Lesson video

Hi everybody.

And welcome to another citizenship lesson.

My name is Ms. Elmi, and I'll be your teacher for today.

And over this unit of work, we have six lessons that we're going to be exploring.

Last lesson, we looked at identity, and we're going to take that a little bit further today.

But before we get started, I just want to make sure that you have everything you need in front of you.

You're in a quiet space where you can focus and concentrate.

You have a pen, paper, where you can take some notes and just jot a few things down and complete the tasks.

So I'm going to give you a few seconds just to do that.

And when you're ready, just come back and we'll get started in today's lesson.

Okay, so, let's get started.

So like I said, over the course of this unit, we are exploring how the UK society is diverse and changing.

And last lesson, we looked at identity.

In particular, we focused on personal identity.

In today's lesson, we're going to take that a bit broader, and we're going to look at the debates around identity in the UK.

So, just to clarify on what we learned last lesson, was three, two really core concepts about identity.

We learned that identity means who you are and how you see yourself and how others might see you.

We also learned that identity can be shaped by many things.

So we can have multiple identities.

We also learned that identity is not fixed.

It is fluid, it can change, and it can change over time due to experiences, due to how we self identify and it can change due to our age.

So how, as we get older and experience more things, it can also change in that way.

So we don't have one single identity.

We have many things that can shape who we are and how we see ourselves, and that identity can change over time.

So, in today's lesson, like I mentioned, we're going to broaden that concept out a little bit further, and we're going to talk about this idea of a national identity.

And in this lesson, you will be able to explain what it means to be British and compare identities and cultures across the UK, and also understand how and why British values are important to shaping our national identity.

So, to kind of make this a little bit clearer, okay, I want to ask this question.

Am I British? And what makes me British? So, first of all, just to give you a little clarity on who I am and where I come from, I was born in Saudi Arabia.

My parents and my heritage, however is Somali.

So both of my parents were born in Somalia.

I was born in Saudi Arabia and I came here when I was very young and I grew up here pretty much my entire life.

I went to primary school, secondary school, university and now I teach here.

I've lived all my life in London.

And so I identify as being a Londoner quite a lot 'cause I love living in London.

I have, I am a British citizen and I have a British passport.

And that is basically my history.

So, I want you to think about that concept.

What makes me British? Is it the fact that I have a British passport? Or is it the fact that I've lived here all my life? Or that I can speak the language? Now, this is a really complicated question to ask and answer.

Because I can identify myself as British, but how others see me may be different.

So the question that we should think about is, is there a British identity? Now, this can be difficult to answer as there is not just one thing that contributes to a national identity.

Like I said, for me, there are many things that contribute to my own personal identity and what makes me see myself as being British.

It may not be where I was born but it's where I've grown up, it's what I've known my entire life.

It's the local area I live in.

It's the history that I know.

So there's not one single thing that could say that, that makes me British is how I identify as being British.

And so those characteristics can vary from region to region.

It can also vary based on that region's history or culture or their own traditions.

So, just to clarify, the British identity or national identity can really depend on these five following characteristics.

And feel free to note these down.

It can depend on history.

It can depend on culture.

It can depend on some traditions, language and the area or region you live in.

Now, what are the debates about identity in the UK? Well, the UK is a multi nation state made up of four jurisdictions.

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Individuals may identify differently in relation to their UK identity.

For example, they may consider themselves Scottish rather than British.

Some factors that may be important to the person's national identity can include a shared history, culture, traditions, and languages.

So just to clarify, there are debates about the national identity and those debates can be difficult to really pinpoint into one single thing.

But fundamentally, it's important to know that the UK is diverse.

It varies in terms of culture, history, traditions, and languages.

And it's due to that diversity that makes the UK very unique.

So to come back to this debate, we need to think about, what are those traditions, what are those histories, languages that exist in the UK? So if you look at, for example, England.

So, if you look at debates about the English identity, we can see that it can include how far it may be seen as interchangeable with the British identity.

And we know that the media often link English identity with cultures and traditions associated with the Brit, with politics or the monarchy.

So some of the kind of stereotypical forms of identity that is linked to England are things like the Queen and certain foods like drinking tea, are the kind of generalised, stereotypical views, but it's much more diverse than those stereotypical views.

For example, when we look at the different regions of England, we can see that there are different cultures and traditions that vary between regions.

And there is a clear difference between traditions in the north and traditions in the south.

Whether it's in relation to food, culture, values.

Some of those things may differ from region to region.

And the same can be said within Scotland, within Wales and within Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, it's slightly different.

Scotland has a history of self rule.

And as a result, Scottish identity can include this desire for independence, which is why we saw in 2014, there was a referendum for independence where 44.

