The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has apologised to the families of 10 people who were shot and killed during British Army operations in Ballymurphy, an area in Belfast in Northern Ireland, in 1971.
This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Activities include:
- Increasingly, national leaders seem to be apologising for events that happened in the past, sometimes hundreds of years ago. Why should they? If the people who caused the problem are still alive, surely they are the ones who should apologise? Or is it right that leaders should apologise on behalf of their nations? What do you think?
- Is there something that you did in the past for which you think you should apologise? If not (or if you want to keep it secret) make one up. Write a detailed letter of apology to the person who was wronged.
- Write a newspaper article, pretending to report on an apology from someone in history or a character from a familiar tale.
- Research the origins of the words sorry and apology. Explain how their meanings were once rather different.
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.