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Teachers: Citizenship: Criminal justice system


Last Updated: Wednesday April 12 2006 16:06 GMT


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Asbos



Asbo paperwork. Newsround featured an in-depth report on the subject of Anti-Social Behaviour orders (Asbos).

Students watch the 10-minute video and answer questions in the Asbo hotseat.

The main activity requires a large space such as a hall or a classroom with the desks cleared to the side.

select this link for a lesson plan about the government's Respect action plan to curb anti-social behaviour

Learning aims

By the end of the lesson, students should have a deeper understanding about:

Ice-breaker

Video and questions

Brainstorm what students already know about Asbos and make a class list of their ideas.

Divide the class into six groups. Assign each group one of the following questions (who, what, where, when, why?), asking them to answer it while watching the short film:

Jason.

1. Who is interviewed in the film?

2. What ASBO conditions can be imposed?

3. What happens if you break the conditions of an ASBO?

4. Where is the police patrol filmed?

5. When. From what age can you get an ASBO?

6. Why do some people commit anti-social behaviour?

Play the film, by clicking on the dark-blue BBC Schools box in the top-right corner of this page.

If you cannot access the video, students can find the answers using the three interview transcripts and a guide to Asbos in the Teachers' background below.

select this link for the transcripts

Answers:

1. Who

2. What? Being banned from going to certain places, at certain times, with certain people, wearing certain clothes.

3. What? You can be arrested and face prison.

4. Where? Manchester, which is known as the Asbo capital.

5. When? From the age of 10.

6. Why? Up to 30 percent of young people with Asbos may have a diagnosed mental health or emotional problem.

Main activity

In their shoes

Assign each of the six groups one of these people interviewed in the report:

Ask each group: What does your person say about Asbos and anti-social behaviour? Students make a note of their answers.

Answers:

Now ask each group to write down at least three more things their person might say about Asbos and anti-social behaviour. They will use these later in a competition against the other teams, so they should back up their statements.

E.g. "It's unfair to stop me walking down certain streets because it now takes me twice as long to walk to school, making me late." is a stronger statement than "Asbos are unfair!"

To help them,. students might like to read the transcripts of the interviews with Jason, Jennifer and Al Aynsley-Green, which are in the Teachers' background below.

select this link for the transcripts


Jennifer. Hot seats

This activity requires a large space such as a hall or a classroom with the desks cleared to the side.

Place a circle of four or five outward-facing chairs in the middle of the room.

Students form a standing outer circle around the chairs.

The "Jason" students sit on the hot seats in the middle of the circle. In turn they voice a statement they have prepared, trying not to repeat each other.

All the "Jennifer" students in the outer circle take one pace towards the "Jason" closest to them.

Incorporating the statements they have prepared, they question the "Jasons" and each pair enters into a discussion about Asbos. Four or five pairs should be talking at once.

The other standing students listen into the debate nearest them.

After one minute, stop the group and ask the standing students to vote on which role had the most convincing argument - Jason or Jennifer? Make a note of the results.

Repeat the exercise with the following pairings:

After each round, ask the standing students to vote on the role with the most convincing arguments.

Plenary

Add up the votes to see which role presented the most convincing arguments. This team is declared the winner.

Ask students: What do YOU think about Asbos?

Extension activity

Students look at the comments sent in by children using the Newsround website. Click on the link in the resource box below.

Next to each comments they write down which of the six people in the film, plus themselves, would be likely to share this view. They can use the abbreviations Me, Jas, Jen, HB, AAG, Liam, PC, and O for other.

Teachers' background



ASBO RESOURCES

Teenagers fighting. Comments: What do you think about Asbos? I have an Asbo: Jason's story Asbos helped me: Jennifer's story Asbos: Children's Commissioner Guide to Asbos Vote: Should Asbo kids be named?

Click on these links for a host of Asbo related resources.

Curriculum relevance

National Curriculum Citizenship Key Stage 3

1a. The legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society, basic aspects of the criminal justice system, and how both relate to young people.
2a. Think about topical political, spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues, problems and events by analysing information and its sources, including ICT-based sources.
2b. Justify orally and in writing a personal opinion about such issues, problems or events.
2c. Contribute to group and exploratory class discussions, and take part in debates.
3a. Consider other people's experiences and think about, express and explain views that are not their own.


For hundreds more news-based stories, click on Teachers on the left-hand side.

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