A Magna Carta for the 21st century – Activity Guide
Student preparation
Ask students to download and watch the recorded programme Magna Carta and the story of our Human Rights
at home.
Part 1
Task: In groups of four, ask students to write down on a large sheet of paper the rights that they currently enjoy
(e.g. freedom of speech).
Share the groups’ thoughts on the whiteboard, asking a nominee from each group to write down a right and
explain why they chose that particular one.
Question: Ask students if they can imagine a world without rights.
Explain that before Magna Carta no one had written-down, basic human rights.
Part 2
Re-watch the section from the programme about the relevance of the Magna Carta in the present day.
Explain that, of the 63 clauses from the Magna Carta, only three are still part of the law today:
Clause 1: The freedom of the English Church
Clause 13: The right of the city of London to enjoy its ancient liberties and free customs
Clauses 39 & 40: The right to trial by jury
As a class, discuss whether the Magna Carta is still relevant today.
Part 3
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Task: Students work in pairs to complete the Magna Carta for the 21 Century Worksheet, inventing clauses
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for a 21 century Magna Carta.
Students should consider:
 What would make the biggest difference to their lives and the lives of other people?
 How will their new clauses affect people differently in other countries around the world?
 How could the clauses be enforced?
Regroup and, as a class, discuss the clauses that have been written, following the order of the headings in the
worksheet if you have used them. How many ideas were duplicated around the class?
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Then, as a class, reach a consensus on the clauses that should be included in a 21 century Magna Carta. Write
them down up on the whiteboard or on a computer.
Part 4
Vote: Ask students who would ‘seal’ their Magna Carta if it were to be ratified today. Listen to a few ideas as a
class and then ask students to write down their choice on a piece of paper. Ask students to play a game of
Magna Carta ‘hangman’ while the vote is counted before revealing who the winner is.
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