There have been a series of protests across the US in response to the death of a black man called George Floyd after a white police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes. People in the US, and in other countries too, are calling for justice, peace and equality. You can’t argue with the message – but do the protests come at too high a price?
This resources pack covers an extremely important and emotive subject with thoughtful sensitivity. It includes news coverage from The Week Junior about George Floyd’s death and the reactions to it, alongside a range of activities to help young people think about the place of protest in society, and how they can use their own voices to effect change.
This PDF resource includes this article, as well as accompanying activity ideas:
- You can’t argue with the equality, peace and justice message – who wouldn’t want that? But do the protests come at too high a price? It seems there are always a minority of people who take advantage of protests like this to do bad things. Wouldn’t it be better to let protesters have their say in parks or fields away from town centres where they won’t get in anyone’s way? Or is it important that peaceful protests should be allowed in prominent places? What do you think?
- Think about something you feel very strongly about. Write a speech or an article, explaining your thoughts as convincingly as possible using persuasive language
- President Trump has rightly received criticism for the way he has led the United States throughout this time of protest. So what would make a better leader? Write a recipe for creating the perfect president or prime minister using cooking-style instructions
- What is Speaker’s Corner? Write an explanation about it, including a brief history, its location(s), the rules about using it and any famous people who have spoken there
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.