Free teaching resources about Russia and Ukraine

Published 07 February 2025

This one-hour lesson offers your students a chance to dive deeper into the human side of the conflict. They will explore first-hand accounts from those directly affected by the war, compare these personal stories with statistics in the news and reflect on how the media shape our understanding of conflict.

This resource was created for Topical Talk Festival 2025. See student discussions on this lesson here.

What if I don't feel confident to teach these kinds of lessons?
We know that it might be daunting to have conversations in your classroom about race and identity. We've created a guide that gives practical tips on how to handle them with confidence, including:
- Ensuring all important perspectives are fairly represented, though some arguments might need more exploration, more time, or more challenge
- Championing facts and challenging misinformation
- Considering informing parents
- Being comfortable without an answer for everything
Read the tips here

Skills and knowledge

Every lesson has a skill and knowledge focus. Click to see this lesson's focus and some of the questions students will answer

Listening skill
- Step 5: I show I am listening by how I use eye contact and body language
  Did you share ideas within your group for each poster or slide?
- Step 6: I show I am listening by using open questions to deepen my understanding
  Did you ask questions about the experiences you heard?
- Step 12: I listen critically and think about where differences in perspectives come from
  Did you think about why the people from Russia and Ukraine might have had similar or different experiences?
Knowledge

I know how people in Russia and Ukraine have been affected by war and can compare how different information helps to tell their stories.
What are some of the stories you heard from the people from Russia and Ukraine in this lesson?