The King Reigns, Parliament RulesFrom Magna Carta to Downing Street
The King Reigns, Parliament Rules: From Magna Carta to Downing Street
- Key question
- Who really holds power in the United Kingdom today, and how did the King lose it?
- Classes
- Terminale (main) and Première, general and technological lycée. B1 to B2, with C1 extensions.
- Curriculum
- French national curriculum of 29 May 2025. Terminale: theme 6, The United Kingdom and its nations (study topic: a Kingdom still united?), with theme 5, Citizenship and virtual worlds, and the study topic on political speech in theme 4. Première: theme 3, Art and power.
- Organisation
- Eight sessions of 55 minutes. Each one opens with a marked recap and ends with Homework. In every session, the language comes from what students need to say: words in action, one grammar point with its rule, figures of speech found in the documents, and an expression task, each with entry, core and stretch tiers. Answers are hidden by default.
- Final task
- A three-minute speech as a new MP, or an op-ed of 250 to 300 words, with an assessment grid.
- Adapted version
- Every page exists in an adapted version for dyslexic students: key words first, short sentences, audio, sentence starters.
The eight sessions
Session 1Who's in charge? The King, the Prime Minister and Parliament
Who has the real power in the United Kingdom: the King, the Prime Minister or Parliament?Session 2Runnymede, 15 June 1215: the barons against King John
Why did a king accept to put limits on his own power?Session 3Magna Carta's long life: from England to the world
Why does a medieval charter still matter today?Session 41689: the Bill of Rights and the end of absolute monarchy
How did Parliament become stronger than the King?Session 5The King reigns but does not rule
If the King has no real power, what is he for?Session 6Parliament: the Commons and the Lords
How does a bill become a law in Westminster?Session 7Number 10: the Prime Minister at the centre
How does someone become Prime Minister, and how can they lose the job?Session 8Citizens decide: four nations, a referendum and votes at sixteen
Who has a voice in British democracy, and is the United Kingdom still united?Final task and assessmentFinal task: From Runnymede to Westminster
Speech or op-ed, with the assessment gridSources and imagesEvery fact and every painting, with its link
Checked on 2 November 2026
Who has the real power in the United Kingdom: the King, the Prime Minister or Parliament?Session 2Runnymede, 15 June 1215: the barons against King John
Why did a king accept to put limits on his own power?Session 3Magna Carta's long life: from England to the world
Why does a medieval charter still matter today?Session 41689: the Bill of Rights and the end of absolute monarchy
How did Parliament become stronger than the King?Session 5The King reigns but does not rule
If the King has no real power, what is he for?Session 6Parliament: the Commons and the Lords
How does a bill become a law in Westminster?Session 7Number 10: the Prime Minister at the centre
How does someone become Prime Minister, and how can they lose the job?Session 8Citizens decide: four nations, a referendum and votes at sixteen
Who has a voice in British democracy, and is the United Kingdom still united?Final task and assessmentFinal task: From Runnymede to Westminster
Speech or op-ed, with the assessment gridSources and imagesEvery fact and every painting, with its link
Checked on 2 November 2026
How to use this sequence
- Start each session with the marked recap: five minutes, alone, then check together.
- The documents come from official sources (UK Parliament, GOV.UK, the Royal Family, legislation.gov.uk, the National Archives, the Electoral Commission). Each one has its link.
- Answers, model answers and quiz keys are hidden: open one block at a time, or use Show all answers to prepare the lesson.
- Homework closes every session and prepares the next recap.
- The adapted version keeps the same lessons and the same final task.