Lesson video

Hello.

My name's Ms. Okomi and I'm a teacher from London.

I'm gonna be guiding you through today's lesson, so let's get started.

Today's lesson is called What are Laws? It's from the unit: What is the law and how has it changed? By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to describe what laws are and explain how they are applied in the UK.

Okay, let's start by going through our keywords.

Today we're going to be thinking about laws.

Laws mean the rules, usually made by Parliament, that are used to order the way in which a society behaves.

Legislation is kind of another word for law.

It's a law or a set of laws that have been passed by Parliament.

The word is also used to describe the act of making a new law.

Lastly, we're gonna hear the phrase "legal age" come up.

This is the age at which you can do something as defined by the law.

Keep an eye out for these keywords throughout today's lesson.

First, we're gonna start by thinking what is the law? I'd like you to imagine a country where you were free to do whatever you liked, meaning there are no rules, no laws.

What do you think the world would be like? What would you do? What could you do that you can't do currently? I'm gonna give you a second to have a think about that world.

Okay.

The world you imagined might have been fun at first.

I know lots of us think that having no rules at school would be great.

However, the trouble with having no rules or laws is that this would apply to everybody, and that means that if nobody was following the rules, it could lead to anarchy.

Let's find out what anarchy means.

Izzy is telling us, "Anarchy is when no one is in charge.

Things can get really chaotic because there are no rules or laws to follow, and it can create a state of disorder." Although the world you're imagining might have been fun, it also might have felt a little bit scary at points.

Without laws, we might live in this sense of fear.

The strongest or most powerful people could control our society.

That means that we wouldn't necessarily all have a say on how things are run.

In the UK we have a system of laws to protect you and also your rights.

Laws are rules that everybody has to follow.

Laws are made by Parliament.

Parliament is also therefore known as the legislature.

One of its main jobs is to create and change laws.

There are lots of different parts that make up this process.

We separate these parts out to make sure that one part doesn't have too much power.

The first part is the House of Commons.

This is made up 650 Members of Parliament and we elect them at a general election.

We had our last general election in July, 2024.

The next part are the House of Lords.

This is made up of about 800 members who are sometimes called peers.

They are selected because of their knowledge and their experience, so if you become an expert in your field, you might at one point be invited to be part of the House of Lords.

Lastly, we have the Monarchy.

This is the head of state in the UK, and for us it would be our king or our queen.

Okay, let's check what we can remember.

Which of the following is correct? A: Parliament is also known as the legislature; one of its main jobs is to create laws.

B: Parliament is also known as the government; one of its main jobs is to enforce laws.

Or C: Parliament is also known as the judiciary; one of its main jobs is to interpret laws.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

Okay, let's check our answers.

The correct answer was A: Parliament is known as the legislature; one of the main jobs is to create laws.

Laws are used to order the way in which a society behaves.

They regulate citizens' actions, meaning it gives us some guidance on what we should or shouldn't be doing.

They have to be fair and equally applied to everyone within a society, meaning we can't have one law that only affects some people, but nobody else.

Laws state what our rights are and also what our duties are, because we can't have rights if we don't have responsibilities that go with those rights.

Every country has its own laws that everyone has to obey, including visitors, even if they're not a citizen of that country.

So if you go on holiday somewhere, you will be expected to follow the laws of the place that you are visiting.

The law states what the consequences are, meaning what will happen if someone doesn't follow the law or breaks the law.

Here are some more examples of what there are laws against, so this means that it's illegal or we're not allowed to do the following things: Murder, burglary, speeding, smoking inside in a public place, not wearing a seatbelt, drug possession.

Lots of these are very obvious.

There are other laws that may be less obvious when they have been broken.

We'll think about those later.

Okay, let's check what we can remember.

Laws are there to protect you and your rights.

Is this true or false? Pause your video and choose now.

The correct answer is true.

Let's have a think about why.

Without laws, the strongest and most powerful people could control our society and threaten our rights, so therefore, they're not only there to protect us, but to protect everyone.

True or false? You don't have to obey the laws in another country if you're a visitor in that country.

Pause the video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is false.

Let's think about why.

Each country has its own laws that everyone has to obey, including visitors, even if they're not citizens of that country.

So what's the role of the police? We know that they're important when it comes to laws, but are they making laws or are they doing something different? The police enforce the laws which are written and passed by Parliament, it is not their job to create the law.

It is the job of the police to keep order.

That means that they stop people breaking the law, or if they think that somebody has broken the law, they will gather evidence which can be used in court to apply some of those consequences that we spoke about earlier.

Okay, let's check what we remember.

There is a police force to keep order and arrest people if they break the law.

True or false? Pause your video and choose.

The correct answer is true.

Let's think about why.

It's the police force who keeps order, stops people breaking the law and arrests them if they do.

They do not make laws.

Okay, let's see if we can spend a little bit longer practising this.

I have a paragraph.

I would like you to try and fill in the gaps with the missing words.

Some of them might be some of the keywords that we thought about at the beginning of our lesson.

Pause the video and have a go at this now.

Okay.

I asked you to fill in the gaps.

Let's have a look at what our completed paragraph should look like.

Laws are rules usually made by Parliament that are used to order the way in which a society behaves.

They regulate your actions so that if you break the law, then there could be consequences.

Laws state what your rights are and what your duties are under that law.

Each country has its own laws that everyone has to obey, including visitors, even if they are not a citizen of that country.

The law states what the consequences are for anyone who breaks the law.

There's a police force to keep order and stop people breaking the law.

They enforce the law.

When someone is suspected of a crime, they gather evidence which is used in court.

