How have our political rights changed over time?
I can describe what political rights are and how they have changed over time.
How have our political rights changed over time?
I can describe what political rights are and how they have changed over time.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Political rights are the rights people have and may use in a democracy.
- The fight for political rights in the UK has been a long one.
- One of the biggest changes has been in relation to suffrage.
Keywords
Right - something we are entitled to by law
Democracy - a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf
Suffrage - the right to vote
Common misconception
All men had the right to vote before 1918.
Appoximately 40% of men could not vote before 1918.
To help you plan your year 8 citizenship lesson on: How have our political rights changed over time?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 citizenship lesson on: How have our political rights changed over time?, 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 Why was the struggle for the vote important today? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Pen and paper.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended