Cambridge Global PerspectivesTM Challenge – Stage 6

Skills focus: Communication – Respecting myself and others

Topic: Obeying the law

Learners analyse the need for laws in different scenarios such as sports, school, towns and countries. They
take part in discussions about what would happen if everyone could do what they wanted and why laws are
important, listening to others’ ideas, asking relevant questions, and evaluating how far they agree or
disagree with others’ perspectives. By the end of this Challenge, learners will present to a class committee
their proposal for changes to existing school rules or for creating new rules, outlining the issue and how
their proposal will address the issue and create positive change.

Learning objectives

Communication

56Cm.01 Present information clearly with an appropriate structure and with some reference to sources
where appropriate.

56Cm.02 Listen to ideas and information about an issue and ask questions relevant to the issue.

Analysis

56A.04 Suggest and justify an action to make a positive difference to a local issue.

Evaluation

56E.02 Discuss own opinion about another's perspective, identifying points you agree or disagree with.

Success criteria

Success criteria help you and your learners know when a learning objective has been achieved. You
can find guidance about using success criteria in the Cambridge Primary Global Perspectives Teacher
Guide.
Here are some examples of success criteria:
• Learners listen to others during whole class discussions and demonstrate interest in
understanding others’ points of view by asking questions about the different reasons we need
rules and laws.
• Learners present their proposal clearly, with structure and with references to relevant sources, to
a whole class committee on how their school can be improved.

Cambridge Primary Global Perspectives Challenge – Stage 6 1

 Success criteria

• Learners discuss the existing school rules, considering their effectiveness and whether they
should be amended or if new ones should be created to improve their school.
• In their presentation, learners justify their proposal for a new or amended rule explaining how it
will lead to an improvement in their school.

Cambridge Primary Global Perspectives Challenge – Stage 6 2

 Personal Local Global

Activities (sequence)

What are the rules of the game?

Learners play a game called ‘Guess my rule’. In teams they try to get a ball through a marked
space (Teacher Resource – Respecting myself and others T6.1)
Tell learners that they must do this without knowing the rules of the game. Only you know the rules and
learners cannot ask what they are. The aim is for learners to score a goal without breaking the rules.
After the time is up, ask the learners:
• What did you think about the game? Was it good? Bad? Fair?
• How did you know that there were some rules?
• How did you feel about not knowing what the rules were?
In groups, learners write down the rules of the game. Learners share their findings with the whole group
to confirm the rules.
Lead a whole class discussion about the rules of the game, for example, if the game felt orderly or
chaotic, what were the consequences of breaking the rules, who created the rules and why, and would
knowing the rules before starting the game have changed their experience.
This activity can be extended by asking a group from the class to introduce a new, unknown rule to the
game. Learners play the game again and guess the rule. After the activity, discuss the idea of power.
How did the learners playing the game feel about the learners who set the new rule? Is it fair to allow
some learners to set the rule and not others?

What rules do I follow every day?

Over the course of a day, learners write down all the rules they follow at school, at home, in the
sports they play or clubs they participate in (Learner Resource – Respecting myself and others L6.2).
In the classroom, learners work in pairs to compare how many rules they found.
As a whole group, ask students if they were surprised by the number of rules they follow each day.
Lead a discussion on what would happen if everyone could do whatever they wanted at home or at
school. Do they think much learning would take place?
You may want to remind learners of the ground rules for discussions. For example:
• Listen respectfully, without interrupting.
• Listen actively to understand others' views.
• Challenge ideas, not individuals.
• Avoid blame, speculation and inflammatory language.
• Allow everyone the chance to speak.
Not all learners feel confident sharing their views with the whole class and may feel more comfortable
working in pairs or small groups. They can appoint a spokesperson to share the group’s views.

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 Activities (sequence)

Encourage learners to share their reasoning by asking “Why do you think that?” Learners identify
aspects of others’ views from the discussion that they agree or disagree with, and state the reasons
why.
Introduce learners to the idea that we live in communities together and therefore we must respect each
other to live in harmony. Take this opportunity to introduce moral dilemmas such as copying someone’s
homework or stealing something from a shop. How are these actions harmful to life in society? The
following themes may arise:
• Equality: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights or opportunities.
• Fairness: impartial treatment; lack of favouritism toward one side or another.
• Respect: recognising, appreciating and acknowledging the thoughts, wishes, rights or feelings
of others.

Why do we need laws?

Establish that we must have rules that we mostly all agree with to live together.
Breaking rules at home or at school may have consequences, such as time out or detention, and these
rules are known as informal rules. To live and function in a society we must follow important formal rules
that apply to everyone in a particular community. These rules are known as laws and breaking them can
have more serious consequences, such as going to jail or paying a fine.
Use (Teacher Resource – Respecting myself and others T6.3) to explore some examples. Learners
may want to explore how these compare locally or to places they have visited.
After learners have discussed the pros and cons of specific laws in their groups, start a whole class
discussion entitled “Why do we need laws?” Learners may consider:
• Who these rules or laws protect.
• Where they are enforced, e.g. in our school only, nationally or through international
associations.
• What the consequences are if the rule or law is broken.
• When the rule or law was established, why and by whom.

What can we do to improve our school?

Recap the conclusions from the whole class discussion about why we need laws. Bring
the focus to the school and ask learners why it is necessary to have effective school rules: for example,
to be able to learn effectively, to give every learner a chance to develop themselves, to prepare for
living in society as adults.
Learners work in groups to brainstorm issues in the school that could be addressed with a new rule or
by an amendment to an existing rule. They should analyse and refer to the effectiveness of an existing
rule. Ask learners to consider different ways to communicate the change to the rest of the school and
any other groups affected, e.g. the local community. For example, deliver a presentation to the people
that will benefit most from the improvement (Learner Resource – Respecting myself and others L6.4).
This activity can be extended by asking learners to survey school staff and other learners to identify the
most urgent issues.

Cambridge Primary Global Perspectives Challenge – Stage 6 4

 Activities (sequence)

Learners in their groups collate all their ideas and choose one to propose to the whole class, who will
act as a committee. Each group prepares a 5-minute presentation including:
• Outline of the issue.
• The new or amended rule.
• Reasons to support the new or amended rule.
• How their proposal will lead to positive change.
• The consequences if the rule is broken.
Remind learners of the success criteria for presenting information clearly:
• follows an appropriate structure
• makes references to some sources used during research.
Groups take turns presenting their new or amended rules. The listening learners ask questions and
eventually cast their vote on whether the rule should be adopted. If all listening learners agree, there is
consensus, and the rule can go forward. If one or more learners disagree then it is not taken forward
and:
• must be reviewed, considering the need and effectiveness of the rule
• if it is to be implemented, consider how it will be disseminated around the school.
Learners can write a letter to the Head Teacher proposing the new or amended rule, or the group
whose proposal was supported can present it to the Head Teacher.

Cambridge Primary Global Perspectives Challenge – Stage 6 5

 Challenge resources

Provided by Cambridge

Teacher Resource – Respecting myself and others T6.1

Learner Resource – Respecting myself and others L6.2
Teacher Resource – Respecting myself and others T6.3
Learner Resource – Respecting myself and others L6.4

Other resources

© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2022

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