April 22nd is Earth Day, and this resource engages students with big questions about climate action. They’re challenged to consider the specific steps they can take over different timescales, to discuss the obstacles and to question where responsibilities lie. This resource will be used by schools worldwide as part of the Global Conversation from April 20th - June 1st 2020. Follow the discussion at BurnetNewsClub.com

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.

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 unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has brought debates around freedom of speech into the spotlight. This resource provokes thinking about what people should be allowed to say, and who should make the rules. These activities challenge learners to think about questions like: Should people be allowed to say whatever they want? Is censorship necessary during a pandemic? What’s more important - freedom to say what you want, or safety from harmful words? Learners can complete the activities on their own but it’s even better if an adult can push them to develop their reasons and see other perspectives. The reflection questions can provoke extended discussions. For example, when (if ever) is it acceptable for a leader to withhold information?

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.

A lot of the power to protect the planet lies within people’s lifestyle choices. Do we need tougher climate laws? Ahead of Earth Day on April 22nd, help students understand the urgency of the “climate crisis” and debate whether laws should be adjusted. This lesson gives you everything you need to facilitate a discussion with 9-16 year olds. Student develop essential skills, media literacy, knowledge about the news and every lesson relates to SDGs. Get weekly free lessons on the news from The Economist Foundation via their Topical Talk website: https://bit.ly/TT_Library

This is a mini scheme of work for KS2 and KS3 students about the 2017 General Election. Over the three sessions, your students will learn what a general election is, who the main political parties are and decide who they would vote for. Content is accurate as of May 3rd 2017. Please check back over the course of the election as we will update the resources as the political parties release their manifestos. See more of what we do at www.burnetnewsclub.com

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 The UK is considering a new draft Investigatory Powers Bill. This is a really important law, because it would affect your rights. Your rights are the things that you are entitled to do or to have. This issue asks students to discuss and evaluate the implications of the Bill on our rights. It offers a great opportunity to explore British values as required in UK schools.

This scheme of work includes everything you need to run six one-hour sessions for key stage 2 or 3 students on the financial system ten years on since the crisis. It was produced by The Economist Educational Foundation, an independent charity 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. As a teacher, do I need to know anything about this topic? Not at all. All the necessary information is provided! What are the objectives? To build students’ knowledge, skills and confidence. STUDENTS WILL… Learn about the financial system, how it affects them, and how people’s decisions determine whether it works well or goes wrong. Build essential critical thinking and communication skills: reasoning, scepticism, curiosity, open-mindedness and storytelling. All the Foundation’s resources are designed to build these skills, as we believe they are essential for the modern world. Develop the confidence to have their say. The six sessions will enable students to make well-informed, sound arguments for their opinions on this important and complex issue. WHAT’S INCLUDED? Multimedia news content Detailed session guides for leading fun, interactive activities – no planning required This scheme of work is supported by the Bank of England. The Economist Educational Foundation maintained full editorial control. The Bank contributed a video resource which explains what banks do, what the Bank of England does, what happened in the financial crisis and what is being done to make banks safer. We would like to thank the Bank for adding this resource and for helping to support our work.

There has been a worrying increase in knife crime with young people being directly affected. Across two 20 minute activities, students will look at some statistics surrounding the issue and explore suggested reasons and solutions. THESE RESOURCES: – Look at the rise of knife crime in the context of general crime – Explore statistics from 2018 – Considers the reasons behind the rise – Structures research into possible solutions Everything is provided to run two short activities for students aged 11 to 16.

This resource introduces students to the news and gets them answering key questions about where the news can be found and how the importance of a news story will differ from person to person. It could be used as part of PSHE, before looking at a particular story, to give students a better understanding of a news-report task. This lesson helps to develop the following news literacy skills: SCEPTICISM: Questioning information to find the truth REASONING: Justifying a viewpoint This resource was produced by The Economist Educational Foundation, an independent charity that was set up by The Economist magazine. Combining The Economist’s journalistic know-how with teaching expertise, we specialise in supporting teachers to facilitate high-quality classroom discussions about the news.

Strict lockdowns have caused pollution levels in many countries to plummet. Yet, as activity returns to normal, so will emissions. Many see the pandemic as a huge opportunity to press the reset button and build back better. But how? Get students talking about the balancing act of boosting the economy whilst protecting the environment. Use this resource to help your learners: Develop the skill of forming and supporting their opinion and use data to strengthen their reasoning Improve their thinking by connecting one issue to another Practise viewing a topic from different perspectives Research the ways that disasters have led to positive change

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 introduces students to the climate emergency and gets them discussing a range of big questions. It’s suitable for students aged 10 and over. This lesson helps to develop the following news literacy skills: SPEAKING UP: Confidently communicating a viewpoint OPEN-MINDEDNESS: Listening to other viewpoints 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.

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.

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.

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.