Topical Tuesdays: Max and Keira’s Law – KS2 News Story and Reading and Writing Activity Sheet from The Week Junior

The story of two young people called Max and Keira has inspired politicians to change the law on organ donations in England.

On 20 May 2020, the law changed so that all adults in England will be considered organ donors when they die, unless they or their family say they do not want to be. It is thought the new law could save 700 lives a year. But what do young people think about the change?

This resource contains a news story about Max and Keira’s Law, and ideas for activities for children to complete based on the article, in the classroom or at home.

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

• Debate whether family should be able to block a deceased loved one’s organs being donated. What if the deceased was happy for their organs to be donated?
• Imagine you have had a heart transplant after a life of ill health. Write a formal thank you letter to the family of the donor, telling them what a difference it has made to your life and your future hopes and dreams
• Imagine you live in a country that does not have an equivalent of Max and Keira’s Law. Write a persuasive text, stating reasons for changing the system so that people are assumed to consent to the transplant of their organs unless they have said otherwise
• Research the first ever successful heart transplant. Who performed the surgery, where and when? See if you can find out how long the patient survived and compare that with how long patients can be expected to live these days.

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.

This resource is part of the News Activities Archive collection.
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