10 LESSON PLANS

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, 23 August

1. Slavery and forced labour

What is slavery? Why is it still allowed to happen? This useful introduction covers the subject from a historical standpoint to the modern day.

2. Slavery: the Abolition Project

Africa is key to learning about slavery. This classroom activity explores the history of enslavement on the continent. It also considers Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and the abolition movement.

3. Slave triangle

What was it like to be involved in the slave trade? In this activity, students imagine they are on a quayside in West Africa as a European slave ship drops anchor, and picture themselves either as a merchant or as someone about to be sold.

4. A memorial to slavery

Evidence of the slave trade remains in the UK today. Show students the great houses built on the trade’s profits and the gravestones of its victims in this lesson from TES Connect partner English Heritage.

5. Discovery box

Is seeing believing? Anti-slavery campaigner Thomas Clarkson used a box of goods from Africa to prove to audiences that it was wrong to trade in slaves. In this activity, students decide what their evidence would have been.

6. Slavery and the Caribbean

What connects Bob Marley, Thomas Clarkson and slavery? All is revealed in this PowerPoint and plan for eight lessons.

7. Resistance to slavery

What role did the slaves play in ending their bondage? Find out in this lesson that details African resistance to the trade, from attacking slave ships to staging revolts and reducing profitability on plantations.

8. William Wilberforce

Introduce your class to the tactics used in campaigning against slavery, focusing on petitions to Parliament, William Wilberforce and poems by William Cowper.

9. Chapter and verse

“Have you wondered why we settle in groups? We fight, fly, flee for the right to safety.” Use this poem to explore the impact of being a displaced person.

10. West Africa: the effects of slavery

Students can use the maps, pictures, presentations and essays of this extensive resource to research the effects of slavery, while those with African roots could discuss how they feel.

Find these lesson plans at bit.lyAbolitionOfSlaveryDay

10 LESSON PLANS

Learning Disability Week, 19-25 August

1. Social and emotional aspects of learning (Seal)

Help students to recognise their worth as individuals, to see things from other people’s point of view and to consider issues of fairness in this lesson.

2. The write stuff

These flashcards featuring sentence starters and story openings will inspire your students to think creatively.

3. Exploring stereotypes

Use this resource as a starting point to examine assumptions about people with disabilities.

4. Myths about disability

What does disability mean? How can we counter the discrimination and prejudice faced by people with disabilities? Spark a discussion with this lesson from TES Connect partner TrueTube.

5. Love and disability

It can be hard to start a relationship when you are disabled. Students can find out more from this video, in which Alex and Sarah acknowledge the stigma, even among their friends.

6. Speaking for ourselves

TES Connect partner Scope’s teaching pack explores the history of people with cerebral palsy in their own words, as well as their education and employment prospects.

7. Famous and disabled

Is it harder for disabled people such as Ellie Simmonds (pictured below) to achieve fame? Encourage students to consider their own prejudices and to recognise that disabled people have talents with these lesson activities.

8. Disabled with attitude

Why is it important to get along with other people? What are society’s attitudes towards people with disabilities? Get students thinking critically in this video-based lesson.

9. Disability bullying

Offer your students a stark lesson in how badly children who are different can be treated with this film about Dylan, who is bullied because of his epilepsy.

10. Never give up

Disability campaigner Nick Vujicic (pictured below) was born without limbs. Encourage students to take inspiration from his amazing attitude to life with these videos about never giving up hope.

Find these lesson plans at bit.lyLearningDisabilityWeek

3 SPECIAL NEEDS RESOURCES

1. Cooking with symbols

Have fun preparing home-made - or classroom-made - fish fingers and turkey nuggets with rcarpenter2‘s dyslexia-friendly recipes.

bit.lyCookingWithSymbols

2. Making movies

Support your students’ directorial debuts with Anthony Evans’ screen-by- screen guide to creating movie trailers with nothing more than an iPad.

bit.lyMakingMovies

3. Listen and learn

Getting students to listen is not an easy task. Take inspiration from SENICT-ianbean’s guide to creating touch-screen resources that target listening skills.

bit.lyListeningActivities

5 assemblies

Live life to the full

What is the secret to being successful and happy? Reveal all to your students in this video-based assembly. bit.lyLiveLifeToTheFull

A time for peace

Give peace a chance with this multifaith and multicultural reflection on life. bit.lyPeaceAssembly

You’ve got a friend

What makes a good friend? Explore the value of friendship in this illustrated assembly set to music. bit.lyYouGottaFriendAssembly

Honesty - the best policy

Encourage your students to think about the benefits of being truthful with this charming story. bit.lyHonestyAssembly

The Martin Luther King story

Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King as we approach the 50th anniversary of the civil rights activist’s “I have a dream” speech of 28 August 1963. bit.lyMLKStory