Boredom is the enemy of education. These resources aim to give students an engaging, fun way into topics that are relevant to their lives, including awkward ones like sex education, and informing about issues that are shaping the world and their future. My hope is that they help be an effective tool to the teacher to wake up a hunger for knowledge in students, and that everyone in the classroom would have a more enjoyable and enriching experience because of their use.
Boredom is the enemy of education. These resources aim to give students an engaging, fun way into topics that are relevant to their lives, including awkward ones like sex education, and informing about issues that are shaping the world and their future. My hope is that they help be an effective tool to the teacher to wake up a hunger for knowledge in students, and that everyone in the classroom would have a more enjoyable and enriching experience because of their use.
A lesson to explore the UN and what it does. This lesson aims to give students an understanding of the organisation and the means to question if it is a reasonable use of resources, or a waste of them. Class debates included, as usual, with extension activities, youtube videos, and some varied activities to bolster engagement. A SEND worksheet also attached here.
Learning Questions
What is the United Nations?
What are its aims?
Do you think it’s a good organisation?
Note: Where do you stand activities are like opinion lines but split into four corners. More information has been embedded in the PPT rather than from youtube videos, which have also been updated and variations offered in the notes of the PPT.
Feedback warmly welcomed, and always looking to improve.
A lesson which aims to mythbust many of the global misconceptions about Islam which has led to widespread islamophobia. It focuses mainly on the UK but is globally relevant, and aims to expose the media bias against Muslims, how a tiny minority of people who claim the title of ‘Muslim’ have taken control of the narrative of what it is to be Muslim, and how we can address this.
Learning questions include:
Identify the meaning of Islamophobia?
What are some of the myths surrounding Islam and Muslims?
What would be an appropriate response?
Why is Islamophobia on the rise?
It includes a range of activities, from group work, discussion, individual writeen work and youtube videos. Tasks are differentiated by outcome, and is currently targeted at KS3-4 students. With tweeking it could easily be made into a KS2 resource, as it also includes Muslim art for students to make an anti-Islamophobia wall. I have intentionally put too much into this so you can prune out whatever you wish to.
A 1 hour lesson including a 30 minute documentary, debate, opinion line, extension activity and reflection exercise to measure students improvement in their understanding.
Lesson objectives include:
What is life like in North Korea?
Why is the world talking about it so much?
Should we or the USA attack North Korea?
There is a discussion included about nuclear war: try to draw out students understanding of the long term effects of nuclear weapons.
Good luck, and if I may try to remind students that most things that happen in the world are good, that's why the news (which is always negative) is 'news': the good things people do are the norm. Try not to let them leave the room pessimistic. For instance, there are 12.7 MILLION volunteers in Britain every year. That's almost 20% of the population. Awesome.
This lesson has a look at the truth and reconciliation trials in S. Africa and how those principles can be applied in everyday life, as well as solving more international issues such as ISIS. A bit of a labour of love, this one, as teaching about terrorism and extremism is always a bit depressing. It's a lesson to really help students connect to hope, and the Citizenship, SMSC and PHSE targets of self-awareness, other cultures and moral values.
Learning Questions include:
What was Apartheid?
What were the truth and reconciliation trials?
What was their aim?
How might Religious Believers respond?
What is your opinion on them?
Youtube clips, miniplenaries, differentiated activities and group creative tasks included following a blooms taxonomy structure, influenced by Kagan's learning cycle.
A lesson to help students explore the meaning of life inclusive of, but not exclusive to, religious belief.
Learning questions include:
What is the meaning of life for you?
Do we all need a purpose in our lives?
Do you have to follow a religion to have meaning and purpose in life?
Excellent for SMSC, Religious Studies, PHSE and citizenship objectives and General Studies or Philosophy modules.
Slides have some instructions in the notes, and there is enough to pick and choose from to suit the needs of your class. 11 slides including youtube clips.
A lesson for careers students to understand workers' rights, what unions are, and the history of workers fighting for their rights. It includes youtube clips, role plays and independent activities for students to understand their rights in the changing world of work. It will also help them understand what a decent work place looks like, and how to find one.
