Download the first in our new series of resources designed for form/pastoral time. In this resource, learners investigate why Donald Trump seeks to ban the social app TikTok. Part 1: get thoughtful discussions going in as little as 20 minutes and develop key news-literacy skills: speaking, listening, creativity and problem-solving. Part 2: dive deeper. Expand student’s understanding of this topic; structure thinking using evidence and examples, and generate hypotheses based on what has been learnt. The download includes Part 1 and 2, sign up to receive them each week here.

Use these activities to help learners discover the story of Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, who was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. What do we know so far? What are governments saying about the case? Is the Russian government guilty of attempted murder? Use this resource to help your learners: Discover the details behind the headlines Answer questions from several perspectives Assess the story’s importance to different people

Give students a great revision activity to help them to understand current affairs. This resource covers content from The Economist Educational Foundation’s home learning resources. Haven’t used all of our resources yet? No problem - they can all be downloaded here. There’s ten answers to find, all lurking within the resources we’ve sent out since the start of lockdown in March. Can your learners collect them all? This resource gives clues for where to find answers to questions like: What do you call someone who has been blamed for something that wasn’t their fault? What sport does Colin Kaepernick play? Which “hat” helps you create humour, according to Kal, The Economist’s cartoonist? To spice things up, why not add a time limit or make it a race?

This resource gives students the opportunity to discuss and make judgements on real examples of politicians’ behaviour, leading to ethical questions about justice, democracy, responsibility and power. It complements the National Curriculum for England: KS2-4 Citizenship, including the role and responsibilities of Parliament. This resource helps to develop the following skills: SCEPTICISM: Questioning information to find the truth REASONING: Justifying a viewpoint SPEAKING UP: Confidently communicating a viewpoint OPEN-MINDEDNESS: Listening to other viewpoints These resources were produced by The Economist Educational Foundation, an independent charity that was set up by The Economist magazine. We combine The Economist’s journalistic know-how with teaching expertise, and we specialise in supporting teachers to facilitate high-quality classroom discussions about the news.

This child-led learning resource is perfect for use at home independently, with a sibling or with adult input. The activities helps learners to think about what veganism means for society and lets them explore really interesting questions like: • Why do people choose to be vegan? • What factors are important when people make lifestyle choices? • Is a vegan society a better society? It will help learners to practise the critical-thinking skills which are important for understanding and discussing the news: reasoning, open-mindedness and scepticism, as well as the communication skill, speaking-up.

The Economist’s cartoonist, Kal, guides you through his creative process explaining how he takes on the role of journalist, satirist, commentator and artist before challenging young people at home to get drawing. These activities encourage learners to: Explore the aims of cartoons Understand the different audiences of political cartoons Discover the importance of “four hats” to the design process Plan and draw their own political cartoons Cartoons are also a great discussion starter, generating questions about purpose, meaning and interpretation - perfect to use alongside a written text. A classroom version of this resource is also available to download.

This resource looks at the purpose of political cartoons and how an expert produces them. It will take 60 minutes to run and is aimed at 10- to 15-year-olds. We suggest running it with 12 to 30 students. Teachers are encouraged to adapt it as necessary for their students’ needs. – This lesson helps to develop the following news literacy skills: SPEAKING UP: Confidently communicating a viewpoint SCEPTICISM: Questioning information to find the truth – This resource was produced by The Economist Educational Foundation, an independent charity that was set up by The Economist magazine. We combine The Economist’s journalistic know-how with teaching expertise, and we specialise in supporting teachers to facilitate high-quality classroom discussions about the news.

Is the coronavirus affecting men and women differently? This resource encourages learners to study this question from several angles: from death rates, to the impact of lockdown to numbers on the front line. The activities help learners use evidence to draw their own conclusions and to assess the limits of the available data. Weigh up the evidence on questions like: Is COVID-19 worsening gender inequality? Are women better leaders during a crisis? Does we think hard enough about gender during a pandemic? The reflection activity invites learners to write 100 words about why it’s important to think about gender equality during the current crisis.

