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As countries race toward net-zero, our Earth Day lesson gets students talking about renewable energy, its global impact and which green solutions work best where. About this lesson Many countries have one target in common: achieving net-zero. To reach the state where the amount of greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere are equal to the amount removed, significant changes are taking place. Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power are being used globally to reduce dependence on non-renewable resources like oil and gas. **Use this lesson to help students: ** Understand the importance of renewable energy Discuss the different types of renewable energy Debate which renewable energy source is best for a particular context Looking for more Topical Talk lessons? Explore our full library of resources:

Should controversial figures like Andrew Tate and Conor McGregor be given a platform? About this lesson President Trump’s recent support for controversial MMA fighter Conor McGregor and Spotify’s removal of influencer Andrew Tate’s podcast have sparked debate on permitting public misogyny. The conversation on misogyny, extremist influencers and the “manosphere” has been further fuelled by the hit Netflix show Adolescence. Should people be allowed to share whatever opinions they want? And is it ever right to restrict how they do so? Use this lesson to help students: Consider the impact of people sharing their opinions publicly Explore recent news examples featuring Andrew Tate and Conor McGregor Debate whether influencers with misogynistic views should have a public platform Discover more Topical Talk lessons here.

In this one-hour lesson, hear from those impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war and help students think critically about the role of journalism in war reporting. Our lessons are produced by experienced teachers, with support from The Economist’s senior editors and fact-checkers. That means you can trust our resources to give an accurate and balanced picture for your students to unpick. Explore more Topical Talk lessons here.

Ahead of Earth Day, help students learn about the impact of wildfires around the world and think critically about sustainable solutions. Why are places like Los Angeles, Portugal and Brazil more vulnerable than others? And how should global governments react to news of fires? Use this one-hour lesson to help students: Learn about the impact of wildfires around the world Discuss how at-risk countries are trying to prevent fires Debate whether governments should spend more money on the prevention or management of wildfires Discover more Earth Day lessons from The Economist Educational Foundation.

How should budgets be spent? And how similar are considerations for personal and government budgets? Use this one-hour Headline lesson to help your students: Explore the challenges of state budgeting Discuss considerations for personal budgeting Decide how to spend a government budget Looking for more news-based resources? Check out our resource library!

How might artificial intelligence affect the UK general election? Debate what should be allowed during election campaigns and consider solutions to address the problems caused by generative AI. Use this one-hour lesson to help your students: Consider the impact of generative AI during elections Decide whether AI should be allowed during election campaigns Identify and analyse solutions for the problems that generative AI might cause Looking for more resources on elections and democracy? Explore our full collection of free resources.

In this lesson students will build their knowledge of news literacy, misinformation and disinformation. They’ll work through examples in groups to spot the difference between mis- and disinformation, before deciding what “news-literacy actions” they could take to avoid being misled in future. This resource was created as part of an online teacher-training course: how to teach the news. See full course: bit.ly/TT-springboard

Six lessons to unpick numbers in the news. Created with support from data experts at The Economist, the 6-hour unit of work helps 10-16 year-olds explore examples in the news, hear from data journalists and interrogate the reliability of data across four lively lessons before reflecting on their learning. Students are encouraged to form their own conclusions and the final two lessons support learners to plan, create and share what they have to say about data decisions, presented in either audio, video or written format.

A lot of the power to protect the planet lies within people’s lifestyle choices. Do we need tougher climate laws? Ahead of Earth Day on April 22nd, help students understand the urgency of the “climate crisis” and debate whether laws should be adjusted. This lesson gives you everything you need to facilitate a discussion with 9-16 year olds. Student develop essential skills, media literacy, knowledge about the news and every lesson relates to SDGs. Get weekly free lessons on the news from The Economist Foundation via their Topical Talk website: https://bit.ly/TT_Library

This year, the theme of International Women’s Day was “choose to challenge” encouraging people to speak out and challenge gender inequality. This resource helps your learners explore why we still having to fight for women’s equality in 2021.

