Activities

Suggestions for using the programmes in the classroom

Before viewing
Explain to the pupils that they are about to see a film in which three teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 each have to look after a baby for three days. On the first day, the parents are on hand, but for the remaining two days, each teenager will be on their own. In groups, or as a class, ask the pupils to discuss how they would feel if they were asked to do this. Collect and discuss initial responses.

Ask the pupils to identify any emerging patterns and discuss possible reasons for them. Discuss:

• Were there any gender issues?
• Were there any particular disagreements or anxieties?
• What do they think would be the worst thing about parenting?
• What would be the best?

After viewing
1. Ask the pupils the following:

• Did the film raise any issues they had not thought about previously?
• Did anything surprise them?
• If they were parents, would they have taken part in this project?
• If they were parents, what anxieties might they have had?
• What were the reasons the three couples gave for taking part?
• What do pupils think of these reasons?
• What did they think is the aim of the programme?
• To what degree does it achieve this aim from their perspective?

2. Ask pupils to brainstorm all the things they would have to do if they were looking after a baby for three days. Display their answers as a list. Ask pupils to copy the list into one side of a grid and to put a five-point scale across the top, with '5' representing confident and '1' representing anxious. Working individually, ask the pupils to place themselves on the scale for each item in the list. In groups, or as a class, discuss the similarities and differences between their responses. How could they reduce their anxieties? Where could they learn the skills involved?

3. Working individually, ask pupils to write down what age they would like to be, ideally, if they were to have a baby. Ask them to note their reasons for choosing that particular age. Conduct a survey to find out the range of ages chosen, the frequency of specific ages, and their reasons for choosing these ages. Discuss the findings. Were there any major disagreements? If so, why? Were there any gender differences?