Politics, Power, Community

Overview

A 45-minute lesson designed for Year 7 SEN students focusing on Citizenship within KS3 Humanities, built around themes from The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. This session introduces learners to the basics of politics, government structures, and community roles. It aligns with the National Curriculum for England’s Citizenship statutory requirements, fostering knowledge, skills, and understanding of how local and national government operates, as well as students’ roles within their community.

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National Curriculum Links

• Citizenship Key Stage 3

  • 1a: how rules and laws are made and enforced, and how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
  • 1b: how government works at local, national and international levels
  • 2c: what democracy is, and its importance and value
  • 2d: the role of voluntary, community and pressure groups

• Key Skills Developed

  • Critical thinking and discussion
  • Empathy and understanding diversity (linking to The Breadwinner)
  • Spoken communication and collaborative learning
  • Application of citizenship knowledge in practical scenarios

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, all learners will be able to:

• Identify key parts of government and explain their basic roles.
• Recognise how rules and laws affect their community and themselves.
• Demonstrate understanding of how community members, including young people, can influence government decisions.

Differentiated Objectives:

• Support Level: Identify and recall government roles and basic vocabulary linked to politics and community.
• Developing Level: Describe the functions of government and explain democracy in their own words.
• Greater Depth: Analyse how community groups influence politics and relate themes from The Breadwinner to real-world community involvement.

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Lesson Structure

1. Engage (10 mins)

• Starter Question: “Who makes the rules in your school? Who makes the rules in our country?”
• Show a short (3-minute) animated video clip explaining democracy and government basics tailored for SEN learners (teacher-led explanation if video unavailable).
• Read aloud two short quotes from characters in The Breadwinner showing community resilience and power structures (e.g. Parvana’s role in her community).
• Use think-pair-share with a question: “How do you think the government or community can help people like Parvana?”

Resources: Whiteboard, printed quotes from The Breadwinner, video/teacher narrative.

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2. Share (10 mins)

• Teacher provides clear explanations of:
  • The role of government (local & national) – simplified diagram on the board showing Parliament, local council, and community groups.
  • What democracy means – focus on voting and laws.
  • Role of voluntary/community groups and young people’s voices.
• Use a simplified graphic organiser handout breaking down key terms: democracy, government, law, community group.

Differentiation:

• Support learners receive extra visual aids and sentence starters.
• Greater depth learners prompted to link these definitions to examples from The Breadwinner (e.g., how Parvana’s actions could be seen as activism).

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3. Practice (15 mins)

• Activity: “Community Action Simulation”
  • The class is divided into small groups (2-3 students) with mixed ability. Each group represents a community facing a problem (e.g., lack of playground facilities, local littering, or safety concerns).
  • Learners identify what they want to change, who they would contact (local council, MP, community group), and how they could make their voices heard (a petition, a meeting, voting).
  • Groups create a short presentation or role-play their “pitch” for change (2-3 minutes each).

Support Strategies: Sentence prompts, visuals of local government figures.
Greater Depth Extension: Challenge to include how democracy supports their actions and potential obstacles.

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4. Review (10 mins)

• Class discussion reviewing groups’ pitches.

• Teacher-led Q&A: “What did you learn about how people in a community can change things?”

• Quick Quiz – a set of 3 simple questions:

  1. What is democracy?
  2. Name one group in your community that helps make decisions.
  3. How can young people like you affect government decisions?

• Exit slip: Write one thing you will tell your family about how government affects our lives.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation of group work and discussion participation.
• Review quiz checks understanding of core concepts.
• Differentiated exit slips to assess individual reflections and grasp of content.

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Resources

• Extract quotes from The Breadwinner (printer-friendly).
• Simplified government structure diagram.
• Graphic organisers with key terms and definitions.
• Video or teacher narrative explaining democracy basics.
• Sentence starters and prompt cards for SEN support.

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WOW Factor Ideas

• Use puppets or role-play costumes to represent different community roles for the simulation.
• Allow students to create “campaign posters” for their community cause using arts supplies or digital tablets.
• Incorporate a simple online poll (if tech permits) to mimic voting, helping learners experience democracy actively.

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Homework Suggestion

Write a short paragraph explaining how a decision made by the local council affects their everyday life, using ideas from today’s lesson and The Breadwinner themes.

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This lesson builds foundational civic understanding, links literature to real-world civic issues, and actively involves SEN learners with varied strategies to ensure accessibility and engagement.