This workshop challenges students to think about plastics, packaging and sustainability. They’ll explore interesting questions like: • What impact do plastics and packaging have on the environment? • Are all plastics bad? • Whose responsibility is it to make a change? Throughout, students will build essential Skills Builder skills: creativity, problem-solving, listening and speaking. The whole workshop is student-led, so perfect for independent learning or home education.

This resource helps students think more deeply about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. What challenges do the organisers face? What considerations need to be taken into account? And should the games go ahead? Straight-forward activities get students discussing the big questions and practising the Skills Builder skills: creativity, problem-solving, speaking and listening.

During the first UK lockdown, many families reverted back to the traditional set-up of mothers doing more childcare. Experts say we are at a “coronavirus crossroads”: without more support for working mothers, the gender pay gap could widen. So what should be done? These activities help your learners: Analyse statistics about pay discrimination Consider the impact of a culture of secrecy around salaries Suggest solutions to help close the gender pay gap Learn about the law on equal pay Understand the impact of the coronavirus on the gender pay gap See this issue from different perspectives

In October 2020 the World Economic Forum released its most recent research into 300 of the world’s biggest companies. It showed that over 50% expect to speed up their plans for automation because of covid-19. With more robots in the workplace, who will be the winners and losers? Download these resources, supported by the Bank of England, to find out! Use these activities to help answer this question and others about automation: Why are business owners turning to robots? What are the reasons why they shouldn’t? What role might Artificial Intelligence play in the future of work? What kinds of jobs might be better suited to robots? How might automation affect your career plans? How would perspectives differ?

Joe Biden won the US election, but Donald Trump refuses to concede. What’s going on? Help learners to explore the results and the questions they raise. **In part one: ** How do American presidential elections work? What made this election different from all others? How have the candidates reacted? **In part two: ** What might be the consequences of Trump’s actions? Why was the election record-breaking? What’s been the reaction to the result?

A hula-hooping girl appears on a wall in Nottingham, England. What happened next? This week, download a resource that tells the story of Banksy’s latest mysterious mural and gets learners thinking about the questions it raises. Use this resource to help learners: Identify key information from a piece of text View a situation from different perspectives Use evidence to support their own opinion Study different examples of Banksy’s work Find out what the law says about graffiti Consider the impact of Banksy’s murals

Published in response to recent events, these resources helps learners to explore questions like: What is prejudice? What does discrimination look like? Whose responsibility is it to end racism? Is racism always obvious? Is treating people equally always fair? Is racism getting worse? This resource includes Advice on managing sensitive conversations with young people. Links to further anti-racism resources for both children and adults. A special piece for older students with thinking questions.

This resource helps students to explore whether sportsplayers should share political opinions on the field. It is packed with pertinent questions such as: What happens when sport and politics mix? Is it acceptable to express political opinions on the field? Do sportspeople have greater responsibilities than others? This resource encourages learners to support their views with evidence but doesn’t need lots of prior knowledge about sport. This is the first of two resources exploring sport in the news. You can download Part 2 here.

Is the coronavirus affecting men and women differently? This resource encourages learners to study this question from several angles: from death rates, to the impact of lockdown to numbers on the front line. The activities help learners use evidence to draw their own conclusions and to assess the limits of the available data. Weigh up the evidence on questions like: Is COVID-19 worsening gender inequality? Are women better leaders during a crisis? Does we think hard enough about gender during a pandemic? The reflection activity invites learners to write 100 words about why it’s important to think about gender equality during the current crisis.

This unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has brought debates around freedom of speech into the spotlight. This resource provokes thinking about what people should be allowed to say, and who should make the rules. These activities challenge learners to think about questions like: Should people be allowed to say whatever they want? Is censorship necessary during a pandemic? What’s more important - freedom to say what you want, or safety from harmful words? Learners can complete the activities on their own but it’s even better if an adult can push them to develop their reasons and see other perspectives. The reflection questions can provoke extended discussions. For example, when (if ever) is it acceptable for a leader to withhold information?