Topical lessons - KS3 and GCSE Citizenship lessons focused on current news stories

Sometimes there simply aren't enough hours in the day to produce lesson plans and resources based on current 'hot' news topics. Which is why we've done the work for you. Our topical lessons, based on the issues of the day, are published here for members on a special preview basis.

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	The death of Osama Bin Laden
	Students will look at the death of Osama Bin Laden and consider the human rights issues involved. They will be asked to argue for a point of view that may not be their own.
	Democracy and justice | Global citizenship    Published: 22/06/2011
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	From the resource collection: Human rights and responsibilities

	Shaking hands with a dictator
	Politicians have been seen shaking hands with dictators one day and condemning them the next. Is it justifiable to place trade – such as selling weapons – before human rights interests?
	Y9 | Rights and responsibilities    Published: 28/04/2011
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	From the resource collection: Political rights and responsibilities

	From democracy to dictatorship
	Your class votes in a leader who issues instructions to everyone else, then cancels all future elections! The class then looks at how this happened, how it could have been prevented and the situations in various countries, as well as the nature of the dictatorship of their head teacher!
	Y9 Y10 | Democracy and justice    Published: 28/04/2011
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	From the resource collection: Political rights and responsibilities

	Privacy and civil liberties
	Year 11s are often confident that they know their mind, so put them to the test with this jam-packed lesson. Your students will be surprised at the complicated relationship between privacy and civil liberties!
	Y11 | Rights and responsibilities    Published: 26/07/2010
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	From the resource collection: Human rights and responsibilities

	Community problems and actions
	The maturity of Year 10s is perfectly suited to this community-focused troubleshooting task. How well will each student assume the role of expert panel member? Issues such as NEET, graffiti and racial tension urgently need their expert touch!
	Y10 | Diversity and community    Published: 19/07/2010
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	From the resource collection: Meeting community needs

	Immigration into the UK
	Your Year 9s will know what the papers and adults at home say about immigration. Isn’t it time they made up their own minds? Posters, speeches and a class vote will provide interesting food for thought.
	Y9 | Diversity and community    Published: 07/06/2010
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	From the resource collection: Identities and cohesion

	What is our national culture?
	Students remind themselves what aspects of life make up a nation’s culture. Through paired work and poetry, they focus upon the positive aspects of modern British culture.
	Y10 Y11 | Diversity and community    Published: 22/06/2009
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	From the resource collection: National, regional, ethnic and religious cultures

	The media and the NHS
	Pupils decide whether or not the media have a right and/or an obligation to inform the public about NHS performance. With the NHS in mind, they also discuss bias and influence within the media.
	Y9 | Rights and responsibilities    Published: 06/04/2009
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	From the resource collection: The media and public opinion

	Parenting
	Pupils discuss opinions about parenting and explore their own views. They consider some open-ended questions on the subject and then, within a class debate, role-play various characters that have different opinions about parenting.
	Y9 | Rights and responsibilities    Published: 11/12/2008
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	From the resource collection: Human rights and responsibilities

	Government spending – lesson 1
	Pupils discuss the types of financial assistance that eight characters receive from the government. They decide why money/funding is given and whether this is fair. Pupils complete a ‘fill in the gaps’ activity that tests their knowledge of government expenditure.
	Y8 | The economy    Published: 14/11/2008
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	From the resource collection: Government spending and taxation

	What makes a good citizen?
	Students get creative by making their own 'Good Citizen Code' –and are asked to reflect whether their own conduct makes them good citizens.
	Y8 | Rights and responsibilities    Published: 27/05/2008
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	From the resource collection: Political rights and responsibilities

	What is the role of an MP?
	Enjoyable picture-matching and word-scrambling activities give students an overview of what an MP is and what they do. They are also asked to write an MP's job description!
	Y7 Y8 | Democracy and justice    Published: 15/05/2008
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	From the resource collection: Systems of government