Learning questions:
What is a Union?
What are Worker’s Rights?
How can I protect myself from being mistreated in the workplace?
What does a decent workplace look like?
There are good links to PHSE and citizenship, and many of the activities naturally lend themselves to differentiation (both for SEND students and more able students).
A resource to explore what drugs are, their effects, and why people take them. It includes some videos (some KS3 appropriate, some KS4 appropriate) which are gritty without being disturbing. Also included here is a good 25 minute documentary about drug use filmed at Liverpool royal hospital which gives an excellent insight into the effect of drugs and addiction generally. If that's not enough, a couple of resources (pages 11-19 on the pdf) with information about specific drugs and their effects.
Learning questions include:
Drugs:
What are they?
Why do people take them?
What dangers are there?
What is the law regarding drugs?
How should we respond?
Great for PHSE, Religious Studies, Citizenship and Sociology
This ppt is part of a campaign our school ran about plastic litter and pollution. It includes a script (obviously an outline) inspiring spoken word links to prince EA’s video, and activities for form teachers to show students to try and encourage recycling and rethinking the impact of waste.
Included here are a couple of variations on the assembly too, in case you need it. Also included an intro slideshow as the students enter.
Suitable for year 6 and up, this is a single lesson, complete with clips and independent activities, to explain to your students what the refugee crisis is, how it happened, and if we should help. These can either be teacher led activities or student led, using a carousel system or marketplace. It therefore lends itself well to differentiation, and can be adapted to be an assembly too.
2 video clips included in this pack.
This resource is intended to facilitate independent inquiry and a choice of activity. Students should pick an activity and go through it, so this lesson works well with computers/iPads to access the resources attached which include video clips. There are also religious opinions and quotes to the environment, facilitating SMSC, RS, PHSE and Citizenship targets being met, and the lesson can of course be teacher led too. I usually give students 10-15minutes to feedback to the class what they found out.
A powerpoint, worsearch, timeline, video and youtube video about how Nazi Germany gradually slid into more and more extreme versions of anti-semitism. It chronicles the dates of some of the 2000 laws passed against Jews in the years following Hitler's election in 1933, and attempts to answer the question HOW did normal people allow, and participate, in the Holocaust. It attempts to answer this to help students understand how vigilance in any society, and the trends within it, are something any healthy citizen should take part in.
The Key Learning Question is:
How did the Holocaust happen?
Activities are differentiated, and extension activities are included. Resources suited for yr.6 (10yo) and up.
A lesson to help students explore the Just War Theory and evaluate if they agree with it or not. The lesson includes a group task for students to explore 'JAILSAP' - an anagram for the 7 reasons for war. It includes independent learning, extension tasks, and even a chance for students to make a rap that encompasses the theory. There is also an example rap, composed by yours truly, for general educational and engagement purposes.
Key learning questions explored are:
What is the just war theory?
Do I agree with it?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the theory?
Reviews gratefully received
This is a set of resources for year 9 and up, and should not be used for students any younger. The objectives are to describe a case study of evil (the largest powerpoint focusses mainly of Jamie Bulger, but the resources can be adapted to look at any of the topics). There are 13 resources here, with evidence students can evaluate from each example.
There are also 'Must, should, could' guidance as well as plenty of opportunity for extension of gifted and talented students.
Good links to Citizenship, religious studies, Sociology, and the activities are pretty self explanatory.
Radio show links, videos included.
This is a pretty harrowing subject to teach, but sometimes students seem to be particularly interested in real life examples and applications. When discussing things like Capital Punishment it seems particularly helpful to bring into relief the truly horrible things people do sometimes, and how a responsible society should respond.
What is a drug? What are the categories of drugs? What do religious believers believe about drugs?
At least 2 lessons of work here about Drugs, Alcohol and Religious Attitudes to Substance abuse to help students understand the dangers of substance abuse.
The Powerpoints include an embedded video from Teacher TV about alcohol abuse (which is really good!) and there's plenty of activities to explore with them.
