Noise made by humans makes it difficult for animals to communicate with each other and could put their survival at risk, according to a study published on 1 December 2020.
Our natural instinct is to be concerned if our actions are harming the environment – but are we in danger of taking things too far? If a robin has to change his tune in order to find a mate, is it really a reason to hold up progress?
This resource pack includes an article from The Week Junior newspaper, and an activities sheet designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Activities include:
- Debate how much responsibility we have for minimising our impact on the environment in the pursuit of progress. Living things have to adapt to their surroundings in order to thrive – that’s what evolution is all about. Can we really afford to worry about every little aspect of animal welfare? What do you think?
- Write a short playscript outlining a conversation between a male and female robin who live near to a busy road. Make it as serious or amusing as you like but remember to use the conventions of the genre.
- Write an imagined letter of protest to a supermarket chain that wants to build a new store in an open, natural space you know well. Remember to use persuasive language to explain the reasons for your strong feelings as well as all the conventions of a formal letter.
- Research and explain how bats use sound in order to survive, ideally including a labelled diagram. If possible, outline who first discovered what bats do and how they worked out what was happening.
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.