Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Wyatt, and you have made an excellent choice to study citizenship with me today.

Welcome to today's lesson on "What is Citizenship?" from the unit "Citizenship - what's it all about?" In today's lesson, you will be able to explain what the subject of citizenship includes, what social change is, and how statistics can help enact social change.

We're going to work really hard today, but I am here to help.

The key words that we will be using in our lesson today are citizen, democracy, social change, and statistics.

A citizen is a person who was born in a particular country and has certain rights or has been given certain rights because of having lived there.

Democracy is a word from Ancient Greece that means rule by the people.

In a democracy, citizens are able to vote in regular and fair elections for representatives who will make laws and decisions on their behalf.

Social change are changes that occur in society over time.

And statistics are pieces of data or facts gathered in the form of numbers.

Our lesson today is formed of three parts.

The first part of the lesson, we are going to be exploring what we will study in citizenship.

So when you are ready, let's go.

So a citizen is a person who was born in a particular country and has certain rights or has been given certain rights because of having lived there.

It's one of our key words, remember? Someone who is a citizen of a particular country is legally accepted as belonging to that country.

Izzy says she's a citizen of the United Kingdom as she was born there.

Jen says, "I am a British citizen, but my uncle is a French citizen.

He has a French passport and votes in their elections." So there's two differences of how the word citizen could be used.

Citizenship education is a subject that develops your knowledge, skills, and understanding so you can play a part in society as an active and responsible citizen.

The images here give you a clue to what you will learn in citizenship.

So you should be able to see a picture of some people, a picture of a crowd with some speech bubbles above them.

So this will relate to the idea of people coming together as a community, or perhaps being able to have freedom of speech.

We also have a photo of Parliament.

We also have a photo of money.

In addition to this, there is an illustration of a social media page.

There is a photo of Lady Justice, and there is an illustration of hands surrounding the word human rights.

So I'm hoping by looking at these photos and illustrations, they will give you a bit of a clue about what we will be studying in citizenship.

Citizenship is about much more than a person's legal status.

During citizenship lessons, you will study lots of different concepts.

Some of these include democracy, politics, parliament and government.

Rights and responsibilities, identities and communities, the law and the justice system, the economy and finances, media and digital citizenship, and active citizenship, which is making a positive difference to communities.

So let's check what we've learned so far.

True or false? Citizenship is just about a person's legal status.

Pause the video here and make your decision.

It's false.

Why is it false? Well, citizenship is much more than just a person's legal status.

It's about being part of community and taking on the rights and responsibilities that also come with that.

Next check.

Which one of these is not a citizenship concept? The economy and finances, democracy, rights and responsibilities, or emotional well-being.

Pause the video and think about which one of these is not a citizenship concept.

If you said D, emotional well-being, you would be correct.

Well done.

Emotional well-being is not a citizenship concept.

As Alex says, "Emotional well-being is an RSHE concept and not a citizenship concept." A lot of the times, some people get these two subjects mixed up, but they are two different subjects.

Well done, everybody.

So democracy is just one of the citizenship concepts that you will study.

But Laura says, "What is a democracy?" Jacob said, "Democracy means rule by the people.

It's a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf." The UK is an example of democracy.

In the UK, citizens vote in a local election to decide who makes decisions about their local area.

The vote might be to select a local counsellor or a mayor.

So perhaps in your local area, you might know of the local counsellor or you know that there is a mayor.

Citizens also vote in general elections to decide who makes decisions about the whole of UK.

The vote selects who will be the Member of Parliament, or MP for short, for a constituency.

The selected MP represents the constituency in House of Commons and helps the government make decisions and pass laws.

In a democracy, elected representatives represent all citizens.

While citizens cannot vote in local and general elections until they become adults, 18, children and young people like you still play a very important part in democracy.

Through our citizenship lessons, you will be learning about how democracy works, and you will develop the skills you need to make your voice heard by decision makers.

So let's check this.

True or false, in a democracy people vote for who should be in power.

Pause the video and make your decision.

It's true.

Why is it true? Well, in a democracy, people vote for who is in power because it's a way for everyone to have their say in how the country is run.

Simply in school, you might vote for who goes on the school council because that's who you want to represent you.

Well done if you got that correct.

In citizenship, you will also develop lots of skills.

