1. Bellwork
Underneath some chairs in the room are a pack of chocolate buttons. If you have one, you can choose what to do with it. In exactly 5 minutes, we will be in our seats and looking at today’s learning objectives.
DO NOT tell students what is going on. Just leave the bellwork on the board and watch the mayhem unfold. Only put 5 packs of buttons under chairs and secure with sticky tape. Pick at random, but it works best with a range of learners – top achiever, popular student vs less popular student etc. Students can choose what to do with them and other students can sway their decisions if they want to and feel they can, but don’t tell them this – just leave them to figure it out themselves.
Project: Political Ideologies. School: Chalfonts Community College, Buckinghamshire. Date: September 2016

2. What will I learn today? Title: Political ideologies
LO: To investigate the nature and purpose of political ideologies
Knowledge:
To know what different political ideologies there are
Skills:
To reflect on how I think a political system should work.

3. Back to bellwork
What did each person choose to do with their chocolate?
Did their decision get swayed in any way by others?
Who made the best decisions?
Who made the worst?
How do we measure which was best and worst?
This discussion should lead to key concepts – the idea that some chose selfishly and others chose equality. Some may have chosen just their friends – is this OK? If it’s their property awarded to them at random, should they be allowed to do what they want with it or should they have to share it?
It may lead to discussions about why the teacher chose those chairs in particular – if at random, is this fair?
Are the best decisions the ones that benefit most people or the ones that benefit the chosen ones most?
Note that the lesson and SOW goes on to look at political ideologies, so the discussions need to be thinking about equality, fairness, justice, leadership and power. You could write these words on the whiteboard as key terms for the lesson as they arise in discussion.

4. Political ideologies
A political ideology is a set of ethics or ideals upon which a society is run.
What do you think the main political ideals of the UK are?
Why do you think it is important to have a set of political ideals?

5. The Left vs. Right Political Spectrum
Different ideologies
The Left vs. Right Political Spectrum
Image of spectrum available at
Print handouts and put in plastic wallets to save for future classes.
In your groups, you’ll have information on one political ideology.
Note that this list is not exclusive.
Complete your table for the ideology you have been given, then you will move around the room to find the rest of the information from other groups.

6. Fascism This is a right wing system.
They reject liberal views and enforce their views on their societies.
They do not reject violence and prepare their state for it at any time to preserve the political ideology.
They are sometimes called ‘dictatorships’ and an example of this is Mussolini’s power in Italy,
Do this together as an example to show the depth of notes needed. This is just 4 sentences, but it should show students what is needed.

7. Group task
You have 6 minutes to read your handout in your group and complete your table for that particular ideology.
You then have 15 minutes to get the rest of the table filled in by talking to peers in the class who did other ideologies.
There is a challenge on the sheet to think about too!

8. Reflection Which of these ideologies do you think are best and why?
Which are worst and why?
Which seem most similar to how the UK works – and are you happy about this?

9. What have I learnt today?
What are the definitions of these key terms from today’s lesson?
Ideology
Anarchy
Communism
Socialism
Fascism
Liberalism
Conservativism
Verbal plenary