Vocabulary pre-learning

Pre-learning vocabulary allows pupils to learn the meaning of words and use visual images to help them recall them. Please feel free to change the visual images to ones that work better for your pupils.

Have the words and images available during the lesson as a word mat or display, so that children can be prompted to recall as needed.

Vote / A vote is a choice made by a particular person or group in a meeting or an election. /
General Election / An election is when people vote to choose MPs. /
Laws / Rules for the whole country. /
Parliament / Where laws are made. /
Opinion / What people think. /
Legislation / Laws /
Draft / An early attempt of writing something which is changed before it is finished. /
Government / The Government run the country. The political party that wins the most seats at a General Election takes charge of the Government. /
MP / A member of Parliament who is elected to help make decisions about how to run the country. /
Prime Minister / The leader of the winning party at a General Election. The leader of the Government. /
A Bill in Parliament / A Bill is what a law is called before everyone has agreed to it in Parliament. /
Debate / When two sides give their views on a particular subject and then vote about it. /
Opposition / The MPs in Parliament who are not in the Government’s political party. /
Minister / An MP who is part of the Government. /
Political party / The MPs and other people who have the same political ideas. /
An Act of Parliament /
Argument / A point of view or opinion. /

Stages of a Bill sorting activity

Third Reading
Overall consideration of the Bill in the House of Commons and final votes to decide whether it goes any further
The Royal Assent
The Queen signs-off the Bill as a new law or ‘Act of Parliament’.
Second Reading
This is the main debating stage where all MPs can discuss the Bill, ask questions and vote on it. It could be voted out at this stage.
Consultation Stage
The Government makes a draft of the Bill and asks senior officials to make comments.
Committee Stage
A smaller group of MPs look at the Bill in detail. They may make changes, called
‘amendments’, based on their discussions
Report Stage
Amendments made during the Committee Stage are reported to everyone in the
House of Commons. MPs may vote on these amendments
First Reading
The Government tells everyone about the Bill by reading out its title in the House of Commons to let everyone know about it.
Lords Stages
The Bill goes to the House of Lords who follow similar stages. They can suggest amendments to the Bill and send it back to the Commons, who may send it back again until an agreement can be reached. If no agreement can be reached, the House of Commons can eventually vote to pass the law without consent from the House of Lords through an Act of Parliament which gives them more power over the House of Lords.

One School Uniform

Ideas for arguments for and against all schools having the same school uniform.

For / Against
It would be cheaper and easier to shop for. / It would be boring.
It would make all schools the same. / You couldn’t tell which school people go to by looking at them.
If you changed school, you wouldn’t need to buy new uniform. / Children at different ages need to wear different things.
It would stop fights between schools as you wouldn’t know which school children go to by looking at them. / Different schools do different things, so need different uniform.
People wouldn’t be bullied for wearing different uniforms. / Not everyone wants to wear the same thing.
It will make everyone equal, whatever school they go to. / When you go to sports competitions, you wouldn’t be able to tell the teams apart because they would all be wearing the same.
It would give a sense of national pride, like an army uniform that everyone was dressed the same. / On school trips, people won’t know which school you are from, so it will be more difficult to help pupils who get lost.