- Ask the pupils to think about an issue such as animal welfare.
They could list examples of cruelty to animals, and discuss their views on
topics like factory farming and the use of animals in scientific research.
With the pupils, identify and collate the range of views on any issues discussed.
- Give the pupils a list of possible influences on the way
animals are treated, eg local councils (which enforce regulations), national
government (which develops policies and laws), the media, public opinion,
the opinion of particular individuals. Ask them to discuss which of these
carries the most weight. (Note that the same list would apply to most of the
issues teachers might select.)
- Ask pupils, in groups, to discuss and investigate the role
of voluntary organisations and pressure groups. They could look at key groups,
considering the following questions:
- What do you know about the groups and any similar organisations you
have heard of?
- Who do the groups try to put pressure on?
- What methods do the groups use?
- Are all the methods used by pressure groups equally acceptable,
eg targeting individuals?
- What information do the groups publish, and what are their current
campaigns?
- Pupils analyse the literature produced by pressure groups
to discover what kinds of arguments are used, and whether it provides balanced
views or seems biased.
- With the pupils, consider how laws are made. Focus on a
law that links with the chosen issue, eg the Animal Scientific Procedures
Act 1986, and examine how it came to be passed and how it was affected
by public opinion. Ask pupils to consider:
- What happens when the Government announces that it will bring in a new
law?
- What consultations does it carry out?
- How do people try to influence what the law says?
- Can individuals make a difference to the law-making process? If so, how?
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- offer reasons why an issue such as animal welfare is of public concern
- understand what voluntary organisations are and how they operate, and describe their relationship to government in terms of making and changing the law
- understand the term ‘pressure group’
- describe different methods of protesting against legislation and discuss in outline some of the legal and moral issues these raise
- identify reasons both for and against an issue, eg animal testing, and express a personal opinion on the issue orally and in writing
- research an issue using literature from pressure groups, and identify reasons for treating such information with caution
- describe in simple terms how a bill passes through Parliament and becomes law
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