Teachers notes
Introduce the section with Dave and Tamara's video, and then present the articles. You can use the articles as the basis for discussion, as suggested in the Teachers' Notes as a class. Get the students to do some research on the topics in the articles, and then to consider how it is they can help the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The sections cover material required by the National Curriculum, details of which can be found in the Teachers' Notes. Through the activities, students widen their view of the world and consideration for others, examine their feelings, and think about how they can come up in fundraising schemes.
TRANSFORMING THE HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE
Unless they have been faced with it or know someone who has, the students will probably not have considered the hospital experience for teenagers. As if being diagnosed with cancer isn’t bad enough, if they are under 16 they will be put in a children’s ward which caters for young patients and furnished with toys and children’s decor, or if they are over 16 they will be put on an adult ward, which will be predominantly full of patients who are 65+. Get the students to consider what they would want around them if they had to spend long periods of time in hospital and what sort of people would they want to spend time with and talk to, to share their experiences and worries with. You could get them to do some research to find out what facilities are available in hospitals and look at some of the areas in the country where there has been some progress in this field. Look at Liverpool Alder Hey hospital and how they have incorporated a ‘chill out’ room with a pool table, TV and stereo and a kitchen for use by teenagers.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE SCHOOLS
This article is about what some schools have done already to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust. You could get your students to research what has previously, and is currently being done on a small and large scale for Teenage Cancer Trust and feed back to the group. As well as looking at what some schools have done, direct them to some of the following campaigns and supporters, McFly, Kerrang! Radio and Birmingham Football Club, who have supported the campaign amongst others. Direct them to look at the Teenage Cancer Trust website as well as using a search engine to find further information. You could get them to come up with ideas themselves for a fundraising event for Teenage Cancer Trust and for any viable suggestions you could get them to write a proposal to present to the headmaster/principal for consideration. Alternatively they may have ideas which they could see through on an individual basis and they should be encouraged to go ahead with anything that will make a difference to the lives of teenage cancer patients.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
This is a wonderful opportunity for students to publish some of their own work which would benefit them and others in a number of ways. They would be helping to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, they would be able to add the publication to their record of achievement and they would be learning and practicing valuable skills in creative writing. Through doing this they would be practicing the majority of the skills in the writing component of the Key Stage 3 and 4 national curriculum. You should encourage them to take this opportunity and discuss the benefits of writing something for teenagers by teenagers. For example there is already a wealth of literature out there about healthy lifestyles but it’s all written by adult authors and little if anything written by teenagers from a teenage perspective. Another avenue would be to look at the viability of the group writing a book, for example each of them to write a poem and publish the book – look at the initial market for this book, ie the extended family and friends of a class of 30.
These activities have links with other national curriculum subjects. These have been mapped for PSHE Key Stage 3 and 4, English Key Stage 3 and GCSE and ICT Key Stage 3 and GCSE
USEFUL DOCUMENTS
Resource overview
