What is a democratic community?
I can explain what a democracy is and what key features democratic communities have.
What is a democratic community?
I can explain what a democracy is and what key features democratic communities have.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A community is a group of people living or existing together sharing common values, interests and ways of doing things.
- In a democracy you have more rights and you can influence decision makers and those in power.
- Democracies have key features such as free and fair elections and protected human rights.
Keywords
Democracy - a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf
Community - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
Human rights - the basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to
Suffrage - the right to vote
Common misconception
Democracy is just about voting for leaders and making decisions by majority rule.
Democracy is about fairness, equality and everyone having a voice in how their society is run.
To help you plan your year 7 citizenship lesson on: What is a democratic community?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 citizenship lesson on: What is a democratic community?, 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 3 citizenship lessons from the Citizenship - what's it all about? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
a person who makes a difference in their community
people living together in an ordered community
actions organised by an individual or a group to achieve an aim
rules that are used to order the way in which a society behaves
a set of guidelines that tell people what is and what is not allowed
a group of pupils who act as representatives for their fellow pupils
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a system of government in which we vote in regular, fair elections
the basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to
the right to vote