On 11 April, junior doctors in England walked out of their jobs as part of a four-day strike. This is the longest strike of NHS staff since nurses, ambulance workers and other healthcare workers protested last year. 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.
Oracy
There have been a number of strikes recently by public service professionals such as teachers, doctors and nurses. Do you think we value them highly enough? Isn’t it right that people who study and train for a long time to do jobs that benefit society should be well paid? Or should they stop complaining and enjoy the rewards that come with knowing they are helping others? Why should they expect to be well-off when they don’t actually make anything or create any new wealth? What do you think?
Writing skills
Using a playscript format, imagine a short, humorous, bedside dialogue between two junior doctors and a senior politician, who has been refusing to increase doctors’ pay. The scene is a hospital bed where the politician has been admitted for a painful but not too serious injury. Remembering that medics will always help a patient, no matter who it is, try to convey how the doctors feel about the patient through their words and actions.
Or
Write a poem about the value of good health. Try to write it in free verse, where there is no particular rhyming or rhythmic structure, but focus on using your best words and figurative language to express your views in an emotionally powerful way.
Investigate
The doctors say that their pay is worth less now than it was 15 years ago in 2008. List between five and ten key events from the world of sport or entertainment from that year, such as the names of cup winners or top family movies.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
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 The Week Junior website.