The Commonwealth

Defence diplomacy and disaster relief

Synopsis

The topics for discussion in this lesson are focused on the Commonwealth and the different ways in which the Ministry of Defence (MOD) works alongside and provides support to Commonwealth countries. This lesson uses a range of stimuli, from a variety of sources, to help students develop their ability to compile justified and valid arguments for use in a class debate. Three case studies, with supporting multi-media resources, look at the Caribbean region, Belize and Sierra Leone to demonstrate some of the different ways in which the MOD has given support. This lesson closes with a brief introduction to Commonwealth Day and the Commonwealth Games, and highlights their significance to Commonwealth countries.

MOD Topic

Defence diplomacy and disaster relief

Curriculum Checklist

England: m. n.
Northern Ireland: Learning for life and work, Local and Global Citizenship.
Scotland: National Priorities in Education - Values and Citizenship.
Wales: Sustainable development and global citizenship.

Curriculum Links

• History
• English
• Geography
• Physical Education

Prior Knowledge

A basic understanding of world geography.
An awareness of the various international governing bodies that help develop global policy e.g. NATO, UN, EU.

Learning Outcomes

Lower ability students will:

• Know what the Commonwealth is, be able to identify some Commonwealth countries, and be able to explain some of the different ways in which the MOD works to support Commonwealth countries.
• Be able to understand and grasp different types of information (multi-media, statistics, case studies and news articles) to help form ideas.
• Know that the Commonwealth invests in global events like the Commonwealth Games and to build an understanding of the motivations behind individual events.
• Know that the Commonwealth arose from the British Empire.

Average ability students will:

• Understand what the Commonwealth aims to achieve, be able to identify some Commonwealth countries, and be able to explain, using relevant examples, the different ways in which the MOD works to support Commonwealth countries.
• Be able to understand and grasp different types of information (multi-media, statistics, case studies and news articles) to help construct arguments.
• Recognise why the Commonwealth invests in global occasions like the Commonwealth Games and to identify the motivations behind the individual events.
• Understand the origins of the Commonwealth and to know that it arose from the British Empire.

Higher ability students will:

• Understand what the Commonwealth aims to achieve, be able to identify some Commonwealth countries, and be able to explain, using relevant and real examples, the different ways in which the MOD works to support Commonwealth countries.
• Be able to understand and grasp different types of information (multi-media, statistics, case studies and news articles) to help construct strong and plausible arguments.
• Recognise why the Commonwealth invests in global occasions like the Commonwealth Games and to identify and understand the motivations behind the individual events.
• Have a clear understanding on the origins of the Commonwealth and how it arose from the British Empire.

Lesson code

C1