Keep your students up to date with the latest news from across the Commonwealth using the First News monthly newspaper. First News is one of the leading newspapers aimed at students from ages seven to fourteen, investigating and delving into stories affecting the wider world. Each month, the newspaper will explore themes related to the environment, politics and citizenship within the Commonwealth states. The newspaper serves as an excellent source of debate within your classroom to get children engaged in the diverse world around them.

These lesson plans have been produced in partnership with First News to introduce your class to the important work of the Commonwealth and its values. The lesson plans aim to encourage schools around the world to celebrate the Commonwealth and its inclusive values and principles that unite the 53 member states. You can explore the social similarities and differences between countries through their flags and stories from children. The lesson plans also introduces the Commonwealth Charter, helping to contextualise the work of the Commonwealth across the world to your students.

In 2014, the Commonwealth Class project produced this exciting pack to celebrate the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The pack contains cross-curricular activities, short films and discussion guides with learning outcomes that link to key skills, curriculum subjects and Commonwealth values.

Use our ‘Welcome to Malta’ resource and PowerPoint presentation to learn about the country, its history, culture and language. Read letters from Maltese children describing their daily life and the Maltese story ‘Do you believe in magic?’ to develop your pupils’ creative thinking, tolerance, respect and understanding.

We have developed a series of resources, in partnership with The Royal Society, to enhance science learning in schools. This second resource in the Commonwealth Science Class series is centred on how the prevent the spread of infectious diseases and is packed with activity ideas to help your students investigate and explore the subject in more depth. Before downloading the resource, and to help you get started, we recommend you watch the accompanying video with your class.

We have developed a series of resources, in partnership with The Royal Society, to enhance science learning in schools. The first in the Commonwealth Science Class series focuses on the topic of renewable energy and is filled with activity ideas to help students discuss and explore the subject in more depth. Before delving into this resource, we recommend that teachers show students the accompanying video.

What is Queens of Syria? The Syrian crisis is now in its fifth year and the violence that has forced so many to leave their homes shows no sign of abating. Queens of Syria is the story of fifty women refugees now living in Jordan who came together to create and perform their own version of The Trojan Women, the timeless Greek tragedy about the plight of women in war. Queens of Syria teaching resource In 2016 the Queens of Syria cast and crew will travel to the UK for a series of performances. To mark this occasion, the British Council have developed an education pack to provide teachers with resources that will help them explore the human impact of the conflict in Syria and the realities of life as a refugee.

The Arab world is a fascinating, diverse geographical region with a rich culture and history. Arabic is spoken by more than 300 million people. The education pack is designed to help primary school teachers introduce aspects of both Arabic language and Arab culture to your pupils, including: well known Arabic fables, teaching students moral lessons. counting to 10 in Arabic perfecting your pronunciation of Arabic greetings exploring the intricate geometric patterns of Arabic mosaics The Arabic Language and Culture pack is an excellent way to introduce young learners to the Arab world while also challenging their preconceptions of Arab culture. This education pack has been created as part of the British Council’s Arabic Language and Culture Programme in partnership with Qatar Foundation.

This resource pack provides ideas for discussion, activities and a framework to help you use social entrepreneurship as an engaging project in your school. It is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness and understanding of how business can help to address social problems as well as gain practical experience in planning and setting up their own social enterprise. From projects on social responsibility, the impact social enterprises can make, and successful entrepreneurship, the pack allows students to increase their knowledge of social innovation whilst also develop core skills for learning, life, and work. It will also enable students to develop personal skills and attributes such as teamwork, confidence, and innovation.

From 16-27 March 2016, Five short films from BFI Flare, the British Film Institute’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Film Festival, was available to audiences around the world through the BFI player. The festival has now closed, however you can find out more about this year’s films here. Films and resources Although the main festival has closed, you can still use our resource and watch our film ‘London Loves You’ to stimulate discussion in the classroom. The film was made in a London secondary school and shows students discussing how they and their school community feel about LGBT issues. You can watch it here (https://vimeo.com/158625035) and it can also be found in the resource pack. Please note, in some countries you may prefer to use this material with older students.

Discover what 2016’s Year of the Monkey symbolises using our new pack filled with fun activities based on Chinese culture and traditions. Start preparing for Chinese New Year, explore the mythology behind the Chinese zodiac and uncover what the Year of the Monkey actually means in 2016. Take your students along on a journey with the Monkey King as he steals the pills of invisibility and then sets out to the west with his magical companions. Or, using the pack, teach them how to make traditional opera masks, draw monkeys using Chinese brush strokes, create decorative DIY kites and even learn some basic Chinese. There are plenty of creative and fun ideas for you and your students to learn about the rich history and culture of China. Note: To listen to embedded sound clips, please download the education pack and open with Adobe Reader.

