posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer – Schools and Learning

News from the Commonwealth

Get ready for Commonwealth Science Class

We have teamed up with The Royal Society to launch an exciting new series of science resources and activities.

Enthuse your students’ interest in science and excite their curiosity about the world around them. Our new learning materials are designed to encourage young people to take part in experimental science experiments and share and compare their results with others around the globe.

Get started by taking a look at the first resource in the series – Renewable Energy: How can we keep the lights on? Each resource comes with a video featuring an eminent expert on the subject.

There will also be opportunities for you to join in with debates on the subjects and continue the discussion on our forum pages.

Prepare for the next Commonwealth debate

What if there are no rules?  Ask your class to consider what would happen if they came to school one day and there were no longer any rules. Join us in discussing this in our next Commonwealth Class debate on Thursday 21 April. The debate starts at 9:30am GMT and will be facilitated live until 11:00am GMT, but you can post your comments up until 28 April.

In focus: rule of law:  The Commonwealth believe the rule of law provides protection for all its citizens. Prepare for the next debate by sharing and discussing your thoughts on the legal system, why rules and laws exist, and access to justice. Get the conversation going – start thinking about different justice systems all over the world and consider whether they are fair.

Justice, rules and Shakespeare: Our Shakespeare Lives resource contains fun ideas and ways for you to explore the theme of justice and rules in more depth right across the curriculum.  The activities are designed to help students think critically and creatively, and are also ideal for collaborating with a partner school.

More Activities

Win a trip to London!   Take part in The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and win a trip to London! This year’s theme is ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’. It is a chance for students to express themselves through creative writing and think about citizenship, tolerance and respect. Open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and under. Deadline 1 May 2016.

Tell us what you think:  We would love to hear your feedback on our Commonwealth Class resource packs. This will help us to develop future resources that are most relevant to your needs. Help us by filling in our short survey – it should take no more than a few minutes.