Magna Carta: the story of our Human Rights – Teacher guide for PSHE Content This programme examines the reasons why the Magna Carta was written and how its impact is still felt today.
Context The Magna Carta was written in response to the tyrannical nature of King John, a king who ruled England in the 13th century. The unreasonable demands he placed on his subjects, such as heavy taxes and an unjust legal system, lead to an uprising against his rule by the wealthy aristocracy. While the clauses of the Magna Carta principally concerned taxes and trade, it was the first time the basic right to a fair trial was recorded and, importantly, this is still ingrained in British law to this day. The writing of the Magna Carta signaled a dramatic change in how the monarchy in the UK was able to rule its subjects and, almost by chance, gave rise to the first documenting of human rights in the UK.
Teacher notes For PSHE, this programme provides an excellent introduction in how human rights were first recorded in a legal document in the UK and how the Magna Carta went on to influence countless other legal documents throughout the world.
Suggested activities for students Starters • In pairs, make a list of rights they have as human beings, then as a class share their findings • As a class, thought-shower the phrase ‘human rights’ – try to define what the term means. Mains • Write (and record, if equipment is available) a TV or radio news report explaining the significance of the Magna Carta.I Include the opinion of a 13th century baron and a supporter of King John • Investigate an example from outside of the UK of where a group or individual’s human rights have been flouted. In a PowerPoint presentation, explain how their human rights were abused and what the class thinks needs to be done to correct the situation. Plenaries • In groups of four, devise new human rights which they think need to be implemented. As a class, students explain one right per group which they like the most and why • Get one student to make a drawing which represents a key word from the lesson and get the class to guess what the key word was. Repeat with other students and key words.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2015. All rights reserved
www.discoveryeducation.co.uk
Key questions • • •
Why was the Magna Carta written? Which particular clause in the Magna Carta is significant in the context of human rights? How has the Magna Carta influenced human rights around the world?
Keywords Keyword
Definition
aristocracy
Wealthy members of society, whose riches are often inherited
barons
Members of the aristocracy who owned land given to them by the king
human rights
The freedoms and rights all humans should be guaranteed
Magna Carta
A contract of rights and privileges that King John of England signed under pressure from English noblemen in 1215
monarchy
A form of government that has a hereditary head of state
taxes
A sum of money paid to government. People pay tax on their wages and companies pay tax on their profits. Governments decide what percentage of tax will be paid. The money raised by taxes pays for public services such as roads, hospitals, education and defence
tyrannical
Cruel and oppressive
Published by Discovery Education. © 2015. All rights reserved
www.discoveryeducation.co.uk
