Overview
The Make a Difference in a Day resource pack has been created for teachers who want to deliver a drop down day with children focusing on making a difference to a community space that’s important to them.
This free package of resources comprises:
- Set of teachers’ notes;
- PowerPoint slides;
- Pupil workbook;
- Social action activity suggestions;
- Stimulus pictures.
Taken together, the resources lead children through a mini community project focused on an issue identified as a local concern, such as tackling the problem of air pollution caused by traffic, protecting local biodiversity, improving access to community buildings or tackling issues of litter and plastic pollution.
Make a Difference in a Day is designed to be used with either the whole school, a year group, or a single class. It’s primarily pitched at key stage 2 pupils, but can be adapted for younger – or older – pupils.
The production of this resource was made possible through generous funding from the Co-op Community Foundation Community Spaces programme, which encourages and supports young people to identify and improve community spaces near them for the benefit of other young people and the wider community.
Suggested next steps:
- Browse case studies of youth-led action;
- Check out the free online course Social Action in Community Spaces;
- After your drop down experience, progress to the full Make a Difference Challenge.
More Lessons resources
Citizenship and the Wider World
During this lesson pupils consider what it means to be a global citizen and what rights and responsibilities come with this. They consider a range of global issues; analysing…
How Does the Budget Impact Me and Others?
The resource consists of two activities. The first is a notation task based on the information provided about the...
Saving Energy
In this lesson pupils will learn what is meant by the term energy source. They will consider how they use energy in their lives and be introduced to the basic…
More Community resources
Taking Responsibility (assembly)
During this assembly pupils consider what the word responsibility means. You can find the ‘Taking responsibility’ lesson plan on the KS1 lesson page. The PowerPoint for the lesson is the…
Design an Inclusive Playground
In this lesson pupils will consider the varying needs and interests of the Go-Giver characters and design a playground that matches these requirements. They will work in groups to present…
Democracy (Part 2): Local and Central Government
This lesson forms the second part of a three-part unit on democracy. Pupils learn about the function of central and local government and the difference between MPs and councillors. Pupils explore…
More Social Action/Active Citizenship resources
Voting and the General Election
This resource pack is the second of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
How to Make a Persuasive Presentation
Do you care passionately about helping a certain charity or supporting a particular cause but think if more people got involved you could make an even bigger difference? How can…
Martin Luther King: Sacrificing All for the Dream
This lesson looks at discrimination against African Americans in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement and how Martin Luther King achieved change through peaceful…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
How Should We Farm?
In this lesson pupils will learn about different farming methods. They will consider the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and learn how to identify labels that indicate how food…
Children’s Rights
In this lesson pupils will learn that there are specific rights for children which are set out in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Pupils will…
Understanding Cancer
Many children in classrooms all around the country are dealing with cancer in one way or another at any given time. This lesson seeks to answer some of their questions…