This lesson plan was first published in Teach Primary magazine issue 18.2 You can see a copy of the article at the end of this post. You can download the article and a set of accompanying free resources here.

How do democracies work? Why do we need a free and enquiring press? This lesson explores these big questions. With an election due shortly, these are hot topics to explore in PSHE lessons.

Keeping the world fair and truthful is a topic children get excited about and so is learning about how the world works. Yet how do children know what is truthful? How do they know the difference between a fact and an opinion?

With a general election due in soon, and the role of the press and social media under the microscope, now is a great time to start educating our future voters about the structure of their government and how the press holds them to account.

What they'll learn

·       How democracies work.

·       The three branches of government and what they do.

·       Why we need a free press to hold government to account.

·       What is reporting bias and how to spot it.

Start here

Ask students "What rules do we follow at school and home?" discuss how some people might make the rules and others have to ensure they are followed. Explain that countries also have rules and ways in which these rules are made.

Briefly explain how democracies function, covering the three branches of government and what they do (executive, legislature, and judiciary). As an imperfect analogy, you could relate this to lunchtime rules: the headteacher proposes them; teachers shape them for their classes; MSAs apply the rules.  Discuss the role elections play in democracies and how free and fair elections should work. You may be able to relate this to student council elections in your school to TV shows that allow viewers to vote. For brevity, we are not discussing monarchies and presidencies.

Main lesson

Introduce the idea of transparency and how truth and accountability is needed to keep democracies functioning. Discuss the need for transparency in the classroom. Introduce the concept of the free press and explain its importance in a democracy. Frame how the free press helps to inform people, holds the government accountable, and protects freedom of speech. Discuss media as "watchdogs", there to keep an eye on elected leaders and ensure they are doing what was promised in elections. This is where you can discuss recent examples of where the press has uncovered misconduct such as Partygate or the mass sackings at P&O Ferries.

Now explain that the free press does not always provide neutral or unbiased reporting. How different news outlets may have different perspectives or slants on the same issue. Without explanation of their possible political bias, allow time for children to read the news articles from the BBC, Independent and Daily Mail on the banning of plastic straws. Ask children to explain any bias they identified and why they think it is biased. 

Take a pause to discuss the political spectrum. Work through the slides that start with a simple Left/Right explanation. This is then expanded upon to include the axis of economics, social issues, individual identity and national identify:

·        Economics: how much government involvement there should be in the economy. At one end of the spectrum are those who believe in a strong social safety net and government regulation of the economy, while at the other end are those who believe in a free-market economy and minimal government interference.

·        Social issues: how much freedom there should be in society. At one end of the spectrum are those who believe in individual liberty and limited government intervention in people's lives, while at the other end are those who believe in more social control and government regulation of personal behaviour.

·        Individual identity: emphasis there should be on individual identity and group differences. At one end of the spectrum are those who believe that everyone should be treated the same, while at the other end are those who believe that people's identities are important, and that society should recognise and respect these differences.

·        National Identity: how much power should be given to international organisations and governments. At one end of the spectrum are those who believe in a strong national identity and that governments should focus on domestic issues, while at the other end are those who believe in international cooperation and that governments should work together to address global challenges.

Children may find this puzzling, but that is the point. Politics is more nuanced than a simple left/right divide. Make it clear that there is not a right or wrong point of view and that people should try to disagree agreeably and find a middle ground in their debates.

Give children the articles on free school meals to read. Can they identify the political leanings of the BBC, Guardian and the Daily Mail? What evidence can they draw from the texts?

Conclude the lesson with looking at times when political bias in reporting has led to democracies not being held to account. Partygate is a given as an example due to this being a recent story, but you could use one of your own choosing. End by discussing why children think we will need a free and enquiring press in the upcoming General Election.

Extending the lesson

·       Show children manifestos for political parties: can they judge the political leanings of the parties?

·       Give children news articles from a website and ask them to judge the general bias of the reporting.

·       Research and write about an example of the press holding the government to account. This could involve researching a historical scandal, a current event, or a local issue.

·       Give children a range of social issues to ponder and then consider their own worldview based on the political spectrums looked at in the lesson.

Useful questions

·       What is a “free” press?

·       Why is a free press important in a functional democracy?

·       What is political bias? Why should you care about bias?