You will learn
- Explain discrimination and how it harms.
- Distinguish bullying from disagreement.
- Describe protective principles.
- Practise upstander actions.
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
- Discrimination harms people and communities.
- Bullying is repeated and meant to hurt.
- Laws and rules protect equal treatment.
- Upstanders act safely and kindly.
Words to know
a person who acts safely to help when someone is treated unfairly
repeated unkind behaviour meant to hurt or control someone
a judgement about someone formed before knowing them
a shared promise to welcome and respect everyone
1. Discover: The new pupil at the gate
Mr Cole tells a made-up story. Sam is new at school and sits alone. Some pupils say unkind things about his accent. Lola notices, sits with him and invites him to join a game. Later she tells a teacher what happened. “Lola was an upstander,” Mr Cole says. “She did not shout or fight. She acted safely: she included Sam and told a trusted adult.” Pupils design a pledge that says: “We welcome everyone.”
Think: What is one safe thing you could do when someone is left out?
2. Understand: Discrimination and inclusion
Idea 1: Forms and harms
Discrimination can happen because of gender, disability, age, ethnicity, belief, poverty or other characteristics. It harms people’s dignity, health, learning and chances, and it weakens trust in a community. Prejudice is a judgement formed without knowing someone, and it can lead to discrimination.
Idea 2: Bullying and laws
Bullying is repeated unkind behaviour meant to hurt or control. Disagreement is different: people can disagree respectfully. Constitutions and laws, and treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, protect equal treatment.
Idea 3: Becoming an upstander
An upstander acts safely to help: including others, speaking kindly, supporting the person, and telling a trusted adult. Schools can create an inclusion pledge and clear rules so everyone feels safe and welcome. If someone is in danger, always get an adult.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Define
Upstander.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Person who safely helps.
Example 2 (We do it together): Define
Prejudice.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Judging before knowing.
Example 3 (You try): Name
One safe upstander action.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Include someone.
Did you know?
Many schools run buddy systems so new pupils always have a friend to sit with on their first days.
Why this matters
Inclusion makes schools safe and helps everyone learn.
4. Explore: Our inclusion pledge
In groups, read three fictional situations where someone is left out or teased. For each, choose a safe upstander action. Then write a five-line class inclusion pledge and decorate it.
- Read.
- Choose.
- Write.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Small safe actions make a big difference.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- An upstander is ___.
- Bullying is ___.
- Prejudice is ___.
- A pledge is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is an upstander?
Safe helper.
Question 2. What is bullying?
Repeated hurting.
Question 3. What is prejudice?
Judging first.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is an upstander?
- What is bullying?
- What is prejudice?
- What is inclusion?
- Name an action.
Level 2: Grow
- Why safe actions?
- Why tell an adult?
- Why pledge?
Level 3: Stretch
- Read the cases.
- Choose actions.
- Write the pledge.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Explain the difference between bullying and disagreement and one upstander action.
Show a sample answer
Repeated and hurting; include someone.
Another one. Share your class pledge with an adult at home.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It hurts people.
Fix: They act safely and get help.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can explain discrimination and how it harms.
- I can distinguish bullying from disagreement.
- I can describe protective principles.
- I can practise upstander actions.
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
- Discrimination harms people and communities.
- Bullying is repeated and meant to hurt.
- Laws and rules protect equal treatment.
- Upstanders act safely and kindly.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Peaceful conflict resolution. 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 prejudice and upstander. [2 marks]
- Give three safe upstander actions. [3 marks]
- Explain how discrimination harms a community. [3 marks]
- Explain why we tell an adult. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Prejudice [1]; upstander [1]
- Three [3]
- Harm [1]; trust [1]; example [1]
- Reason [1]; example [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 upstander?
- What is bullying?
- What is prejudice?
- What is inclusion?
- Name an action.
- Why safe actions?
- Why tell an adult?
- Why pledge?
- Read the cases.
- Choose actions.
Homework
Draw a pledge poster.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is an upstander? | Safe helper. | 1 |
| 2. What is bullying? | Repeated hurting. | 1 |
| 3. What is prejudice? | Judging first. | 1 |
| 4. What is inclusion? | Everyone belongs. | 1 |
| 5. Name an action. | Include someone. | 1 |
| 6. Why safe actions? | Protect everyone. | 1 |
| 7. Why tell an adult? | Get help. | 1 |
| 8. Why pledge? | Shared promise. | 1 |
| 9. Read the cases. | Read. | 1 |
| 10. Choose actions. | Choose. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Safe helper.; 2 Repeated hurting.; 3 Judging first.; 4 Everyone belongs.; 5 Include someone.. Level 2: 1 Protect everyone.; 2 Get help.; 3 Shared promise.. Level 3: 1 Read.; 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 Explain discrimination and how it harms | 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 bullying from disagreement | 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 Describe protective principles | 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 Practise upstander actions | 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: “Bullying is just joking.” It hurts people.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make an inclusion pledge.
- 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 studies inclusion and safe ways to help others. Please talk about kindness and telling a trusted adult. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Praise kindness.
- Listen calmly.
- Contact school if worried.
- 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: explain discrimination and how it harms; distinguish bullying from disagreement; describe protective principles; practise upstander actions.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 6 ideas: dignity, human rights, children’s rights, responsibilities, equality and fairness.
Materials. Situation cards, poster paper. 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 situation cards.
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 new pupil at the gate story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach inclusion.
Guided activity (10 min). Our inclusion pledge.
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. How can we stop discrimination and build inclusion?
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. “Bullying is just joking.” It hurts people.
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 inclusion pledge. 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 6, topic 6; NCSS C3 Framework, civic virtues and democratic principles, participation and deliberation; Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities, rights and responsibilities; IB Primary Years Programme, sharing the planet and how we organise ourselves. These sources informed the lesson.