The Caribbean island country of Barbados has announced that it wants to remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state.
Why would a different nation want a head of state that lives in a different country thousands of miles away? Shouldn’t we just end this entire out-of-date echo of the British Empire right now? Or should it be up to the countries involved, such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, to decide for themselves?
This resource pack includes an article from The Week Junior newspaper about the decision made by Barbados, and a sheet of activities designed to get children talking, thinking and writing about the issues it raises in a way that is meaningful for them:
- Debate whether we should just remove the Queen as Head of State from all of the old Empire countries, or whether it should be up to them individually.
- Write an amusing haiku or limerick about having a King or Queen from a distant country
- Imagine you live in a country like Barbados, and write a diary entry about a day where Queen Elizabeth comes to visit your town.
- Research what the Commonwealth is. Why was it set up? What is it supposed to do? Can you list at least 20 countries that are part of the Commonwealth?
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.