PSHE KS2: 3. Dave’s cave… or What’s fair?

Download / print the transcript for the programme (pdf)

Brian and Dave are cavemen grappling with the notion of fairness in a society based on survival of the fittest… and it's not easy when there are sabre-tooth tigers and woolly mammoths to contend with.

The episode is 15 minutes long and has three parts. You can listen to the episode straight through, or stop listening after each section to engage with the classroom activities and discussions.

You may wish to ask some of these questions after listening to each part of the story:

Part 1:

  • The caveman society is based on ‘survival of the fittest’ - ie ‘Those that were strong survived. Those that were not… well, didn’t.’ Is this the same in our society now? If so, how? If not, why not?
  • Is it fair for someone bigger and stronger than you to take something of yours just because they can? Why? / Why not?

Part 2:

  • ‘These were deeply unfair times…’ The cavemen are trying to work out how to make things fairer in their world. How do you think they should do it? What are some of the things they could try?

Part 3:

  • The cavemen think it is unfair that the tiger is more likely to catch the slowest of them. Do you agree?
  • Do you agree with these sentences:
    It’s not fair that Nosey gets left behind because he has a sore leg.
    It’s not fair to make Brian and Dave go more slowly than they are able to just because Nosey has a sore leg.
  • What do they do to try to make things fairer?
  • What would you do in that situation?
  • What happens in your life that you think is fair / unfair?

Suggested activities

You could try:

  • Using pupils’ own examples of things they find unfair to create an activity in which the examples are placed in order according to how fair / unfair they are. Or you could ask students to reach a consensus on which single example is the least fair.
  • Using the story as a springboard for work on history by discussing historical figures who have been prepared to challenge unfair situations - eg Emmeline Pankhurst and Martin Luther King.
  • Asking pupils to write a story with the same themes as Dave’s cave but set in the present day.

Download / print the Teachers' Notes for the series (pdf)

'Just Think...' Teachers' Notes
Blue line.

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