So not only will you learn about all these different concepts that we've explored so far, but you will also develop lots of different skills.

For example, critical thinking skills, analytical skills, research skills, communication skills, expressing opinions, evaluating ideas, discussion and debate, and teamwork and collaboration.

There are a lot of skills that you will develop throughout this subject, which I think is really exciting.

So let's double check which one of these is not a citizenship skill.

Pause the video and choose which one is not a citizenship skill.

Drawing is not a citizenship skill.

Critical thinking, research, communication, these are all examples of what skills you will learn during citizenship.

However, drawing isn't necessarily just a citizenship skill.

Well done if you got that correct.

We are gonna have a go at completing these diagrams. So I would like you to complete the diagrams by adding what concepts you will explore and what skills you will develop while studying citizenship.

How I would do this is I would draw out two mind maps, one being "In citizenship, I will study".

And you can use the example of law and justice to get you started.

And then a second mind map, which is called "In citizenship, I will develop." So you need to have a think about what concepts you will explore if you can remember what we've said, and what skills you will also develop while studying citizenship.

Pause the video and good luck.

Okay, we should have had a go at completing the diagrams on the concepts and the skills that we will develop and explore during studying citizenship.

So in citizenship, I will study things like law and justice, which we said at the beginning, identities and communities, media and digital citizenship, democracy and politics, active citizenship and making a difference, and the economy and finances.

I wonder if you've got the same concepts as I did? Maybe you missed some.

If you did, that's okay.

Just add them to your mind map now.

Our second task was to have a go at doing a mind map, the exact same as the first one, but looking at what skills we will develop.

So we had critical thinking, analytical skills, research, communication skills, teamwork, expressing opinions, evaluating, discussion, and debate.

So lots and lots of different skills.

Perhaps you've got similar ideas to what I did.

Well done if you did.

Okay, the next task is I would like you to pick one of the citizenship concepts that are on your mind map and write down three questions you would like to explore the answers to while study citizenship.

Jacob has given you an example question for the concept of democracy.

So let's say you picked the same as Jacob and you want us look at the citizenship concept of democracy.

One of the questions that Jacob has written down that he would like to try and find out the answer when we're studying citizenship is, "What is an MP and what do they do?" So when you are ready, pause the video and have a go at the task.

Okay, well done, everybody.

So as we know, Jacob has picked democracy, and some of the questions that he had were, why can't citizens vote until they're 18? How are leaders chosen in a democracy? And how can I make my voice heard by those in power? I wonder if any of Jacob's questions match your questions.

I wonder if any of you picked democracy as a concept that you would like to find out more about, or whether you picked one of our other concepts.

Well done, everybody.

Great efforts.

Okay, we have now completed the first part of our lesson.

Great, great job.

So we've looked at what we will study in citizenship.

The next part of the lesson is how does social change happen? So when you are ready, let's go.

In citizenship, we also learn about social change and how we can make it happen.

Social change are changes in society which occur over time.

Laura says, "Can you think of an example of social change?" Aisha says, "One example could be how voting rights have changed over the last 150 years." In 1918, a law was passed allowing some women in the UK to vote for the first time." So you may know from our discussion on democracy in the first part of the lesson that it's about voting.

It's about Parliament and government.

Now, one example of how society has changed is that voting rights have changed.

And as we can see from what Aisha said, they have really changed over the last 150 years.

So we know now, thanks to Aisha, that women in the UK are now allowed to vote due to a law that was placed in 1918.

Now, there are different types of social change.

For example, behavioural patterns.

These are changes to how people act.

For example, nowadays, more people are using reusable water bottles rather than just the plastic ones that you can pick up from a shop and easily bin.

But now, people are making a more conscious effort to buy reusable water bottles.

Another example of social change are cultural values.

So these are changes to people's views and beliefs.

For example, more people accepting that everybody should be treated equally.

And social structures, this means there are changes to types of families and communities.

For example, families are now choosing to live further away from each other.

Whereas a couple of years ago, or even a couple of hundred of years ago, those families would've stayed in the same area and perhaps the same house.

Now social change can occur on different levels, from local communities to global societies.

So let's check our understanding.

True or false, changes in people's patterns of behaviour is an example of social change.

Pause the video and make your decision.

