In this set of fully prepared PSHE KS2 lessons, your Year 4 class will learn about their rights and responsibilities as global citizens, developing their understanding of human rights and children's rights. Children will investigate what makes a good global citizen and find out about inspiring activists who have made a significant impact on the world, such as Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Wangarĩ Maathai and David Attenborough. Children will also research a range of global communities, including political organisations like the UN and charities like the World Wildlife Fund.

This Social Awareness scheme of work from our PSHE curriculum provides opportunities for children to develop important social skills, such as the value of working together to create positive change. Each lesson includes opportunities for children to participate in active citizenship, such as planning school assemblies to raise awareness, debating important global issues, and supporting sustainability through initiatives like recycling programmes and repair cafés.

By teaching your children about global communities, social responsibility and active citizenship, this Year 4 PSHE scheme of work empowers children to understand their role as global decision-makers and change-makers who can contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world.

A Knowledge Organiser is available to support the learning in this scheme. It is included in the Complete Series download or can be purchased individually.

You might like our My World Topic Bundle – perfect if you're looking for a cross-curricular approach to your teaching!

Global Communities

In this introductory lesson, children explore the concept of a global community. They learn about a range of global communities and their aims and achievements.

To apply their understanding, children either create a new global community aimed at addressing a significant global issue or conduct an in-depth study of an existing global community of their choice.This activity develops children's independent research skills while also encouraging creativity and critical thinking.

This Global Communities KS2 Lesson Pack includes everything you need for a successful PSHE lesson: a detailed plan, an engaging teaching input, a variety of activity ideas and resources to support children's independent learning.

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My Role as a Citzen of the World

Children revisit the features of a global community and learn about their roles as global citizens. They will explore the inspiring stories of global citizens who began their activism as children - Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg and Ryan Hreljac - before also learning about environmentalists Wangarĩ Maathai and David Attenborough.

Children use their knowledge to plan and present a school assembly designed to inspire others to embrace their social responsibilities and take action as compassionate global citizens. This activity fosters creativity, leadership and teamwork, while encouraging children to champion meaningful causes and promote positive change.

This Global Citizens KS2 Lesson Pack includes everything you need for an effective PSHE lesson: an easy-to-follow plan, a set of informative slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources.

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Working Together

This lesson focuses on the challenges and opportunities faced by global communities working together for positive change. Children learn about the factors that help or hinder collaboration, such as different interests or unequal access to resources.

To help children develop their appreciation for diverse viewpoints and the value and challenges of working together across global communities, children engage in oracy rich activities such as participating in a model UN debate or playing the interactive "Global Goals" game. Both activities enable children to practice skills which will help them establish and improve respectful relationships with others, such as negotiation and compromise.

The KS2 Working Together Lesson Pack includes a detailed and easy-to-follow lesson plan, visually engaging teaching slides for the input session, and a range of printable resources to support independent and group activities, ensuring a rich and impactful learning experience.

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Human Rights

Children explore the concept of human rights as the essential freedoms and protections that allow everyone to live happy, healthy lives. They will learn about key international agreements, such as the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention of the Rights on the Children to understand their significance and impact.

Children will either investigate specific articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child or collaboratively create a vibrant class mural that illustrates these children's rights, nurturing creativity and teamwork while reinforcing their understanding of these protections alongside higher order thinking.

This KS2 Human Rights Lesson Pack includes a comprehensive, easy-to-follow lesson plan, visually engaging teaching slides for input sessions, and a variety of printable resources to support meaningful independent and collaborative learning activities.

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Active Citizenship

In the final lesson, children explore the actions they can take to fulfil their social responsibilities as global citizens, focusing on making informed decisions and taking meaningful action for positive change.

Children participate in practical initiatives such as organising a recycling event to handle difficult-to-recycle household items or hosting a repair café where they repair or upcycle old clothing from home. These hands-on projects highlight the importance of sustainability and active citizenship.

This Active Citizenship KS2 lesson pack includes an easy-to-follow plan, a set of informative slides for the teaching input, activity ideas and a range of printable resources to support children's learning.

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This Year 4 PSHE Knowledge Organiser has been created to complement our PSHE Social Awareness strand. It is designed to support your children’s understanding of key vocabulary linked to this scheme of work. A thinking question and a big idea have been included to encourage your children to think deeply about this topic.

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