Rights and Responsibilities

Overview

This 30-minute lesson empowers Year 11 students at Level 1 to understand their rights and responsibilities as consumers and members of their community. Aligned with the National Curriculum for England, particularly the PSHE education programme of study (Health and Wellbeing and Living in the Wider World), this session builds foundational knowledge that supports informed and responsible citizenship.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Identify their rights and responsibilities as consumers (NC PSHE 4.1a).
• Identify their rights and responsibilities as members of a community (NC PSHE 4.1b).
• Understand key terms: rights, responsibilities, consumer, community.

Reference:* National Curriculum for England: PSHE Education, Key Stage 4, Health and Wellbeing / Living in the Wider World strands.*

---

Curriculum Links

• Health and Wellbeing: Understanding personal, social, economic, and legal aspects of wellbeing.
• Living in the Wider World: Understanding diverse communities, rights, and responsibilities.

---

Resources Needed

• Whiteboard & markers
• Rights and Responsibilities scenario cards (prepared in advance)
• Sticky notes
• Handout summarising key rights and responsibilities (simplified)
• Timer or stopwatch

---

Lesson Plan / Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Engage the students with a concrete example: "Imagine you buy a mobile phone, but it stops working after one week. What rights do you have? What responsibilities do you have as a consumer?"
• Write key terms on the board: Consumer, Rights, Responsibilities, Community.
• Briefly define these to ensure clarity:
  • Consumer: A person who buys goods or services.
  • Rights: Things you are entitled to.
  • Responsibilities: Things you are expected to do.
  • Community: A group of people living in the same place or sharing common interests.
• Link definitions explicitly to the learning objectives.

2. Main Activity: Scenario Sorting (15 minutes)

• Set-up: Prepare 10 scenario cards beforehand — 5 related to consumer rights/responsibilities, 5 related to community rights/responsibilities.
• Activity: In pairs, students will:
  • Read each scenario card (e.g., “You have the right to a refund if a product is faulty.” or “You should recycle at local recycling bins.”)
  • Decide: Is this a right or a responsibility? And as a consumer or a community member?
  • Stick the card under one of four labelled areas on the whiteboard or wall:
    1. Consumer Rights
    2. Consumer Responsibilities
    3. Community Rights
    4. Community Responsibilities
• Encourage discussion in pairs. Walk around for formative assessment and scaffold if needed by asking guiding questions like: "Why do you think this is a responsibility rather than a right?"

3. Group Reflection (7 minutes)

• Review the cards placed in each category as a whole class.
• Ask probing questions:
  • “Why is it important for consumers to know their rights?”
  • “How do responsibilities help communities function well?”
  • “What might happen if people don’t take responsibility in their community?”
• Use sticky notes for students to write one new thing they learned or one question they still have, which can be collected for follow-up.

4. Summary and Plenary (3 minutes)

• Recap the key learning points with students:
  • Everyone has rights and responsibilities both as consumers and as members of a community.
  • Knowing these helps us make better decisions and live responsibly with others.
• Check for understanding with a quick round: Ask students to shout out one right or responsibility they remember.

---

Assessment

• Ongoing formative assessment during the scenario activity via observation and questioning.
• Review sticky note reflections for insight into individual understanding and to identify areas for future lessons.

---

Differentiation

• For students requiring extra support: provide a simplified handout of example rights and responsibilities before the activity and pair them with a more confident student.
• For more able students: challenge them to suggest an additional scenario or explain the consequence of not following responsibilities.

---

Extension Ideas

• Encourage students to create a consumer/community rights poster for display in the classroom or school.
• Link this lesson to a local community project or charity, emphasising active citizenship.

---

Teacher’s Notes

• Use clear, everyday language aligned to Level 1 expectations.
• Focus on concrete, relatable examples to help embed the concepts.
• This progressive understanding fits within PSHE’s aim to prepare students for adult life and active citizenship in society, as per the National Curriculum guidelines.

---

By making learning interactive and directly relevant to students' lives, this lesson will confidently equip learners with essential knowledge on consumer and community responsibilities, fostering respectful and informed citizenship.