It's true.

Why? Why is it true? Well, when a lot of people start behaving and acting differently, it can change the way society works.

For example, if lots of people start walking or riding a bike to school and work, this could lead to less traffic and better air quality in the area.

Well done if you got that correct.

There are many different methods people can use to try to enact social change.

Some of these methods are petitioning, organising or attending demonstrations, volunteering, joining or supporting a pressure group, or writing to your MP or representative.

We're gonna have a look at these different ways now.

So a petition is a formal written request.

It's usually signed by a lot of people, which appeals to people in power to bring about change for a particular issue.

A petition, it can be done on paper or it could be done online.

Demonstrations are public meetings, marches, or protests against a specific issue.

So they might be shown live.

You might see them in the streets.

Volunteering is when people choose to give their own time to help others or a particular cause, usually without being paid.

So let's have a go at this.

Can we fill in the missing word in the sentence? So it says a petition, a demonstration are all examples of methods that citizens can use to enact social change.

Pause the video, reread the sentence, and try and find the missing word.

If we wrote volunteering, that would be right.

Well done, guys.

So a petition, a demonstration, and volunteering are all examples of methods that citizens can use to enact social change.

Laura says, "I've never heard of a pressure group.

What do they do?" I wonder if any of you guys could answer her question.

Now, Aisha replies to Lauren and says, "Well, a pressure group puts pressure on those in power to change something.

They don't want to have power themselves.

They want to achieve a goal." Okay, so one example of a pressure group that you might have heard of, and you might not have also, is Surfers Against Sewage, a UK charity that campaign to protect the ocean and who put pressure on the government to improve water quality.

They say, "Through our innovative and ambitious campaigning and education programmes, we're building a community that cares deeply about the planet we live on.

That care passionately about the ocean." So that's just one example of pressure group, okay? Let's check, true or false? A pressure group puts pressure on the public.

Pause the video and think about if it's true or false.

It's false.

Why is it false? Well, a pressure group does not put pressure on the public.

It puts pressure on decision makers and those in power, for example, the government, to change something.

Pressure groups try to convince those in power to make changes to improve things for society.

For example, the Surfers Against Sewage.

Okay, our task is to match the method of enacting social change to its correct description.

So there are lots of methods below, like petitioning, pressure group, writing to politicians, demonstration and volunteering.

And beside of them are some of their definitions, but we need to match it up correctly because at the minute, they're all muddled up.

So what I would like you to do is pause the video and have a go at matching the methods of social change to its correct description.

Have a go and good luck.

Okay, hopefully, we had a go at this task.

So our answer should include petitioning is when you collect signatures to show support for a cause.

It could be done online or it could be done on paper, if you remember.

A pressure group is a group that puts pressure on those in powers to change something, like the government.

Writing to politicians is writing to a person who represents you.

Demonstration, are public meetings, marches, or protests against a specific issue.

And that leaves us with volunteering, which is giving up your time freely to make a change.

Well done if you've got all of those correct.

Great job, guys.

Our next task is to look at Izzy and Lucas.

Now, Izzy and Lucas are two students at Oak National Academy.

They want to make a change within their school community regarding the food served at lunchtime.

After discussing the different methods of enacting social change, they decide to either gather signatures for a petition to give the head teacher or to write their local counsellor.

Now, which method of achieving social change do you think Lucas and Izzy should use? Should they use a petition or contacting their local counsellor? I would like you to give a reason to justify your answer.

So when you are ready, have a think.

Which method of social change do you think would be more beneficial for them within their school? Should they be making a petition, or should they be contacting their local counsellor? Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, so I said the best method for achieving social change within Oak National Academy would be to use a petition.

So I've said, "I think a petition would be the best method for Lucas and Izzy to use in their social change campaign.

This is because school lunches are an issue which a head teacher has the power to change.

If they gather lots of signatures for their petition, it will show the head teacher that there is lots of support for changing the food and it will be more likely that the head teacher will support this social change." So I've given my reason of why I think a petition would be the best method." And then I've justified why.

Hopefully, you guys did the same.

We have now completed the second part of our lesson.

So well done, guys.

We have looked at how does social change happen, and the different methods of enacting this.

Now the last part of our lesson is looking at why are statistics important for social change? Our key word was statistics, and we should remember that statistics are pieces of data or facts gathered in the form of numbers.