The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles in history. It took place in Northern France around the River Somme from 1 July to 18 November 1916. Now, a century later, our education pack is designed to help teachers introduce aspects of the Battle of the Somme and the ways in which it is being remembered. The pack contains resources to help students develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the conflict. It covers topics including experiences of the Somme from around the Commonwealth, Pals Battalions, conscription, recruitment and remembrance today. The materials are designed to be flexible and adaptable. They can be used as starting points for individual lessons or activities, or form part of a larger cross- curricular project with a partner school overseas. This resource pack has been developed by the British Council in partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme, UCL Institute of Education and Big Ideas Company.

This Shakespeare Lives schools’ pack has been created by the British Council in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016. The pack celebrates Shakespeare as a writer who still speaks for all people and nations, addressing big questions and themes about the human experience and what it means to be a citizen in the twenty-first century. This pack encourages teachers and pupils to engage with some of the key issues, themes and ideas in Shakespeare’s plays, and to explore the ways they remain relevant and current in our lives today, wherever we are in the world. Specially designed to encourage learning across the curriculum, the resource is split into five key themes; Leadership and Power, Family and Relationships, Identity and Equality, Fate and Destiny, Justice and Rules. Within each themed section you will find a wide range of activities for pupils aged 7-14. These can be used as starting points in individual lessons or as elements of a cross-curricular project, which could be carried out with a partner school overseas. Shakespeare’s plays have been staged many times since they were written over 400 years ago, and there are still so many different ways of interpreting his work. Each interpretation will draw out different themes and ideas. We hope you and your pupils will enjoy exploring the ones we have developed in this pack, which is available to download now.

World Class provides a robust evidence base that demonstrates the impact of international education work in UK schools on learners, teachers, schools, and the wider community. It draws upon 26 research studies from around the UK, some of which were undertaken by the British Council and some independently by bodies such as the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and the Institute of Education (at the University of London). Conclusions are drawn from a comprehensive analysis of all documents and the impact is categorized by beneficiaries. A complete list of the benefits identified for learners, teachers, schools and the community can be found in World Class: How Global Thinking Can Improve Your School. Find out more: https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/content/world-class-how-global-thinking-can-improve-your-school

British Council has joined forces with The FA, Premier League + Football League to commemorate the 1914 Christmas Truce. The pack includes photos, eye-witness accounts + letters from soldiers. Perspectives from British, French, Belgian, German + Indian witnesses are included with activities for English, language, drama, art, sport, history + moral education. Schools are invited to design a memorial with the winner chosen by The Duke of Cambridge + Arsenal/ England forward Theo Walcott to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum. http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/football-remembers

The British Council’s Year of the Horse education pack contains classroom resources focusing on China and designed to help introduce primary school children to some of the differences and similarities between the lives and culture of people in the UK and China. The pack was produced by the British Council in connection with the IOE Confucius Institute for Schools. It is also available in Welsh. For more information, to access supporting materials and to download individual chapters, please visit http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/projects-and-resources/year-of-the-horse

Our primary languages downloadable pack is designed for Language Assistants and other native speakers who are new to teaching languages at primary level as well as giving advice to the host schools. The pack includes guidance on how to get started, examples of best practice, specific teaching ideas and resources for use in the classroom.

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is the second most important festival in the Chinese lunar calendar after Chinese New Year. In 2019 the festival will fall on 13 September. Each education pack contains lesson plans, an assembly plan, activities and supporting materials to introduce Chinese culture to the classroom, keep your young people engaged and look forward to next year when, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we enter the Year of the Horse.

The Commonwealth Class education pack is a dynamic, exciting resource for teachers who want to teach young people about Commonwealth values like rights and responsibilities, protecting the environment and what people need to lead healthy lives. The pack contains cross-curricular activities, short films and discussion guides with learning outcomes that link to key skills, curriculum subjects and Commonwealth values. The activities can be used to support lesson planning and teaching across your curriculum. The flexible and wide ranging materials are mainly targeted at 7-14 year olds.

The public walk through the grounds of Kew Gardens and enjoy the flowers. Meanwhile, serious botanical research is conducted behind the scenes.