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Pupils Pick Up Public Speaking Tips at Scottish Parliament

DELIGHT IN LEARNING

Pupils Pick Up Public Speaking Tips at Scottish Parliament

Report by Eilidh Macleod 2H, Gabriel Mulgrew 2M, Humzah Razzaq 2N

It was a fun bus ride to the Scottish parliament at Holyrood, Edinburgh. When we got off we saw the funky architecture of the building which looked really unusual. We ate lunch outside in the warm sunshine, before going inside.

We entered after a security check, and while waiting for our guide we looked at all the pictures and stories in the gallery. Then our tour began. All of us were eager to start. We were welcomed into a room where our tour guide Elizabeth showed us a PowerPoint presentation about the Parliament and the different parties. Then we formed groups to play a Kahoot quiz on iPads. There were multiple choice questions about the parliament, and we were also asked our opinions such as “should voting be compulsory”.

We were then taken to another room where we met two MSPs, Sandra White and Annie Wells. We asked them various questions about their careers and political matters. This experience of asking the politicians questions was very interesting and intriguing.

Finally, after our questions with the MSPs, we were then taken to the debating chamber to watch a live debate taking place on the topic of fracking. It was very interesting to see the two sides delivering excellent speeches against each other. As we were leaving, we had the treat of stopping at the souvenir shop before heading off back to school.

This was a great opportunity to find out more about our government in Scotland and a great experience all round. We all learned a lot from visiting the Scottish Parliament building, such as the importance of the Scottish Parliament and the working life of an MSP. Overall, we really enjoyed this trip, and we even picked up some hints and tips to improve our public speaking skills.

We would like to thank Mr Meechan and Dr. Simpson for organising this trip. If you are interested in joining the Public Speaking Club, please come along on Fridays at 1.15 pm in the Convent Chapel. All year groups are welcome.