7% voted to leave the United Kingdom.

Scottish culture can often be linked to Scottish identity also.

So some of those kind of traditional foods, music, clothing, such as bag pipes, kilts, or even from traditional celebrations like Burns Night, and St.

Andrews Day, are very unique to Scotland's culture and Scottish identity.

But Scotland too is very diverse from region to region.

And its people is, are also diverse.

So, I'm just going to pause there.

So individuals may identify differently in relation to the UK.

Some may identify with their regional rather than their national identity.

True or false? Just point to the screen.

Well done.

The answer is true.

The second question I want you to think about.

The English identity is the same as the British identity.

True or false? Point to the screen.

Well done.

The answer is false.

And if you thought differently or when you got that one more, just remember, to some extent the English identity can be linked to a generalised view of the British identity.

So things like the monarchy, politics, these things are general views of the British identity, but understand that cultural traditions and customs can vary between English regions.

So some traditions may be different in the Northern region compared to the Southern region.

Okay.

So, what about Wales and Northern Ireland? Well, Wales is slightly unique.

They place a historic importance in regards to the Welsh language.

So Wales, unlike Scotland believe that what maintains their identity and their cultural heritage is their language.

And for a long period of time, that language was kind of being washed away.

And so in 1993, the Welsh Language Act was enacted.

And this put Welsh on an equal standing with English in public sectors and it's taught in schools.

So the Welsh language was an important part of their identity and cultural traditions of Wales.

But Northern Ireland is different.

Its history is different to Scotland and Wales.

Historic factors such as the partition of Ireland when Northern Ireland became part of the UK in 1921, played a vital part.

One of the reasons that led to this was due to the importance of religion in that region.

People in Northern Ireland identified mainly as Protestant and in the Republic of Ireland, they identified as Catholic.

Now that doesn't mean that people in Northern Ireland aren't Catholic.

No.

On the contrary, historic factors such as the partition of Ireland when Northern Ireland became part of the UK in 1921, that forms a part of the British, a part of the Northern Irish culture and part of their own identity.

After years of conflict, due to religious, religious differences and political differences, Northern Ireland was established.

I'm just going to pause there.

And I want you to open up your worksheet one.

I want you using that graphic organiser to complete the table, summarising some of the key points around identity in the UK.

Now, I'm going to model for you what that should look like first.

Okay? So, I have a first example that you could use.

And then I want you to attempt independently to try to complete your graphic organiser for the rest.

So as you can see on the worksheet, you can see Scotland is the jurisdiction we're focused on.

And what you need to do is talk about the factors that may be important to a person's identity in Scotland.

So a person's national identity in Scotland.

So some points you could have mentioned.

A factor that may be important to a person's identity in Scotland is the shared history.

This idea of self rule.

So you could have included historical importance to a person's national identity.

So some examples that you can also note down is things like historical, historically, they were independent and may want Scotland to be independent again.

Now, at the bottom, I outlined some of the key factors that you could use.

So think about history, think about culture, think about tradition, language and region.

So, pause the video here and complete the task.

And when you finish, come back and we'll go through some of the points you could have mentioned.

Okay, brilliant.

So we've looked at Scotland.

I want to just now give you some feedback in regards to the other jurisdictions.

So, in England, some factors that might be important to an English identity would be things like the regional aspect and some cultural traditions.

For example, food might be different in Southern parts of England compared to Northern parts of England.

For Wales, you could have mentioned the language.

So here I state the fact that there may be important to a person's identity in Wales is the language.

So an example you could have mentioned here is that Welsh is taught in schools and is placed as equally important as English in most public sectors.

And the fourth one is Northern Ireland.

A factor that may be important to a person's identity in Northern Ireland is the history.

An example you could have drawn on would be religion has been an important part in Northern Ireland's history.

Okay.

Now that we've looked at the debates and the differences around the different regions, and we've explored the fact that those regions are diverse, unique, and different.

They're not all the same.

What is it that unites us? What are the key things that bring these jurisdictions together to form the United Kingdom? So I want you to think about this question.

What comes to mind when you think about British values? The question is, how and why are British values important to British identity? Okay.

So have a think about that for a few minutes.

Okay.

So what might you think are British values? First of all, in order to understand this, we need to understand what values actually mean.

So, just take a moment to note down the definition.

Values, essentially mean the importance or worth of something.

So good examples that link to values are things like honesty, integrity, respect.

These are examples of values that people hold dear.

People think respect is important.

Integrity is important.

Some were similar and so synonyms that you could use are things like ethics, importance, principles.

And how would you use this in a sentence? I have an example here that you can note down, is we need to reassess our values as a nation.

Okay? So what that's referring to, we need to reassess some of the things we feel are important as a nation.

