime Minister and other government ministers sit.

This is the press gallery. It allows journalists to see and hear what happens. They can then report this to the public, either in the newspaper or on the television.

The Oppostion sit here. These are the members of the political parties who have not been elected. They are important as they make sure that debates are balanced and consider lots of different opinions.

This is the Speaker's Chair. The Speaker 'chairs' debates. This means that they make sure that debates are FAIR. The Speaker is elected by the other members of parliament but is IMPARTIAL. This means that they listen to both sides of the debate. Ministers must respect the decisions of the chair.

The government sit on this side of the House of Commons. You will often hear them loudly agreeing or disagreeing when ministers speak.

Give pupils time to explore this slide and think of questions to ask.

There is also a brilliant virtual tour that pupils can access here

• Look at the questions and vote.
• Our choice can be kept secret to protect our 'individual liberty'

Majority Voting

In the next few slides, pupils will be able to explore the concept of majority voting. Keep discussion to a minimum at the point.

Remind them that their vote is private and should not be shared and that this is a democratic right.

Quiz

I vote for an extra hour of art each week

1. Aye
2. Nay

Quiz

I vote for free school meals for everyone

1. Aye
2. Nay

Quiz

Teachers to have cakes in the staffroom every day

1. Aye
2. Nay

How does it feel if your vote doesn't count?

In this mindmap, unpick some of the feelings that have been shared in the previous exercise. The concept of fairness might come up. Unpick these terms with the class.

Debate

Big questions are debated by Parliament so that everyone has considered the issue before they vote.

You may have already covered debating in another curriculum subject.

The BBC have a short revision video to support pupils with this topic

Should Year Six Pupils Use Tik Tok

Change/amend the title to suit the context of your class or group. This is an opportunity for pupils to consider a topical issue and put together their arguments.

Finish the activity with a vote.

Quiz

Year Six Pupils Should Be Able to Use Tik Tok

1. Aye
2. Nay

Having a debate enables individuals to use their vote well.

It also enables everyone to have individual liberty as they can share their opinion in a formal way.

Did the debate help you to think more carefully about the subject?

I can explain the meaning of the word democracy.

😒🙁😐🙂😃

This poll can give you a quick snapshot of the class and an insight into who may need to explore the issue in more detail. The results will be displayed anonymously but you can look into how each child has answered the poll in the assessment view.

There is a how to guide here.