You will learn
- Define international organisation, member state, NGO.
- Distinguish global/regional and governmental/non-governmental.
- Name examples.
- Explain limits.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- International organisations are set up by treaties.
- They can be global or regional.
- NGOs are independent of governments.
- They depend on member agreement and funds.
Words to know
a group set up by several countries or people to work together across borders
a country that belongs to an international organisation
a non-governmental organisation, an independent group working on public causes
a founding document that sets out an organisation’s aims and rules
1. Discover: Sorting the alphabet
Ms Smith pins up cards with abbreviations: UN, WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, WTO, AU, ECOWAS, MRU and ICRC. “Sort them,” she says. “Some belong to the whole world, like the UN; some are regional, like the African Union. Some are formed by governments, like the WTO; others, like the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, are independent humanitarian organisations.” She explains that member states agree on a charter and meet to decide. “They can act only as far as members agree and fund them.”
Think: Why might it be useful to have both governments and NGOs working on the same problem?
2. Understand: International organisations
Idea 1: What they are
An international organisation is created by countries (and sometimes people) to work together across borders. Governments form intergovernmental organisations by signing treaties or a charter. Member states meet, make rules, share funds and often employ a secretariat of staff.
Idea 2: Types and examples
Global examples include the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Regional examples include the African Union (AU), ECOWAS and the Mano River Union. NGOs, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, are independent of governments.
Idea 3: Strengths and limits
International organisations can share information, set standards, coordinate help and give a place for talks. They depend on members’ agreement, funding and cooperation, and they respect member states’ sovereignty. They cannot do everything, so many levels of cooperation are needed.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Define
Member state.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: A country in an organisation.
Example 2 (We do it together): Define
NGO.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Independent public-cause group.
Example 3 (You try): Name
A regional organisation.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: ECOWAS.
Did you know?
The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in 1863 and inspired the first Geneva Conventions on protecting people in war.
Why this matters
Knowing organisations helps us understand who does what in the world.
4. Explore: Organisation sort
Sort nine organisation cards by scope (global or regional) and type (intergovernmental or NGO). Choose one and write a fact file: full name, year founded (from the pack), aim, and one example of its work.
- Sort.
- Choose.
- Research.
- Write.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Organisations differ in members and aims.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- An international organisation is ___.
- A member state is ___.
- An NGO is ___.
- A charter is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is an international organisation?
Set up to cooperate.
Question 2. What is a member state?
A country in it.
Question 3. What is an NGO?
Independent group.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is an international organisation?
- What is a member state?
- What is an NGO?
- What is a charter?
- Name an example.
Level 2: Grow
- Why treaties?
- Why NGOs?
- Why limits?
Level 3: Stretch
- Sort cards.
- Choose one.
- Write the fact file.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Explain the difference between an intergovernmental organisation and an NGO with an example.
Show a sample answer
UN vs Red Cross.
Another one. Look up an international organisation with an adult using an approved source.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It is an organisation of member states.
Fix: NGOs are independent.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can define international organisation, member state, NGO.
- I can distinguish global/regional and governmental/non-governmental.
- I can name examples.
- I can explain limits.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- International organisations are set up by treaties.
- They can be global or regional.
- NGOs are independent of governments.
- They depend on member agreement and funds.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: United Nations introduction. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Define member state and NGO. [2 marks]
- Name three international organisations. [3 marks]
- Explain the difference between global and regional organisations. [3 marks]
- Explain one limit on international organisations. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Member state [1]; NGO [1]
- Three [3]
- Global [1]; regional [1]; example [1]
- Limit [1]; reason [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is an international organisation?
- What is a member state?
- What is an NGO?
- What is a charter?
- Name an example.
- Why treaties?
- Why NGOs?
- Why limits?
- Sort cards.
- Choose one.
Homework
Draw an organisations chart.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is an international organisation? | Set up to cooperate. | 1 |
| 2. What is a member state? | A country in it. | 1 |
| 3. What is an NGO? | Independent group. | 1 |
| 4. What is a charter? | Founding document. | 1 |
| 5. Name an example. | UN. | 1 |
| 6. Why treaties? | Binding agreement. | 1 |
| 7. Why NGOs? | Independent help. | 1 |
| 8. Why limits? | Members decide. | 1 |
| 9. Sort cards. | Sort. | 1 |
| 10. Choose one. | Choose. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Set up to cooperate.; 2 A country in it.; 3 Independent group.; 4 Founding document.; 5 UN.. Level 2: 1 Binding agreement.; 2 Independent help.; 3 Members decide.. Level 3: 1 Sort.; 2 Choose.; 3 Write..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Define international organisation, member state, NGO | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Distinguish global/regional and governmental/non-governmental | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Name examples | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Explain limits | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “The UN is a world government.” It is an organisation of member states.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make an organisation chart.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child sorts international organisations and writes a fact file. Please look at a world map. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Use a map.
- Ask about organisations.
- Stay neutral.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: define international organisation, member state, NGO; distinguish global/regional and governmental/non-governmental; name examples; explain limits.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 6 ideas: Africa’s regional cooperation and global connections, economic interdependence, human rights and sustainable development.
Materials. Organisation cards, fact packs. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Prepare cards and packs.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the sorting the alphabet story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach international organisations.
Guided activity (10 min). Organisation sort.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What are international organisations and what do they do?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “The UN is a world government.” It is an organisation of member states.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Make an organisation chart. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 6 Unit 10, topic 2; NCSS C3 Framework, global connections, civic and political institutions; Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities, international cooperation; IB Primary Years Programme, sharing the planet and how we organise ourselves. These sources informed the lesson.