Well done if you got those right.

Now, we're going to think about how is the law applied in the UK? It is the role of Parliament to create the law.

Law or a set of laws that have been passed by Parliament is called legislation, one of our keywords from before.

The word legislation is also used to describe the act of making a new law.

It's your responsibility as a citizen to know what the law says and obey it.

Okay, let's check what we can remember.

Who decides what is the law? Is it A: the police, B: citizens of the country, or C: Parliament? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is C: Parliament.

We elect Parliament and they represent us in giving our views when it comes to creating those laws.

Legal age is the age at which you can do something as defined by the law.

In lots of countries, legal age limits mean a person can't take part in certain activities until they reach a certain age.

Laws in the UK set age limitations for participating in certain activities and privileges.

For example, you can't vote until you're 18 and you can't learn to drive until you're 17.

The reason for having legal ages is, lots of the time, to keep young people safe.

Some other examples of legal age that might be familiar to you in the UK are: from the term after a child turns five, they have to start full-time education.

Children from the age of 10 are criminally responsible for their actions in England.

That means if you do something that breaks the law and you are over the age of 10, then you are held responsible for that, nobody else.

From the age of 14, you are responsible for making sure you're wearing a seatbelt; before that age, it's the driver's responsibility.

You can't get married until you're 18.

You also have to be 18 to buy alcohol, cigarettes, any tobacco products or vapes that contain nicotine.

Across the UK, we also have laws that aim to keep children safe and protect your rights.

For example, laws ensure that children's voices are heard.

Set out when a child can take part in various activities like the ones we saw before.

Make sure children have access to education.

Provide for children having a safe home.

Provide support for children who need to leave home for whatever reason.

Make sure that children are safe if they decide to get a job, meaning that you are given fair working conditions and appropriate hours.

Making sure children's personal information is kept safe at school and online.

Okay, let's check what we can remember.

What is the age of criminal responsibility in England? Is it A: 12, B: 15, or C: 10? Pause the video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is C: 10, meaning after this age, you are held responsible for your own actions when it comes to following criminal law.

Aisha is gonna explain a little bit further to us.

"The age of criminal responsibility is not the same across all of the UK.

In Scotland it's 12, it's also different around the world.

For example, in Cuba it's 16, but in Grenada it's seven, so the age at which you're held responsible can look quite different depending where you are or where you live.

The majority of people respect the law.

Why do you think people obey the law? Can you have a think about some of the reasons? Maybe it's because they feel a sense of responsibility as a citizen.

They want to contribute to the wellbeing of society.

They know that if we didn't follow laws, we might have that idea of anarchy that we thought about at the beginning.

They know the law is designed to keep them safe and also maintain order.

They know the law is there to treat everyone fairly and equally.

They're afraid of the consequences they might receive if they break the law.

Sometimes people don't obey the law.

Can you think of any reasons for this? Maybe they feel pressured into it by other people.

They might not have what they needed.

For example, enough money to buy food.

They were thrill seeking and they thought it might be exciting.

They were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

They didn't know or understand the law.

Let's put this into practise.

We are going to read Izzy's description of the legal age and the age of criminal responsibility.

Then I would like you to think about whether she's correct.

If she's not, can you rewrite her description and make it better? Izzy says, "The legal age and the age of criminal responsibility are the same thing.

They are the age at which you must follow the law." Pause the video and think about this task.

I asked you to look at Izzy's description and rewrite anything that might not have been quite right.

Let's have a think about how we could make this better.

We could have said, "Izzy's description is not correct.

The legal age is the age at which a person is allowed by law to do certain things like vote, drive, or buy alcohol.

Different activities have different legal ages.

The age of criminal responsibility is the age at which a person can be charged with a crime and held responsible for breaking the law." These two things are a little bit different.

Well done if you managed to draw that out in your answer.

Next, we're gonna think about Izzy and Alex's arguments talking about whether or not it's easy to follow the law.

I would like you to add to their answers and try and use some examples and more explanation in your answers.

Izzy says, "Everyone should follow the laws in the UK and be law-abiding citizens." Alex says, "It's not always easy to follow the laws in the UK.

There can be justifications for breaking the law." Add to their answers using examples and some further explanation.

Pause your video now.

I asked you to add to Izzy and Alex's answers.

Your answers might have looked like this: To support Izzy, you might have said, "Everyone should follow the laws in the UK and be law-abiding citizens.

Laws are there to protect us and ensure that we're kept safe.

If people didn't follow the laws, it could lead to anarchy.

For example, if we didn't have laws against stealing, people might go around taking whatever they want." Well done if you've got some of those points.

Let's see what we can add to Alex's answer now.

"It's not always easy to follow laws in the UK.

Some people might think that there are justifications for breaking the law.

Not everyone will know exactly what all the laws are.

For example, teenagers aged 14 might not know that they're responsible for wearing their own seatbelt.

They might think it's the driver's responsibility to remind them.

However, it is the responsibility of citizens to know the laws and obey them." Alex used an example that we'd thought about earlier in today's lesson.

Well done if you did too.

In summary: Today we have been thinking about what laws are.

We know that laws are rules which everyone in society must obey.

In the UK, laws are created by Parliament.

The law is there to protect us and our rights and make sure that people are treated fairly and equally.

Without laws, there would be chaos.

Our laws set out a number of legal ages at which citizens can do something.

For example, you can't learn to drive until you're 17.

They also set out the age of criminal responsibility.

In England, that's 10.

While most citizens obey the law, there are citizens who break it.

There are consequences if you break the law and these are set out in the law.

Thank you for joining me today.