R L Hughes Primary School
Case Study
Kathryn Hardaker, Year 6 Teacher
I originally decided to set up a debate club in school as a way of getting the children more interested in current affairs and to improve pupils’ vocabulary. I run the club at a lunchtime and initially started off by using short speaking activities and games to help the children become more confident at speaking in front of each other. We love to use the opinion polls and stories in First News as a starting point for our discussions and short debates.
“I have found that not only has the children’s vocabulary improved, but they have been able to see the benefits of looking at something from another point of view”
The First News debate resources are also fantastic and we recently used one of the packs to research our latest debate: Do mobile phones do more harm than good? I then arranged for the children to carry out the debate at our local council chamber in Wigan. They thoroughly enjoyed this!
I have found that not only has the children’s vocabulary improved, but they have been able to see the benefits of looking at something from another point of view. They have also become much more articulate and confident at speaking in public and have loved having the opportunity to make new friends and find out more about current issues that affect them.
“They have also become much more articulate and confident at speaking in public and have loved having the opportunity to make new friends and find out more about current issues that affect them”
Offline news and literacy tools
- Printable, weekly comprehensions, debates and vocabulary puzzles
- Created in three reading levels for lower KS2, upper KS2 and KS3
- Ideal for both class and homework
- Unlimited access across the whole school