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Ideas for Teachers

Overview

Access to Justice has been developed to help people gain a better understanding of the justice system.

Possible Curriculum Links

Access to Justice has links to the social studies curriculum. The ideas for teachers are not intended to fulfill a complete unit of work addressing an achievement objective. However, these activities, and the content on the website, may fit well in other topics, such as human rights, social justice in society, or how nations set up governments and institutions to protect the rights of their citizens. The activities could be adapted to suit the needs of students working at levels 3-6 of the curriculum.

Social Studies Achievement Objectives

Access to Justice could be embedded in the following social studies achievement objectives:

Social Organisation

Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

  • Level 3
    • how and why people make and implement rules and laws.
  • Level 4
    • how and why people exercise their rights and meet their responsibilities.
  • Level 5
    • how systems of government are organised and affect people's lives;
    • how and why people seek to gain and maintain social justice and human rights.
  • Level 6
    • how and why people organise themselves to review systems and institutions in society;
    • the effects of changes in society on people's rights, roles, and responsibilities.
Perspectives

Current issues, the future

Settings

New Zealand

Essential Learning about New Zealand Society
  • The origins, development, and operation of systems of government and law, of the franchise, and of local and national democratic institutions.
Social Studies Concepts
  • Organisation, democracy, government systems, rights, responsibilities, authority, community, society, roles, participation, and social action.
Essential Skills
  • Communication skills, information skills, problem-solving skills, and social and cooperative skills.
The Social Studies Processes

The listed activities in the ideas for teachers draw on aspects of all three of the social studies processes:

  1. Inquiry processes
  2. Values exploration
  3. Social decision making.

Elements on the website could also be used to support the study of systems of government and how nations set up institutions to protect their citizens.

Useful additional resources include:

  • Understanding the Law - a collection of videos and workbooks that investigate different elements of the legal system
  • A range of material on the DecisionMaker Guide to Parliament and Government website.