This student-led learning activity helps young people to investigate the coronavirus pandemic and explores really interesting questions like: How do we know what information to trust? Why do people do things that they know are wrong? Whose views do we need to see the whole picture? Young people can give this a go on their own, but if there’s someone at home to work with, why not have a go together? You could also connect with someone by telephone or video. We’ll practise some critical-thinking skills which are important for understanding and discussing the news: reasoning, open-mindedness, scepticism and speaking-up.

Download Part 2 of our activity pack on whether sport and politics should mix. Through this activity, learners can hear from a range of perspectives on this question and stage their own radio debate! This resource investigates several pressing questions: Should sport and politics mix? What are the arguments on either side of the debate? Why is it important to hear from several perspectives? This resource encourages learners to support their views with evidence but doesn’t need lots of prior knowledge about sport. These activities build on the resources in part one which you can download here.

This resource helps students to explore whether sportsplayers should share political opinions on the field. It is packed with pertinent questions such as: What happens when sport and politics mix? Is it acceptable to express political opinions on the field? Do sportspeople have greater responsibilities than others? This resource encourages learners to support their views with evidence but doesn’t need lots of prior knowledge about sport. This is the first of two resources exploring sport in the news. You can download Part 2 here.

This unit of work covers understanding and analysis of this important and topical issue. Students are asked to evaluate the facts and give their opinion through a range of activities. This resource is an issue that students cover in the Burnet News Club (www.burnetnewsclub.com) ----------- INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUE In August the 2016 Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, a large city in Brazil. The Olympic Games are the biggest, broadest sporting event in the world. Every four years, hundreds of countries send a team of athletes to compete in sports ranging from running and jumping to swimming and basketball. This issue looks at how a big sporting event like the Rio Olympics can affect society, and helps students find out whether they think sport is good or bad for society.

Download activities that assess the information around President Trump’s positive test for covid-19. How did the information emerge and who from? What do people think about how Mr Trump handled his own diagnosis? Help learners reach their own verdict. This resource helps your learners to: Discuss recent events with contextual knowledge Identify the consequences of false information Assess different views before forming their own opinion

It’s been 100 years since some women got the vote in the UK. This year, hundreds of famous entertainers have launched a campaign against the harassment of women. The campaign, called ‘Time’s Up’, is a reminder that women are still sometimes mistreated simply because they are female. This 6-session scheme of work explores barriers that women face both in and out of the workplace and asks questions which encourage all genders to consider how they and society are affected by this issue. There is also an additional optional session covering sexual harassment. Use these fully-planned, interactive and multi-media resources to develop your student’s critical thinking and literacy skills and to embed cognitively challenging conversations in your classrooms. If you’d like to find out more, visit burnetnewsclub[dot]com

This resource is in support of an issue that students cover in the Burnet News Club (www.burnetnewsclub.com) ----------- Students are introduced to some of the complexities of the housing crisis through a fun activity. A balloon-debate style group activity that ask students to decide who should live in an apartment block. It encourages evaluation, communication and negotiation.

These activities challenge learners to think about where they get their news from and to question what they are reading. It’s pakced full of questions like: What are the best and worst ways to get news? When can we trust what we read in the news? Why might news matter more to some people than others? What makes a story hit the headlines? We suggest supporting your child to complete the activities. We have developed this resource from a previous classroom version, available here:economistfoundation.org/resources

Coronavirus and wellbeing. Help children reflect on their wellbeing in the current climate and consider how they could help themselves and others. This resource encourages learners to think about how others are coping during the pandemic and the factors that can affect this. Get learners to explore questions like: What kind of things help your wellbeing? How has the coronavirus impacted your mental health? How could you help someone else stay positive during this time? Learners can also find links to further support on mental health.

What’s the plan for exams in 2021? Download this resource to explore the pertinent questions surrounding end-of-year assessment. What is the fairest way to give grades during a pandemic? What would different people say? What are the alternatives to exams?

Download a resource to help learners understand the military coup in Myanmar, and whether military rule spells the end of democracy in the region. Help your students to explore key vocabulary like; coup, opposition and dictatorship and answer questions such as: How much power do the people in Myanmar have? Why? Why might the military rule work / not work? Who is responsible for helping the people in Myanmar? What other perspectives might help you think differently about this?

This year, the theme of International Women’s Day was “choose to challenge” encouraging people to speak out and challenge gender inequality. This resource helps your learners explore why we still having to fight for women’s equality in 2021.