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Connect 4 and the Asylum Act

Aim

To gain information on the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act through playing Connect 4

Objectives

Understand the main points of the 1999 Act
Work cooperatively
Think about the impact of the legislation and how it affects asylum seekers

Resources

Activity Sheet 2.1 , grid containing statements, photocopied onto A3 paper to use as a game board
Activity Sheet 2.2 , of smiley and sad faces, copied onto two colours of card and cut into small counters (there should be one sheet of each colour for each game)
Activity Sheet 2.3 , notes

Tasks

1. Play Connect 4
Split students into pairs.
Each pair needs a board (A3) and two sets of coloured counters.
Each student chooses a colour and takes it in turns to lay a counter.
Students gain a point if they lay 4 of their coloured counters in a line: to lay a counter they choose any square and decide if it would be good for an asylum seeker (smiley) or bad (sad).
As they play (to ensure they take in the information) ask students to write notes (good and bad points). You could use Activity Sheet 2.3 for this. It is important for the teacher to monitor this activity to ensure students do not just lay counters randomly. Ask them to justify the counters they have already laid down as you approach each pair.

2. Plenary
Bring the class together to discuss what they found out.
Write a summary together.

Discussion Points

Try to draw out the main points of the Act and check understanding through the whole class.
Share ideas about what would be good or bad for asylum seekers.

Extension

Students could go on to prepare for the next lesson's debate.

Differentiation

Use Activity Sheet 2.3 to help students keep notes as they play the game.

Homework

Imagine you are a politician in Parliament. Make up the introduction to a speech you might have made as the law went through Parliament. Choose EITHER to be on the government's side saying how good the law is, OR to be on the opposition side arguing that it is bad.

National Curriculum Focus

1(a) Legal and Human Rights
1(c) central government and the services it offers
3(a) Consider other people's experiences
Key skills: communication, working with others