For example, "According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 605,479 babies born in England and Wales in 2022, which is a 3.

1% decrease from 624,828 babies born in 2021." So statistics help us to summarise data and work out what it means.

Statistics can help us understand social change by showing us facts about society in a helpful summary.

For example, statistics can tell us how many people recycle, how many people drive an electric car, how many people use the internet, and how many people live in cities compared to the countryside.

By looking at statistics, we can see what is happening in society and how things have changed over time.

So very, very useful.

We can also use statistics to spot problems in society and work out where social change is needed.

For example, if statistics show that only 20% of people in a local community recycle, a pressure group may decide to petition the council to improve recycling facilities and to educate people about recycling to increase this percentage.

Later, the statistics can be checked again to see if the group and council's efforts have worked, or if mo more social change is needed.

So let's check our understanding.

True or false, we can use statistics to spot problems in society and work out how to create social change.

Pause the video and choose whether you think it's true or false.

It's true.

It's true because statistics can show us information we use to create social change.

Statistics help us to understand social change by summarising data and helping us to understand what it means.

Well done if you got it right.

Statistics can be found in different places such as books, news and media outlets, government websites such as the census, charities, local community groups, and research papers.

Now, if you've never heard of the census, the census is an official account of the population.

Now we need to be really mindful of where we get statistics from, as they are fact, not fiction.

Okay, which two places would you be most likely to find statistics? The government website, newspaper, in fictional novels, or in a comic book? So which two places would you be most likely to find statistics? Pause the video and make your decision.

Okay, we should know that in government website and in newspaper is the best place to find statistics, okay, is where we're gonna most likely find these.

"Fictional novels and comic books are less likely to contain statistics, as they focus on stories rather than facts." From Aisha.

Thank you, Aisha.

Okay, we are gonna have a look at some statistics and we're gonna try and answer the following questions when we look at these.

So on our screen should be a big graph.

Now the question that we need to try and find the answer to is what is happening to the UK population over time? Now this graph shows the UK population from mid 1951 to mid 2041.

So pause the video and try and find what is happening to the UK population over time.

The next statistics that we need to look at is looking at which is the most common religion in the UK.

Now this is a pie chart which shows information about people's religion, which was taken from the most recent census, which was in 2021.

So pause the video and try and find from the pie chart, which is the most common religion within the UK.

The next part statistics that we're gonna look at is a graph showing the 2024 general election results.

So very, very recently.

Okay, which political party won the most seats in the 2024 UK general election? Again, pause the video and try and identify which political party got the most seats.

Okay, well done, guys.

That was a lot of statistics we had to look at.

So some of the answers that we should have found were what is happening to the UK population over time? Well, the UK population was increasing, and it still continues to increase over time.

The most common religion within the UK, according to the 2021 census, is Christianity.

And see which political party won the most seats in the 2024 general election.

The Labour Party won the most seats in the 2024 general election.

Well done if you've got all of those correct.

I would like us now to have a go at writing one paragraph to explain how statistics can help create social change.

You could use the following sentence starters to help.

So we could use, or we could start with, "Statistics can help us understand." We could use, "Statistics can be useful in creating social change because, and an example of this is." Can you give an example of how statistics can help us understand things? Pause the video and good luck, guys.

Well done, everybody.

Great efforts on writing a paragraph.

So some of our paragraph might include some of these ideas that I have put down.

So statistics can help us understand patterns and problems in society.

Statistics can be useful in creating social change because they show the facts which can support any arguments we put forward to those in power when we want to see change.

An example of this is if a person really wanted to stop pollution, they could use statistics to show how pollution harms the environment and people's health.

They can then use these facts to show how serious the problem is and why action should be taken.

Let's summarise what we have learned on citizenship.

So citizenship is a subject that develops your knowledge, skills, and understandings that you can play a full part in society as an active citizen who can enact social change.

In citizenship, you can study a range of concepts such as democracy and the law, to name a few.

There are many ways to make social change happen, such as writing to your local representative, or collecting signatures for a petition.

Statistics help us better understand society.

They support social change by providing facts that strengthen our arguments when we push for change from those in power.

I have loved learning with you today.

I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Well done on all of your efforts today, guys.