Last month, the Queen celebrated her 90th birthday. This month the celebrations continue, as a multitude of stars have been confirmed this week to perform in front of the Queen as part of her four day birthday event at Windsor Castle, which starts today.
To celebrate this milestone, we thought we’d offer a few tips how the Queen can be used as a theme in your classroom, particularly in promoting British values.
Where is Her Majesty the Queen ?
A good starting point is to look at the countries that the Queen rules in Great Britain. Compare and contrast England and Scotland – take a look at typical souvenirs from both countries and examine what makes them so distinct. This helps your pupils see that the country they live in is part of a wider landscape and embrace cultural diversity.
The Commonwealth
You can take this further by introducing your pupils to the Commonwealth. What is their relationship to the UK? Let your pupils take charge of their own learning by allowing them to do independent research on Commonwealth countries, and perhaps try some cuisines that originate from these countries at their local takeaways.
Importance of rules
The Queen’s role in the law making process involves approving of laws before they become official. Use this example to get your pupils thinking about the rules they have at home and at school. Why do they exist? What would their school be like if there were no rules? Your pupils can then work together to create their own rules for their classroom.
Equal opportunities
The Queen’s father King George is well known for overcoming his speech impediment, which was beautifully shown through the film ‘The King’s Speech’. Use this part of history to show how he successfully overcame obstacles to deliver his speeches. This can springboard into discussions on modern day individuals who overcome obstacles to achieve their goal, particularly Paralympians, which is fitting considering the Invictus Games was founded by Prince Harry and the Paralympic games will follow in a few months time. How does the law make sure all people have the same rights?
Britain’s Got Talent
The Royal Variety Performance is held every year to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity, of which the Queen is patron. Talent doesn’t just happen on stage, as the Queen also awards medals to sportspeople, academics and many more for their contributions to entertainment and society.
Allow your pupils to celebrate their own contributions and talents by creating badges for their achievements, as well as their personal attributes, such as being generous or a good friend. You can even extend this into circle time, where pupils share what they value most about the person sitting next to them.
If you would like more ideas how you can use the Queen as a theme to promote British values, you might want to take a look at our British Values Programme.
The programme has a whole unit entitled ‘Long Live the Queen’, which examines the role the Queen plays in our democracy and in society.
If you would like to learn more about the British Values Programme, please email us at prospectsimprove@prospects.co.uk