Personal & social development // Responsible Decision-Making
Vocabulary: ethics and citizenship
Know and use the vocabulary of ethics and citizenship — bullying, cyberbullying, bystander, upstander, peer pressure, digital citizenship, rights, responsibility, and ethical — and understand the distinctions between these closely related terms
Quick check
If the learner saw someone being treated unkindly online and you asked them about it, could they explain the difference between being a bystander and an upstander — and what 'digital citizenship' means?
Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.
Topic // Mastery
What mastery looks like
- Explain what 'ethics' means in their own words and give an example of an ethical dilemma
- Use 'citizen', 'rights', and 'responsibilities' correctly — e.g. 'A citizen has the right to vote and the responsibility to follow laws'
- Define 'consent' and 'integrity' and explain why they matter in relationships and online behaviour
Topic // Map
Where this fits
- RequiredMust come first
- HelpfulHelps, but not essential
Before this
0 topicsNothing in the catalogue comes before this topic, so it is a good place to start.
You are here
Vocabulary: ethics and citizenship
Ages 7 to 11 // Language
Leads to
6 topics- Bystanders and UpstandersRequired
Responsible Decision-Making // Ages 7 to 9
The bystander/upstander distinction is entirely vocabulary-dependent — these specific terms must be taught first
- Understanding BullyingRequired
Responsible Decision-Making // Ages 7 to 9
Understanding bullying requires precise vocabulary distinguishing bullying types including 'cyberbullying'
- Basic digital citizenshipRequired
Responsible Decision-Making // Ages 7 to 9
Digital citizenship as a concept requires knowing the term and vocabulary of 'rights', 'responsibility', and 'ethical'
- Peer Pressure and Resisting ItRequired
Responsible Decision-Making // Ages 9 to 11
Peer pressure as a concept requires knowing the term 'peer pressure' and vocabulary of 'rights' and 'responsibility'
Responsible Decision-Making // Ages 9 to 11
Rights and responsibilities as a framework requires precise vocabulary distinguishing these two related concepts
- Stop, Think, Then ChooseHelpful
Responsible Decision-Making // Ages 7 to 9
Decision-making process applies vocabulary of 'ethical', 'consequence', and 'responsibility'
Personal & social development // Responsible Decision-Making
More in Responsible Decision-Making
- Ethics in Real-World IssuesAges 9 to 11Thinking skillEvaluate the ethical dimensions of real-world issues they encounter — such as environmental responsibility, fairness in sport, digital ethics, or social justice…
- Difficult Ethical ChoicesAges 9 to 11ConceptUnderstand that ethical decisions are not always black and white — that sometimes there is no perfect answer and reasonable people can disagree — and practise…
- Risk, Uncertainty, and Cognitive BiasAges 11 to 12ConceptDistinguish between risk (decisions with known probabilities) and uncertainty (decisions with unknown outcomes); identify cognitive biases that distort risk…
- Vocabulary: making decisions and keeping safeAges 5 to 8LanguageKnow and use the vocabulary of making decisions and keeping safe — choice, consequence, rule, safe, fair, honest, trusted adult, and right and wrong — and…
- Actions and Their ConsequencesAges 5 to 7ConceptUnderstand that actions have consequences — that what you choose to do affects both yourself and other people — and begin to think about what might happen…
- Right and Wrong ChoicesAges 5 to 7ConceptKnow the difference between right and wrong in familiar everyday situations — understanding basic rules about honesty, not hurting others, respecting others'…
- Rules and agreements existAges 5 to 7ConceptUnderstand why rules and agreements exist — that they help keep people safe, make things fair, and help groups work well together — and follow agreed rules…
- Everyday Safety AwarenessAges 5 to 7MethodKeep themselves safe in everyday situations — knowing basic safety rules about roads, strangers, water, and the internet — and understanding who their trusted…