- Describe a 'desert island' scenario in which a group of people have been thrown together in difficult circumstances and have to cooperate (become a community) to survive. In groups, pupils consider various situations, eg someone has been found to have a weapon which they are refusing to hand over to the group which could be a danger to the community; a parent with hungry children has been found stealing from the dwindling food supply; too many people are criticising the group's decisions and this is undermining the spirit of the group. These situations could be written onto cards and handed out. Ask pupils what should be done in such circumstances and why?
- Drawing on their involvement in the scenario, pupils consider the following issues:
- What is a community? Ask pupils to form a circle or small group and talk to the pupil next to them about things they have in common and ways in which they are different. How many communities do they think they are part of - locally, nationally, globally? Ask pairs of pupils to join up with other pairs and repeat their discussion. Share discoveries as a class, eg was it harder to find specific things in common as the group got larger? What do all pupils in the school have in common?
- What are rights? Ask pupils to identify the rights of individuals and the rights of the community as a whole. They consider when the rights of the individual might conflict with the rights of the community. Where do these rights come from and how should they be enforced? Why is it necessary to safeguard some rights, eg to survive as individuals, to help others, to protect the weak? Who has duties and responsibilities in this regard?
- What are responsibilities? In groups, pupils discuss and decide whether some members of a group should have greater responsibilities than others. If so, why? What if they do not accept these responsibilities or they clash with rights? What is the link between the rights and responsibilities? If someone neglects a responsibility, does this mean that they lose all their rights? When is it acceptable to take away someone's rights? When is this unacceptable? Are there some basic rights that should never be taken away or violated?
- What is fairness? Ask the class to think about how the group of survivors in the desert island scenario might develop fair ways of doing things, like making rules, punishing offenders, distributing welfare, allowing freedom of individual conscience, eg in religious and moral beliefs. Ask pupils to reconsider some of the decisions they have already made. Are they fair to some people and not to others? Can unfairness be avoided? Ask pupils to suggest situations when ideas on fairness can be applied at home, school and in the local community and wider society.
- What is democracy? Who has power and authority? Using the desert island scenario again, encourage pupils to imagine how the group of survivors might plan for the future in case they do not get rescued. Pupils discuss and consider how decisions will be made and who should have authority. Explain democratic processes in this context, eg choosing a leader, everyone voting on decisions, a group being elected to make decisions on everyone's behalf. What are the pros and cons of these different positions? Ask pupils to think about democracy in their own communities, eg who makes decisions and how? Are they involved? How?
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- know that rights relate to responsibilities for individuals and within communities
- know that an individual's rights and responsibilities may compete or conflict with those of communities
- know that there are differences and similarities between individuals and that these should be respected
- understand the importance of fairness within the hypothetical community and relate this to experiences within their own communities
- recognise that there are different ways of making and implementing decisions within a democratic society
- know that active citizenship involves cooperation and respect for the rights of others and that this is why there is a need for rules and shared responsibilities
- think creatively and critically about the hypothetical situations and relate hypothetical conclusions to real-life situations
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