Brexit Explained: 2 full lessons

Two full lessons explaining the Brexit referendum and the current deadlock in parliament. Planned for Year 8 but would probably be fine for any secondary age. Special care has been taken to make sure the lessons are unbiased and they have been checked by leave and remain voters.

Lesson one:
Lesson enquiry: Should we leave or remain in the EU?
Learning objectives:

• To know what the European Union is.
• To understand the arguments for and against Brexit.
• To be able to say which way you would have voted in the Brexit referendum.

Lesson activities:

• Bell work/starter: students to write any questions they have about Brexit on a post-it note.
• Second starter: match the Brexit terminology to the definition.
• Teacher talk: explain what the European Union is and the 3 key features of being a member of the EU. All required knowledge is provided on the slides.
• Video: students to watch the video and note down the role of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice.
• Sorting activity: students to sort the arguments for leave and remain. 7 arguments on each side provided. Extension tasks provided.
• Class debate: debate whether the UK should leave or remain in the EU in the parliamentary style, with one student appointed as the Speaker. You can take this a step further and divide the class into the government and the opposition if you like.
• Plenary: return to the post-it notes from the start of the lesson and see which ones students can answer now. Save any they cannot answer for next lesson.
• Exit ticket: before students leave, get them to drop a post-it note in the ballot for “leave” or “remain”, depending on which way they would have voted in the referendum.

Lesson two
Lesson enquiry: What should Brexit look like?
Learning objectives:

• To know what has happened with regards to Brexit in the 2 years since the referendum.
• To understand the different options being debated in parliament currently.
• To be able to evaluate what you think the best option for the UK is moving forward.

Lesson activities:

• Starter: quiz recapping learning from previous lesson.
• Show students the Brexit timeline from Jun 2016 - present day and think pair share why they think Brexit is taking so long. Linking back to previous lesson.
• Give students the sheet with Theresa May’s Brexit deal on. Students to read through and do a thought bubble each for what a supporter and an opponent would think of it.
• Teacher talk: explain why May’s Brexit deal has been rejected twice by parliament (Irish backstop issue). All necessary knowledge is on the slides. Link with optional videos on the N.I. situation provided. Opportunity for students to discuss what they think of May’s deal and the backstop issue.
• Teacher talk: explain what’s happened recently and what could happen next with regards to Brexit. All information provided on slides.
• Students to discuss/debate what they think should