Democracy - 7 form time activities
12 Resources available for download in this module
What is democracy? Where did the idea come from? What are the consequences of democracy? Key issues are explored in these PSHE and citizenship form time activities for key stages 3 and 4.
Below are the lessons in this topic. Click ‘View these lessons’ to download resources
Exploring alternatives to democracy
Students imagine what it would be like to live under a political system that was not democratic.
The history of democracy
Students understand key dates in the history of democracy and voting rights in the UK.
The democratic process
Students think of issues that concern them and understand how they can make changes.
What is fairness?
Students define the concept of fairness, then apply it to some real-life case studies.
Making society fairer
Students understand how a democratic system means the law can make society a fairer place.
Democracy Tutor Time Activities
This series of 7 short lesson plans is an ideal way to introduce the topic of democracy when time is in short supply. These activities look at the history of democracy, some alternatives and other issues that affect us as citizens.
Activity 1 – What is Democracy?
In the first lesson, students are introduced to a little history to establish the origins of this method of rule and study an extract which highlights the key points.
Activity 2 – Alternatives to Democracy
Students can now work individually or in pairs to look at the alternative methods of rule and the pros and cons of each.
Activity 3 – Exploring Alternatives to Democracy
In this lesson, students imagine what it would be like to live under a political system that was not democratic.
Activity 4 – The History of Democracy
We now move onto more modern history by looking at some of the key dates in the democratic history in the UK. Student must work out the chronological order of these events.
Activity 5 – The Democratic Process
In this activity, students think about matters that affect them and what they can do about it, for example petitioning for the right to vote at 16.
Activity 6 – What is Fairness?
Using a series of news articles, students must reflect on the situation to decide if it is fair. This is quite an advanced activity, so students must work together in small groups.
Activity 7 – Making Society Fairer
In this final activity, students will see how law making can make things fairer and how laws are voted in through the democratic process.