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Topical Tuesdays: A New Way of Teaching – KS2 News Story and Reading and Writing Activity Sheet from The Week Junior

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A teacher from London is helping people to learn more about wildlife by writing on the pavement rather than on her blackboard.

Rachel Summers usually teaches people about the natural world but this is not possible for now because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Instead, she decided to write the names of trees and facts about them on the pavement using chalk, to make people’s walks more interesting.

This resource contains a story from The Week Junior newspaper, plus suggestions for activities based around it.

This PDF resource includes this article, as well as accompanying activity ideas:

  • Using chalk to write on pavements about trees is a lovely way to help children learn while out on their exercise walks. There have been other ideas to catch the eye as well, such as leaving painted stones or creating small fairy houses in woodlands. But has the time come to set some limits? Should we insist that all such initiatives must have a scientific or factual basis? Are they actually a form of littering or grafitti, which should be banned? Hold a debate or discussion on the matter
  • Identify the five nearest tree species to where you live. For each one, list three to five interesting facts about it
  • Write a pretend diary entry as if you had found a tree in a lonely wood that had a tiny door in it. Describe the scene in as much detail as you can, including what you hear, smell and feel as well as what you see
  • Write a two-verse poem from the perspective of a tree growing beside a road in a town or city

Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download here.

What is The Week Junior?

The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.

To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to schools.theweekjunior.co.uk.



  • News story
  • Activities sheet
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