Okay.

So if values mean the importance or worth of something, what do we mean by British values? So I called into the Department for Education, British values are four key things and beliefs.

It's a belief in democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect.

So what do they actually mean? Well, when we talk about democracy, we mean that people have a say and power is fairly distributed.

So we live in a democratic society where power is distributed in this, and that power lies in the hands of people.

We also believe in the rule of law and this ensures that we have a society that upholds justices and is safe.

We believe in individual liberty.

And this means that everyone's freedoms are protected and upheld, and people are treated equally no matter where they are from or what they believe.

We believe in individual liberty.

This means that everyone's freedoms are protected and upheld, and people are treated equally no matter where they are from or what they believe.

And we also believe in mutual respect and tolerance.

And that means it will build a more collaborative and cohesive community if there is respect for others and tolerance for different cultures, beliefs, and values.

So, in the UK, whilst there are, there is this diverse, Britain that we live in, fundamentally, there are these shared values that we all have.

Values such as democracy, and belief that power should be distributed and should be equally shared and people should be treated fairly.

That the rule of law should apply to all.

And that individual liberty and mutual respect should be upheld.

And these values, some would argue, are not just British values but are universal values.

They are values that a lot of liberal countries believe in.

So, considering those aspects, do you think that these things could unite us? And some people argue, yes.

If we hold onto these British values, these are the things that can unite the country and the nation.

So, these are shared values that potentially can unite the diverse regions and jurisdictions and the diverse people that exist in the United Kingdom.

It's the belief in these areas that bring people together.

So with that in mind, let's apply what we have learned today.

Okay? So, in a minute, I'm going to ask you to answer some comprehension questions, just to check your understanding and what you have learned in today's lesson.

And when you're finished, I want you to come back and we're going to go through it together.

So the key questions I want you to answer are as follows.

They are on your screen, but they're also in your worksheets if you want to have a look at that.

Please feel free to do so.

And, in your answers, try to provide full answers where you use the question within your sentence, where it asks you to explain, you expand on your points.

Now, pause the video and complete your task.

And when you're finished, come back and we'll go through the answers.

Okay.

Brilliant.

Well done for getting this far.

Let's go through some of the answers.

Question one was, explain two factors that may be important to a person's identity.

So I'm just going to go through two possible answers that you could have given.

One is a correct answer.

And one is an answer that's a lot more developed.

So the correct answer is one factor is shared history and another is a shared language.

You've, what you see here are two factors that have been identified, which is great.

They'll get that mark, but a better answer gives a little bit more detail and expands on those points.

A better answer is one factor that is important to a person's identity is having a shared history.

For example, in Northern Ireland, part of it's formation was due to the historic significance of religion.

Another factor that is important to a person's identity is language.

Shared language can form an important part of a person and nation's culture and identity.

Wales is a good example where speaking Welsh for some people has become an important part of maintaining their cultural identity.

Let's go onto question two.

Explain how and why identity in UK can differ.

The correct answer, because there are different cultures across the UK.

A better answer, identity in UK can differ because the UK is made up of four jurisdictions, each with unique history, cultures, traditions, and language, which influence the identity of those living in those regions.

For example, Scotland was once an independent nation.

The historical significance of this can shape a person's sense of national identity, where they may identify as being Scottish rather than British.

Question number three.

Explain why British values are important.

Correct answer.

British values are fundamental to British society because they reflect a shared set of beliefs that can help to create a more cohesive society.

Better answer.

British values are important because they can help maintain fundamental principles, such as a belief in democracy, the rule of law, individual liberties, mutual respect and tolerance.

These values are vital to ensuring a fair, just and cohesive society that helps unite a nation that is diverse.

Question number four was a challenge question.

How can British values be unifying? So correct answer.

Because they are shared amongst all parts of the UK.

A better answer.

British values are unifying because they are also shared values and universal.

Most countries and people would agree on the importance of these values and will seek to ensure they are upheld within society.

While the UK may comprise of different nations with different histories, values, ideas, cultures, and languages, these values remain the same for all.

So, we have now come to the end of our lesson.

Well done for getting this far.

Just to recap on what we have learned today.

So, we have learned all about what it means to be British.

Okay? We have also explored and it, and compared identities and cultures across the UK.

And we learned that identities are not the same and that national identity and personal identities can differ.

We also explored the importance of British values, how they can be unifying, even though we live in a very diverse and unique nation.

So, now that we have come to the end of our lesson, I want you to just go ahead and complete the quiz and check that you understood everything from this lesson.

And if there are areas that you got stuck, feel free just to go back and go through the content once more and use your worksheet to support you also.

Well done for completing the lesson.

And I will see you in the next one.

Bye.