WE Won't Rest Primary Lesson Package for Scotland

Homelessness is a problem that affects people all over the UK each year—in 2015-16, nearly 30,000 people in Scotland were assessed as homeless. It takes many forms and affects people of all ages. People find themselves homeless for any number of reasons—if they lose their job, their health deteriorates, they are fleeing domestic violence or are young runaways. Women and children in particular are often part of the
“hidden homeless”—people living in friends’ homes and temporary accommodations. Homelessness exists all over the world, in our cities and communities, often hidden in plain sight.

With this resource, pupils will have the opportunity to look below the surface and spread the word about the causes and realities of homelessness. Pupils will learn about the realities of homelessness in the UK and how they can use their voices to bust the myths surrounding the issue. These lessons are grounded in the WE Schools Learning Framework ensuring pupils develop the core skill sets they need to become young leaders and help build a better global community.

This lesson package has been designed to meet the Experiences and Outcomes set out in Curriculum for Excellence. It follows the principles of “Getting it Right for Every Child” (GIRFEC) by developing the promotion and support of the eight Well-being Indicators. Where possible, Scottish resources and references have been used to ensure it is relevant to young people in Scotland today.

Each lesson in the package is organised into starters, main activities and plenaries, with suggestions for differentiation. Clear learning objectives and success criteria following Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning ensure progression within each lesson and the package as a whole.

These lessons develop many aspects of character education with a holistic and tangible approach, encompassing local and global social awareness and action, and empowering young people to make positive changes in the world around them.