A bonus lesson here too debating legalisation and decriminalisation of cannabis.
A resource which is intended to run over 4 lessons: independent study with some introduction and video clips which can be uploaded to your server, and students can access them in their own time using headphones. Great for independent study, differentiation, SMSC, PHSE, Religious Studies and Citizenship, as well as General Studies, this resource stimulates outrage, insight and curiosity. It also includes historical and cultural insights, like the Ecuadorian Government signing in the rights of nature into law.
This is of course a notorious issue for one that sparks conflict between groups. These 3 resources: a powerpoint, Prezi and roleplay try to help students empathise and understand both sides of the conflict without siding specifically on either one. The lesson objectives are:
What is the conflict in Israel and Palestine about?
What are the different responses to it?
What do you think is the best response and why?
There are about 4 hour long lessons worth of activities here with varying levels of difficulty: from role plays, youtube clips of varying degrees of debate (the hardest being the 15 minute clip by John Pilger, Palestine is still the issue).
It's really worth putting this into context with the history of the formation of Israel (which this clip is quite good at, but I don't think very accessible to KS4 but more KS5 level https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wo2TLlMhiw). There's a simplified version in the powerpoint.
It's excellent for world politics, terrorism and extremism, SMSC, PHSE, Religious Studies. I really recommend you watching the clips first if you can, and getting the students to engage with them. I usually get the students to watch the clips and do the roleplay in one lesson and then do more research written work in the next.
The roleplay has 24 separate individual roles (sorry, I ran out of steam, i nearly made it to 30!) which vary in nationality, religious belief and is a very useful way to get students to empathize. If you have more than 24 people I recommend you let students chose their relationship to the families (aunts/siblings/grandparents/friends etc.)
It also really helps for me to remember to ask questions rather than tell students they are wrong if they bring in extreme(ish) opinions from home (of which Arab and Jewish families often do pass on to their children).
Prezis, if you've never used them, work just like powerpoints: you make them full screen and then just press the right arrow on your keyboard.
Good luck in teaching this lesson with informed sensitivity, kindness, and with hope for a peaceful resolution!
6-10 Lessons on World Poverty, including its causes, religious attitudes (Christian and Muslim) and case studies. 16 files, PPTs, documents, worksheets and activities, including a prezi link, music videos and youtube links.
1) Introduction to wealth and poverty
2) Religious Attitudes
3) Compassion Justice and Stewardship
4) World Trade
5) Liberation Theology and Oscar Romero
6) Consolidation
Feedback warmly received, as always! :)
A set of 9 lessons about some of the most awkward stuff a teacher can try to teach. There are presentations, worksheets, online links and assessments all included here and plenty to personalize, adapt and tweek.
Including:
Self Esteem (4 Lessons)
Pornography and Puberty
Condoms
Sexting
Homosexuality and Christianity
Break ups
6 lessons which explore democracy, mutual respect, tolerance, rule of law and liberty through a variety of lenses. Aiming to hit PHSE, SMSC, Citizenship and FBV targets this scheme of work is pretty ambitious.
The lessons include:
A personal perspective: where are we looking from?
Uncomfortable histories: how has britain not lived up to FBV in the past?
Money and Exploitation: how money is used and abused in meeting FBV
Cultural Variations: Is our way the right way?
Ways Forward: So how can we improve the situation?
FBV and Global Citizenship Assessment
Lessons include differentiated activities, group, pair, whole class and individual work, with a wide variety of videos and tasks to be getting on with. Students tend to enjoy these lessons.
A 7 lesson Scheme of work on Poverty in the UK, including powerpoints, youtube clips, images, worksheets, booklets, and revision resources to help for KS3 or 4 work. Designed around the AQA Religious Studies B Spec.
1) What is Wealth and Poverty
2) Religious Attitudes to Wealth and Poverty
3) How do people get rich or poor
4) Poverty in the UK
5) Charitable Solutions to Poverty
6) Poverty: Solutions and Responsibility for Poverty
7) Revision/Consolidation lesson (with a 20 question competitive comprehension activity)