Card Sort: Should the Government Nationalise British Industry?

The debate on whether the government should nationalise certain parts of British Industry is a controversial topic. In the UK, public ownership has always been a tool to pick up the economic and social pieces after the private sector failed spectacularly. The 1945, the Labour government nationalised coal, the railways, and steel. But the main reason for state control over heavy industry was to rectify decades of deliberate under-investment by their owners. In other words, the taxpayer came to the rescue of private capital as in the case of the Banking Crisis in 2008. This outstanding resource is designed to help students sort through some of the arguments for and against both nationalisation and competition in the private sector.

When you purchase this resource, you will be able to download a single page Word Document which contains a learning objective, instructions, two heading cards as well as sixteen statements that can sorted under them. The heading cards are labeled ‘Public Ownership is Good’ and ‘Privitisation is Better.’ However, these could easily be edited and labeled Arguments for Nationalisation’ and ‘Arguments Against’, depending upon the ability of your class.

The main activity involves getting students to cut out the cards in lesson, sort them under the correct headings and then organise them into their most persuasive order before sticking sick them into their books. Once students have fed back their results to a class discussion, they can then have a go at writing a speech or extended answer on the debate. Alternatively, they can create a key and then sort through the cards and then stick the sheet into their book or you could cut out the cards and place them into an envelope for them to sort prior to a discussion on the topic. This is a great resource that can be easily adapted to suit your classroom and expectations.

The aims of this lesson / activity are:

Theme: Economic Understanding
Know:What is the difference between a nationalised and privitised industry?
Understand: What are the arguments for and against nationalisations?
Evaluate: Should the government nationalise parts of the British economy?

WILF - What am I Looking For?
Identify and describe - the difference between a nationalised and privitised industry?
Explain - What are the arguments for and against nationalisations?
Analyse -Should the government nationalise parts of the British economy?

If you like this resource then why not check out my other resources on this topic in my TES shop. We aim to produce cheap and affordable resources for either the price of a good cup of coffee or a happy meal so that you can spend more quality time with the people who matter.

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Kind Regards

Roy