Holocaust Memorial assembly

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/landmarks-illuminated-purple-to-mark-holocaust-memorial-day/ar-BB1hmdU0

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-68111782

What do you see? What is happening in these photos? Do you recognise the building? 

This is Durham cathedral, why was it lit in purple lights on Saturday night?

On Saturday evening, across the UK, many public buildings including the London Eye and Blackpool Tower were lit in purple lights to mark Holocaust Memorial day.

The top photo shows Holocaust survivor Joan Salter lighting a candle.

What is Holocaust Memorial about?

Holocaust Memorial day happens every year to remember those killed by the Nazis in concentration camps in World War Two. 6 million Jewish, Roma, LGBT and disabled people died. The Nazis also killed people who disagreed with them and argued against them. 

January 27th is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitch- Birkenau the largest Nazi death camp.

This year the theme is "The fragility of freedom" What does that mean?

There was recognition from the chief executive of Holocaust Educational Trust, Karen Pollock,  that this year Holocaust Memorial Day is difficult because of the conflict in Israel. There are many people who hold different views about what is happening today. Karen says, "It's a difficult time, but that doesn't stop us from coming together and recognising what was a seismic event in history whose repercussions are still felt today."

Can we come together if we hold different views? 

Can we join together to remember events in history if we disagree about events happening today?

Holocaust survivor Stephen Breuer attended an event in Bristol to remember those who died. He said, "Whenever you see an opportunity of opposing oppression or discrimination, please do it, please try."

What does Stephen mean by this? 

Marian Liebmann is the chairwoman of the Bristol Holocaust Memorial Day steering group and she says, "Anything I can do to make this word a better place, where people are welcomed, whoever they are, then I would like to do that."

Here is a link to a previous assembly I have done to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, about a primary school Jewish girl who was chosen by her school to give flowers to Hitler on a parade in 1933.

https://no-outsiders-assembly.blogspot.com/2019/01/holocaust-memorial.html

What do we say at our school about difference and diversity?

What do we say about holding different beliefs? 

We say it is possible to recognise opposing views; we can still have respect for one another if we disagree on ideas. We can debate and and we may disagree but we can still get along and our ideas can co-exist. The important thing is to remember that at our school, everyone is welcome there are no outsiders here whoever they are and wherever they are from. Everybody belongs here. 

No Outsiders: everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com 

Race

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/female-track-star-race-man-tiktok-b2472211.html?fbclid=IwAR38ZTvM0YZqDGHxRtyT-YHGvHldWJSDZjfgr-gTrZgiPQyKu1V5tJnbiVQ

What do you see in the picture, what do you think this story is about? 

Alahna Sabbakhan is student at the University of Virginia, USA, and she a track and field athlete. A  video of her running 400m as part of her workout has gone viral because her boyfriend has a friend who challenged her.

What do you think the challenge was?

The man refused to believe a woman could beat him in a race and he challenged Alahna to prove this. He even brought his family and friends along to watch him beat her in a race.

Why would he do this? 

How would you describe this man's behaviour and attitude?

What would you say to him if he asked you to come and watch him beat Alahna in a race?

Alahna says, "Just to clarify, I did NOT want to race this man. I was already at the track doing my workout and he came to join."

The man was saying, "Yeah, I could beat her in the 400," Alahna says he didn't realise the 400 is one of the hardest track events.

Why do you think it's hard?

What do you think Alahna said when he challenged her?

Alahna invited the man to just join her for a workout, but the man insisted they race.

Why did she invite him to join her in a workout rather than race?  

You can watch the race in a link above. What do you think happened?

Alahna kept level with the man for the first 200m but for the second half she sprinted ahead and finished with a huge gap between them. 

After the race, the man accepted defeat and said, "That was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

Alahna says, "I feel like it was a really good learning experience. It showed people that they need to stop underestimating us - track athletes, female athletes."

The video has been viewed over 10million times. 

Why do you think the video went viral?

What do you think of Alahna's behaviour in the story? Why didn't she lose her temper?

It showed people that they need to stop underestimating us - what does that mean?

What can we learn from this story?

Why is it about no outsiders?

Which British value is this about?

No Outsiders: everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com

Bridesmaids

 

https://scoop.upworthy.com/bride-praised-for-giving-fiances-tomboy-niece-the-option-of-not-wearing-a-dress-to-her-wedding-587618-587618-587618?fbclid=IwAR3uJAjHauc_cCxsv0fXXn50rj1JrGkcpi9IJD1UkWfGr4HQVJUBwlrbsBY

What do you se in the photo? What are these people doing, were are they going, what job to they have?

This is a picture of bridesmaids at a wedding.

What are bridesmaids? Are there rules / customs about being a bridesmaid? Who chooses what bridesmaids wear? How are bridesmaids impacted by gender stereotypes (what is a gender stereotype?)

