Supporting the Global Community

Lesson Overview

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Class size: 25 students
• Year group: Year 9
• Subject: PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education)
• Theme: Who helps support the global community?
• Location focus: UK, Kent, and global organisations including WHO and the UN
• National Curriculum alignment:
  • Personal Development (Dfe Key Stage 3 PSHE education programme of study)
  • Focus on Global Citizenship and Health and Wellbeing
  • Develop understanding of how communities are supported locally and globally
  • Awareness of influence of international organisations and partnerships on health and wellbeing

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Explain the role of global organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) in supporting global and local communities.
2. Identify examples of how these organisations impact health, humanitarian aid, and development in the UK, Kent, and around the world.
3. Analyse real-life scenarios where global support contributes to community wellbeing and problem-solving.
4. Reflect on the importance of international cooperation in tackling global and local challenges.

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National Curriculum Links

• PSHE Association Programme of Study (Key Stage 3):
  • Health and Wellbeing:
    • Understanding a broad range of factors that influence health and wellbeing, including global issues
  • Living in the Wider World:
    • Developing respect and understanding of diverse communities and global interconnectedness
    • Exploring how communities are supported locally and globally
• Interpretation: Supporting students in becoming informed citizens aware of global challenges such as health crises, poverty, conflict, and how collective efforts improve wellbeing.

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Key Vocabulary

• Global community
• World Health Organisation (WHO)
• United Nations (UN)
• Humanitarian aid
• Health inequality
• Local community (e.g., Kent)
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Refugees and displaced persons
• Pandemic response

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Resources Needed

• Interactive whiteboard/projector
• Printed scenario cards (real-life examples from UK, Kent, WHO/UN projects)
• World map highlighting Kent and global hotspots
• Video clip (2-3 mins) illustrating WHO or UN activities in the UK/local community (pre-selected, downloaded for offline use)
• Post-it notes and pens
• Student workbook/notebooks

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Starter question: “Who do you think helps keep people safe and healthy not only in the UK but globally?”
• Record student responses on the whiteboard to activate prior knowledge.
• Brief introduction of WHO and UN, emphasising their roles in health, humanitarian aid, and development.
• Show on a world map where WHO and UN are headquartered and examples of their work in Kent and the UK (e.g., vaccine rollout support, refugee aid, local public health campaigns).

2. Engaging Video and Discussion (10 minutes)

• Show a 2-3 minute video clip highlighting WHO or UN efforts either in Kent or broader UK context (e.g., vaccination programmes, refugee support projects, emergency aid).
• Follow with a guided discussion:
  • What did you learn from the video?
  • How do these organisations support people both globally and locally?
  • Why is their work important in places like Kent?

3. Group Activity: Real-life Scenario Analysis (25 minutes)

• Divide students into 5 groups of 5.

• Each group receives a printed real-life scenario card describing a challenge faced by the global or local community with WHO or UN involvement. Examples:

  • Kent hosting refugee families supported by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
  • WHO coordinating a vaccine response during a pandemic affecting the UK.
  • UN delivering clean water projects in global communities and local parallels in Kent.
  • Local Kent charity working with UN partners to support youth health education.
  • The role of the UK government collaborating with WHO to tackle health inequalities.

• Task:

  • Identify the key problem and organisations involved.
  • Discuss and write down the positive impact these organisations have had on the community.
  • Suggest one additional way communities can better support each other globally and locally.

• Groups summarise their findings on post-it notes.

4. Class Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Each group presents their scenario and reflections briefly to the class.
• Collate post-it notes on the whiteboard under headings: Problems, Support Provided, Ideas for Improvement.
• Facilitate whole-class reflection:
  • How is Kent connected to global health and humanitarian issues?
  • Why is it important for communities worldwide to help each other?

5. Plenary: Individual Quick Write (5 minutes)

• Students write a short response to the question:
  “How do global organisations like the WHO and UN affect you and your community, and why does this matter?”
• Collect these for formative assessment.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation of group discussions and presentations.
• Evaluation of the plenary quick write to assess understanding of lesson objectives and ability to relate global organisations to their local context.
• Teacher to give personalised feedback highlighting strengths and areas for development regarding critical thinking about global support networks.

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Extension Ideas / Homework

• Research a current news story involving WHO or the UN and write a short report on the impact for Kent or the UK.
• Create an information poster on one of the Sustainable Development Goals relevant to health or humanitarian aid.
• Interview a family member or community member about their awareness or experience of global organisations supporting local communities.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide sentence starters or graphic organisers for students who require support during group activity.
• Challenge higher ability students to consider criticisms of global organisations and suggest improvements.
• Encourage quieter students with paired discussions prior to group sharing.
• Ensure all resources are accessible (large print, clear fonts, simple language where needed).

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Teacher Reflection

After the lesson, consider:

• Did students engage meaningfully with both local and global contexts?
• Were students able to draw clear connections between WHO/UN work and their own lives?
• How effective was the scenario-based learning in promoting critical thinking?
• What could be improved in future lessons to deepen understanding of global citizenship?

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This lesson plan aligns closely with the UK National Curriculum for PSHE at Key Stage 3, centring around global citizenship, health, and community wellbeing—bridging global organisations’ work and local relevance to Kent students.