Starter quiz
- Parliament is made up of three parts: the ______, the House of Lords and the monarchy.
- 'House of Commons' ✓
- What is the age of criminal responsibility in England?
- '10' ✓
- Match the method to its description.
- legislation⇔a law or a set of laws that have been passed by Parliament ✓
- legal age⇔the age at which you can do something as defined by the law ✓
- civil law⇔law that deals with disputes between individuals or groups ✓
- Which of the following are criminal law offences?
- assault ✓
- speeding ✓
- divorce
-
- Which of the following statements is true?
- The police create laws to keep people safe.
- Laws are made by Parliament and the police enforce them. ✓
- The police make laws and Parliament enforces them.
- Laws are made by judges and the police follow them.
-
- Which of the following statements are true?
- Laws are used to order the way in which a society behaves. ✓
- Laws need to be fair and equally applied to everyone. ✓
- Laws state what your rights are. ✓
- Laws only apply to certain groups of people.
-
Exit quiz
- Match each word to what it means.
- citizen⇔a person born in a particular country given rights due to living there ✓
- lawmaker⇔a person who helps create, debate and decide on new laws ✓
- law⇔rules that are used to order the way in which a society behaves ✓
- In the UK, a Bill must receive support from at least ______% of MPs for it to become an Act of Parliament.
- '50' ✓
- Match the method to its description.
- petition⇔gathering signatures from the public to show support for a law ✓
- survey⇔collecting public opinions on an issue to show support for change ✓
- lobbying⇔asking MPs to support a law by writing to them ✓
- Who is responsible for debating and voting on laws in the House of Commons?
- 'MPs' ✓
- Which of these is a way citizens can influence the law?
- voting for the Prime Minister
- waiting for the law to change
- watching the news
- using petitions and surveys ✓
-
- What was PC Wardell’s main goal in campaigning for a change to the law?
- to get more MPs elected
- to protect service animals ✓
- to stop traffic offences
- to introduce a new voting system
-
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In the UK laws are made by Parliament, also known as the legislature. Parliament is made of three parts.
- MPs debate and vote on proposed laws called Bills. A Bill must receive at least 50% support from MPs to become an Act.
- Citizens can influence lawmakers through methods like petitions, surveys, lobbying and media.
- PC Wardell is an example of a citizen who helped change the law, through the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2018.
Common misconception
Citizens have no power to influence the law in the UK.
Citizens in the UK do have the power to influence the law. They can use methods like online petitions, surveys, lobbying politicians and working with the media or charities to bring attention to issues and encourage lawmakers to make changes.
Keywords
Citizen - a person who was born in a particular country and has certain rights or has been given certain rights because of having lived there
Law - rules, usually made by Parliament, that are used to order the way in which a society behaves
Lawmaker - a person who helps create, debate and decide on new laws; in the UK, lawmakers are MPs (Members of Parliament) and members of the House of Lords
Parliament - the body that makes laws in the UK, it is made up of the House of Commons, House of Lords and the monarch