Why does society need rules and laws?
I can describe what rules and laws are, where they come from and why they are important.
Why does society need rules and laws?
I can describe what rules and laws are, where they come from and why they are important.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rules are guidelines that tell you what is and isn't allowed, they may change in different settings e.g. home, school.
- Laws are rules which apply to everyone, all the time, they are created by parliament.
- Magna Carta was the first document to put in writing the principle that the king is not above the law.
- Rules and laws are there to protect us, keep the peace and make sure everyone is treated fairly.
Keywords
Community - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
Society - people living together in an ordered community
Rules - a set of guidelines that tell people what is and what is not allowed
Laws - rules, usually made by parliament, that are used to order the way in which a society behaves
Common misconception
Rules are the same for everyone.
Rules may be different in different settings and situations, for example, you may have different rules at school and home. Laws are the same for everyone.
To help you plan your year 7 citizenship lesson on: Why does society need rules and laws?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 citizenship lesson on: Why does society need rules and laws?, 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
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Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
meeting with the person who represents you locally or nationally
refusing to buy a product or use a service as a protest
gathering signatures to show support for a cause
joining together as a group and taking to the streets to campaign
Non-segregated seating
Healthy eating
Free school meals
Exit quiz
6 Questions
rules, made by parliament, that order the way in society behaves
people living in the same place or having a characteristic in common
a set of guidelines that tell people what is and what is not allowed
the people living together in an ordered community