A story went viral recently about a bride and the dresses she chose for the bridesmaids at her wedding.

A bride wanted her niece to feel included at the wedding so asked her to be a bridesmaid. She also thought it wood be a good way to get to know her niece better. When she met her niece, the niece was dressed in an androgynous way (what does androgynous mean?) and the bride could see her niece was getting very uncomfortable in the discussion about dresses.

The bride realised her niece did not usually wear dresses. The nieces mum and grandma were at the meeting and said it would be nice to see the girl more feminine (what does this mean?) Mum said, "It will be nice to see you dressed as a girl for once!"

Why did mum say that? How does a girl dress? How is mum feeling here?

How do you think that comment made her daughter feel?

The bride says the comment made the niece look really embarrassed (why was she embarrassed?)

When she head that comment, the bride decided to change her plan for the bridesmaids. What do you think she said next to Mum and the niece?

The bride said she had given all her bridesmaids the option of wearing whatever they liked, as long as they stayed within the wedding colours. 

Why did she suddenly say that? How do you think this announcement made the niece feel?

The bride pulled out her phone and showed the niece pictures of suits and trousers and said she could even wear jeans and trainers if she felt more comfortable. She said, "It's a wedding, not a fashion show."

What do you think mum said?

Mum told the bride that at a wedding, all the bridesmaids should wear the same thing and her daughter should wear a dress. The bride said no, but later, she did then ask the internet if she was right in her decision to do this.

Many people praised the bride for standing up for her niece. One commented if she made the niece wear something she was not comfortable in, she would not enjoy being a bridesmaid and this would affect the bride's happiness knowing that one of her brides was unhappy. 

How would you respond to the bride's question?

One argument could be that roles at a wedding are traditional and should be kept the same including what people wear - what do you think?

 

What can we learn from the bride in this story?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British Value is this story about?

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com

Hair

 

https://www.upworthy.com/preschooler-has-a-perfect-response-to-a-boy-who-called-her-hair-crazy

Leila Danai is three years old and goes to nursery school. She is one of the only back children in the school and her beautiful afro-textured hair is different to the hair on most other children. A video of Leila talking to her mum about her day at school has gone viral. You can watch the video in the link above. 

What do you think Leila talks about in the video? Are there any clues?

Leila tells her mum about a boy in her class who was rude about her hair. The boy said he didn't like Leila's hair and told her it was "crazy".

How do you think Leila responded? 

How would you respond if you were Leila?

How would you respond if you overheard the boy saying that to Leila?

Leila said, "I like it!"

She then said, "My Mommy made it. And if you don't like it, I'll keep it for myself!"

Leila then showed the boy her beautiful smile.

Why do you think Leila aid that?

Why didn't Leila get upset?

Why did Leila smile at the boy?

How do you think Mum felt about Leila's story? 

How do you think Mum responded to Leila's story? 

Mum told Leila she was proud of her and said, "You stood up for yourself, that's what matters. What matters is that you like it - it's your hair."

We don't know if Mum told Leila's teacher or complained to the school. Should she do that? Do you think the boy's behaviour was racist? Should the teacher follow this up with the boy? What would be the best way to do that? Perhaps Leila handled it sufficiently on hr own and there is no need for a follow up? What do you think?

People commented, "We should all have this type of self esteem!"

What does self esteem mean?

What can we learn from Leila in this story?

What do we say at our school about different hair? How else are we different at our school?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British value is this about?

www.no-outsiders.com

No Outsiders: everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

Embankment station

 

https://secretldn.com/mind-the-gap-embankment-station/?fbclid=IwAR30gdsWyENmcHmKsPjt2_fXbwe5D_L9DTUHJjvx6Na8v-BtLy_tsjx69eI

Visitors to London Underground stations hear a friendly warning every time a train arrives; "Mind the gap!" which reminds people to step over the gap between the train and the platform. One morning at Embankment station an elderly woman approached a guard to ask why the voice making the announcement over the loudspeaker had changed. The guard told her that all the announcements across the London Underground had been updated so the old voice had been replaced.

The woman was a GP, Dr Margaret McCollum. She told the guard that the old voice was her husband; an actor called Oswald Lawrence who never became famous but had recorded "Mind the gap!" for all the London underground stations in the 1970s. Oswald died in 2007 and Margaret missed him very much; she felt alone but every day on her way to work at Embankment station she could hear Oswald's voice. Sometimes she would wait on the platform a little longer just to hear his voice every time a train in.

The staff at Embankment station listened to her story and said they would try and find the old recordings, but they knew it would be impossible as the whole system had been erased. Margaret knew that she would not hear Oswald again.

The following year, Margaret was sitting on the station on her way to work when a train arrived and the announcement came over the loudspeaker; "Mind the gap!". Margaret couldn't believe what she heard; it was Oswald speaking!

