Refugee Boy

A fully planned, engaging 11‑lesson scheme of work for teaching Refugee Boy to Year 7. This bundle blends reading, writing, empathy‑building, and speaking & listening activities, giving teachers a smooth, structured unit with a clear progression of skills.

• 11 concise, structured lesson descriptions
• Creative and analytical writing tasks
• Speaking & listening activities
• Success criteria for key tasks
• Discussion prompts and reflection questions
• A clear journey from context → analysis → creative response

This scheme introduces students to the themes of home, belonging, identity, and fairness through accessible, well‑paced lessons. Each session builds literacy skills while encouraging empathy and thoughtful engagement with Alem’s experiences.

Students explore key moments in the story, respond creatively through diary entries and narrative writing, analyse the writer’s language choices, and take part in debate and group discussion. The unit ends with a narrative writing task inspired by the experiences of newcomers.

Lesson 1: Introduction to the novel; prediction paragraph; “Safe Space” collage
Lesson 2: First impressions; diary entry from Alem’s first hour in England
Lesson 3: Hotel scene; analytical paragraph on abandonment
Lesson 4: The Fitzgeralds; evaluative paragraph using the word empathy
Lesson 5: Alem’s first week at school; diary entry
Lesson 6: Asylum system; class debate on fairness
Lesson 7: Analytical paragraph on feelings about the new home
Lesson 8: Redrafting and peer review
Lesson 9: Write Alem’s reply to his father
Lesson 10: Group thematic presentations
Lesson 11: Narrative writing from the perspective of a newcomer

• Year 7 English
• Novel studies
• Empathy‑building and PSHE links
• Developing analytical and creative writing
• Speaking and listening skills

• Clear, ready‑to‑use structure
• Activities that engage all learners
• Strong literacy focus without overwhelming content
• Smooth progression across 11 lessons
• Flexible enough for mixed‑ability classes