Rules and Responsibilities

Lesson Overview

Duration: 45 minutes
Class size: 22 students (including 4 SEN)
Subject: PSHE
Year group: 3
Curriculum focus: The National Curriculum for England – PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)
Topic: Understanding rules, laws, and their purpose
Teacher focus: Hands-on, visual activities encouraging imagination and creativity

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Learning Objectives (National Curriculum References)

By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Understand that rules and laws exist to help everyone live and work together safely and fairly (PSHE Education Programme of Study: Relationships Education – “The importance of respecting and following rules and laws”)
• Reflect on why society needs rules and laws (PSHE Association framework: Living in the wider world – Rights and responsibilities)
• Create their own set of “Ten Commandments” – rules that everyone in their community should follow, showing understanding of fairness and safety

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Curriculum Links

• PSHE Association Programme of Study (Year 3):

  • Living in the wider world: Rules, rights and responsibilities
  • Understanding different rules and laws; reasons for their existence
  • Responsibility for self and others

• National Curriculum Standards (England):

  • Pupils should learn about caring for themselves and others
  • Pupils develop social skills to work cooperatively and resolve disputes

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Resources

• Large sheets of coloured paper or flipchart paper
• Markers, crayons, stickers
• Visual aids: pictures and symbols representing different rules (e.g., stop signs, no littering, helping others)
• Pre-prepared visual story about rules in a fictional town
• Sticky notes
• Individual mini whiteboards for SEN learners (with visuals)

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity – Story Circle (10 minutes)

• Gather the children in a circle and tell a short, engaging story about a fictional town where there were no rules. Use expressive visuals (drawings or printed images) to show chaos and problems caused by no rules (e.g., traffic accidents, arguments, rubbish everywhere).
• Questions to prompt thinking:
  • “What do you think happened in the town?”
  • “Why do you think they had problems?”
  • “How could rules have helped?”

Differentiation:

• For SEN: Use picture cards to represent key points in the story and check understanding with yes/no questions.
• Pair SEN children with supportive peers to discuss answers.

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2. Main Activity – Creating “Ten Commandments” for Our School and Community (25 minutes)

Part A: Group Brainstorm (10 minutes)

• Split the class into 4 groups (5-6 children each), ensuring SEN children are integrated with supportive peers or adults familiar to them.
• Each group discusses and writes down important rules that everyone should follow to keep their school or community safe and happy.
• Provide sentence starters and prompts, e.g., “Everyone should…”, “No one should…”, “We must always…”
• Use visual aids to inspire ideas (e.g., pictures of rules like “Don’t litter”, “Be kind”). Stickers can reward good ideas to encourage participation.

Differentiation:

• SEN support: Provide simplified rule cards and visual templates to structure their ideas. Allow drawing instead of writing when needed.
• More able pupils: Encourage them to explain why each rule is important and suggest examples of what could happen if rules aren’t followed.

Part B: Class Commandments Creation (15 minutes)

• Each group shares their ideas aloud (or shows drawings).
• Teacher writes the ideas on large flipchart paper, selecting the top ten most common or important rules from the combined ideas.
• Discuss each rule briefly to reinforce why it matters (e.g., “Why should we always listen to others?”).
• Display the “Ten Commandments” in a bright, illustrated poster style to use as a classroom charter.

Differentiation:

• SEN children can use picture cards to point to the commandments they most like or helped create.
• Allow advanced learners to lead the discussion or write explanations for each commandment.

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3. Plenary – Reflective Drawing and Sharing (10 minutes)

• Children draw their favourite commandment (or a rule they really understand and care about). Encourage creativity – they can draw, write, or use symbols.
• In pairs or small groups, children explain their drawing or chosen commandment to peers.
• SEN children can use simple sentences or picture exchange communication systems as needed, supported by adults or buddies.

Extension:

• Invite children who complete early or want more challenge to write a short explanation of what might happen if people did not follow a specific rule.

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Assessment

• Ongoing formative assessment during group discussions and sharing (listening for understanding of the reasons rules exist)
• Observation of contributions and engagement, especially from SEN pupils
• Collect and review the “Ten Commandments” poster for comprehension and relevance
• Evaluate children’s plenary drawings and explanations to assess individual grasp of concepts

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Differentiation Strategies Summary

Learner Group	Strategies
SEN Pupils	Use visual aids, sentence starters, peer support, simplified instructions, allow drawing
Advanced Learners	Lead discussions, explain rules with examples, explore consequences of breaking rules
Whole Class	Hands-on activities, storytelling, visual reinforcement, group collaboration, reward systems

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Imaginative Twist – "Rule-Making in Our World"

To really capture imagination, conclude the lesson by inviting each child to imagine they are leaders of a new town.

• They must invent one new rule for their town’s safety and fairness.
• Share these “futuristic rules” aloud.
• Capture these ideas on a colourful "Imaginary Town Charter" poster to display in the classroom and revisit during future PSHE lessons on citizenship and community responsibility.

This approach helps children extend their thinking beyond the classroom, linking imagination to real-life civic understanding.

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By following this detailed lesson plan, teachers will engage Year 3 students in a meaningful, hands-on exploration of rules and laws that aligns precisely with the UK National Curriculum expectations in PSHE, while ensuring a supportive, inclusive environment for diverse learners.