Many people at Embankment station felt empathy with Margaret; they too had lost loved ones and knew how it felt to feel alone. They wanted to help, so an operation had begun to restore Oswald's announcement. And that is why today if you travel on the underground you will hear a digitalised voice warning you about the gap at every other station, but at Embankment station you will hear only one human voice, a booming male voice saying, "Mind the gap!" and it's Oswald.

What do you see in the picture?
where is it?
What do people hear while standing at the station?

explain the story

- How do you think Margaret felt when she heard Oswald's voice every morning?
- He was only saying three words; she couldn't hold a conversation, so why do you think she would sometimes wait on the station to hear him again and again?
-  How did Margaret feel the first time the announcement was a different voice?
- The guard was probably very busy, why do you think he stopped and listened to her story?
- Oswald's recording had been erased, why do you think staff spent so long trying to restore it? Why didn't they just say, "sorry, it's a different voice now."
- what does empathy mean?
- how do you think Margaret felt when she heard Oswald again?
- this story has gone viral; why do you think that is? What does that show about people around the world today?
- Why is this story about no outsiders? (Margaret felt like an outsider, but the staff worked together to make sure she felt welcome and loved)
- what can we learn from the staff at Embankment station?

There's a short film here telling this story with the real Margaret interviewed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSXabUG1yQQ

Merry Christmas everyone!

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsuders.com

Benjamin Zephaniah

 

Who is this? What is he doing? What do you think his job is?

This is Benjamin Zephaniah, a British poet who died last week aged 65 and is being remembered as a titan of British literature.

"A titan of British literature" what does that mean? 

What is a poet? How do you become a poet? What sort of education do you think Benjamin had to become a poet, what do you think his childhood was like, how well do you think he did at school?

Benjamin was born and raised in Handsworth, Birmingham. He was dyslexic (what is dyslexia?) and left school at 13 with no qualifications and unable to read or write.

As a child, Benjamin experienced domestic violence and thought it was the norm; he recalled, "I once asked a friend of mine, 'What do you do when your dad beats your mum?' and he went: 'He doesn't'

I said, 'Ah you come from one of those, like, feminist houses. So what do you do when your mum beats your dad?"

Why did Benjamin think parents fighting was the norm? What did he learn that day?

He started to write dub poetry, a Jamaican style of work and when he was 22 he moved to London and published his first poetry book, called, “Pen Rhythm”.

He has spoken out on many issues such as racism and education and become famous for using his voice. In 2008 he was named as one of the top 50 post war British writers.

There are so many poems and performances to explore, I have chosen four because I couldn’t pick just one. The first is called “Who’s who”

I used to think nurses
Were women,
I used to think police
Were men,
I used to think poets
Were boring,
Until I became one of them.

What is Benjamin saying in this poem? Listen to the rhythm in these lines; what do you notice, how does using rhyme affect the poem? 

What do you think makes this a good poem? 

How might this poem be about No Outsiders?

This poem was written as  response to Covid and Black Lives matter in 2021:

Benjamin Zephaniah poem 'people will always be people' (UK/Global) - BBC - 5th June 2020 - YouTube

This poem is called “Talking Turkey’s”

Benjamin Zaphaniah poem from Literacy Evolve for Primary Literacy pupils - YouTube

And finally, possibly the best No Outsiders poem ever written! "The British" 

https://youtu.be/dZ1yYOAwvvo?si=Npwol63Q20bpAwvy

Thank you, Benjamin.

Tree

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67520722?fbclid=IwAR04_E_jhR0aKKJwmZKYCjlTES-3p6e4OiRJo9sjf7hZhRrmpJkfFBd3dBE

What do you see in the picture? Who are they, where are they? what are they doing, why are they doing it?

The picture shows a Christmas tree in Nordmarka, Norway, being felled ahead of its journey to London to Trafalgar Square.

Why is London having a Christmas tree that was grown in Norway, why don't we use a tree grown in England?

Every year the Norwegian people send a Christmas tree to London. The first was 1947 so how many years has this been happening? (76)

Why do you think Norway send a Christmas tree to England every year?

The tradition was started as a thank you to the UK government who welcomed the Norwegian government and King when Norway was invaded in 1940. 

Who invaded Norway in 1940, what was happening in Europe? Did this make the Norwegian government and the King refugees? Why did the UK government welcome them? Why didn't the government at the time say no?

People in Norway in 1940  felt that London represented the "Spirit of freedom" during the difficult war years. 

What does that mean? How was London different to Norway in 1940?

Who do you think was chosen to fell the tree in Norway? What jobs do you think those two people hold? 

The picture shows the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Lord Mayor of Oslo felling the tree. 

Why do you think they were chosen to fell the tree? 

Here is a picture of the first Christmas tree from Norway, in 1947.

What does tradition mean, why do traditions carry on?

What does this tradition show about Europe in 1940, in 1947 and today?

What can we learn from the people of Norway?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com