Answering these questions could fill a term’s geography timetable. If you haven’t got a term to spare, then select a learning prompt and try the “Opinion profiles” activity as a geography exercise with a literacy link.

Learning prompts

Expose the class to different points of view about the advantages and disadvantages of a traffic-free high street. Here are some ideas:

* Cut out large speech bubbles showing points of view and paste them around the room. For example: “There’s plenty of room for my wheelchair now there’s no traffic”, and “It’s a long walk to the car park with heavy shopping”.

* Mock-ups of newspaper headlines can be pasted around the room as starting points for discussion. deserted after 6pm”.

* Invite two visitors to the classroom who will give the children opposite points of view about a traffic-free high street.

* Visit the high street with a questionnaire to find out what business people, shop owners and other members of the public think.

* Play a tape recording to the class of a busy street with traffic and a busy pedestrianised street.

Activities

Know your high street

Whether your high street can be traffic-free will depend on its geography. Is access to homes needed? Can vehicles reach the back of shops? Is there ample parking nearby?

Many towns in France have restricted access during the day for emergencies and deliveries only, but open access outside business hours. Would this work in your town?

A field trip to the high street is necessary before making decisions about traffic-free feasiblilty, as you will need to map the roads, see how buildings are used and examine access requirements. Large-scale maps will show individual buildings. Your local planning office will often let you have a copy.

Groups of children could investigate different aspects of the street, such as public transport, shopping and the location of homes. They could then colour-code the map to record their findings, and add them to a master copy back in the classroom. Similarly, a range of simple questionnaires could focus on the same aspects of the investigation, each group providing material for debate and for the following opinion profiles.

Opinion profiles

Make some opinion profile sheets that show different people and their needs. Let children suggest others to add to the set, covering the wide range of people who use the high street. Differentiate between people and their jobs.

Working in pairs, children can role-play a conversation with the profiled person and then record the opinions stated.

An invitation

Support children to write letters to invite:

* a planning officer to talk to the class about high street improvements.

* a police officer to talk about crime prevention in the high street.

* a shopkeeper or a chamber of commerce member to talk about how a high street business is run and the issues that affect them.

A public enquiry

Set up a public meeting in the classroom. Appoint a chairman and some officials, which could include an officer from the planning office and representatives from the residents’ association, and the chamber of commerce. Brief the children on the views these people may hold about making the street traffic-free, or even about reinstating a thoroughfare if your high street is already pedestrianised.

The rest of the class should take on roles of interested local people, including shop and cafe owners, disabled people, a police officer and taxi drivers. Hold a mock meeting with statements given by the official group, followed by public opinions from the floor (use the opinion profiles to prepare for this). Take a vote and conclude the activity with children writing newspaper headlines and reports on the outcome of the enquiry.