Watch out! Helping to make good viewing choices is a free online resource for Key Stage 1 learners
The free resource includes lesson plans, a comprehensive teacher’s guide and useful support materials
To celebrate the new resource, the BBFC have launched a ‘Symbol Superheroes’ competition for all Year 1 and 2 classes in the UK
Today, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has launched a brand new Key Stage 1 resource in partnership with the PSHE Association. The resource, Watch out! Helping to make good viewing choices, has been awarded the PSHE Association ‘Quality Mark’ for high quality, safe and effective PSHE education and meets the Department for Education’s statutory guidance for Relationships and Health education.
Building on the existing BBFC KS2 and KS3 resources, the free lesson plans teach pupils about how to make safe viewing choices and helps them understand what they can do if they see something that is not age appropriate. Learning objectives include:
understanding that age-ratings can help us make choices about what to watch
learning how to make good viewing choices that are right for a person’s age
learning about what to do if someone watches something that makes them feel upset or worried
Both lessons are supported with a detailed lesson plan, a Google Slides deck and additional handouts for the class, and are an interactive experience for young students.
Sarah Peacock, Compliance and Education Manager at the BBFC, said: “We were delighted to work with the PSHE Association to create this resource for KS1 teachers. The days are long gone when parents and carers could control everything children and young people watch. Today, with the rise of streaming services and online content, they need to be able to make the right decisions for themselves and learn to choose well. Our brand new PSHE resource is the perfect introduction to age ratings for young learners, and teaches them the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content, and how to report them.”
Claire Keech, PSHE Association Senior Subject Specialist, said: “We are delighted to launch this new resource in partnership with the BBFC. With young people growing up in a digital world, these lesson plans teach them all about the importance of age ratings and what they need to be aware of when choosing what films and TV shows to watch. We hope bringing this to the classroom will encourage more conversations between pupils and the teachers and parents that look after them about what they can do when they see something that is not right for them.”
To celebrate the new resource, the BBFC have also launched a ‘Symbol Superheroes’ competition for teachers to engage their class. To enter the competition, teachers need to complete the ‘Age-rating Superhero!’ activity in lesson 1, asking their class to draw their very own superhero from the BBFC U and PG age rating symbols.
Teachers can submit their class’s entries by post or online with the competition closing on Friday 25 June 2021. The creator of the best superhero will win their school £200 worth of filmmaking equipment, and will win a personalised BBFC Black Card, a goody bag and cinema voucher. Find out more on the CBBFC website.
Sarah Peacock added: “We can’t wait to see all the creative entries from schools up and down the UK. I hope that this competition will add an extra element to the lessons for learners, and inspire lots of creativity in the classroom. Most importantly, this competition will help young people familiarise themselves with the age ratings they see in the cinemas and online, and learn how to choose content well from a young age.”
Download the full resource on the CBBFC website.
Find out more about the Superhero Symbols competition on the CBBFC website.
