Year 5 – 6 | Hats are Important in High School too!
Protecting My Skin full resource download | Concept 5: Taking positive action to reduce risk: Promoting and actioning effective sun protection strategies download
Background
The persuasive writing lesson involves reading a newspaper article about a Western Australian school introducing SunSmart
hats to their high school. SunSmart hats were compulsory in the primary school years, but did not continue into high school.
The newspaper article is used as a stimulus to encourage critical thinking skills around UV radiation, sun protection and the
importance of wearing SunSmart hats. It acts as a prompt for students to write a persuasive text about why sun protection
and wearing SunSmart hats should not stop when students go to high school.
Key messages
- Research has established that childhood and adolescence are critical periods during which sun exposure could
contribute to skin cancer later in life - It is estimated that more than 75% of all skin cancers could be prevented by practising sun protective behaviours in
childhood and adolescence - Skin damage is caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, not temperature. A cool or overcast day can have similar UV levels
to a warm, sunny day - The skin on your face, neck and ears is much thinner and more sensitive to UV damage than other skin on your body. A
good hat can help protect these sensitive areas, but not all hats offer the same level of protection - Broad-brimmed, legionnaire and bucket hats provide the best sun protection from UV radiation as they cover the face,
neck, ears and crown of the head - Caps are not sun protective because they only protect your scalp and forehead
- For best protection when the UV is 3 and above, use all five forms of protection: clothing, SPF50 or SPF50+ sunscreen, a
broad-brimmed hat, shade and sunglasses.
Resources
- Resource: News article
- Activity sheet: Persuasive writing plan
Instructions
- Distribute newspaper article to students.
- Students read the newspaper article and make notes.
- Ask key questions to generate class discussion.
- Distribute persuasive writing plan to students.
- Re-read the news article and find key ideas to support your arguments.
- Write these ideas on the white board.
- Research topics such as sun protection, skin cancer prevention and ultraviolet (UV) radiation to support your argument
with facts and statistics. - Discuss and further brainstorm arguments to add the whiteboard.
- Students complete the hats in high school persuasive writing plan. Note: The plan can be further developed into a
written persuasive text or presentation. - Students write a persuasive text about why hats should be worn in high school.
Key questions
- Why do you think students in high school did not have to wear a hat?
- Do you think it should be compulsory that students wear hats in high school? Why or why not?
- What health issues are portrayed in the newspaper article?
- What is your key message regarding why hats are important in high school?
- What other ways can you protect yourself from UV radiation?
- What are the differences between a cap and a broad-brimmed hat?
- What makes a hat SunSmart?