Appeal dismissed

I can see your fearful tears Before me on your statement, From where I sit I can see your dark terrorised skin Shivering and barely holding your self together, I can see your gaping scars wide open Begging for compassion, And in addition to yourevidence Both documentary and oral I have before me The encyclopaedia of your oppression, I have the names and addresses of your demons.

I don’t have to see you dance to know your suffering I don’t have to hear you cry to know that you are crying, I saw your harassers on the news I saw your house on fire via satellite, I have no doubt that you are not tolerated by your neighbours.

But let’s face it You are not a dissident, You are not even a liar, You are what I would call a credible witness, But I have no reason to believe that your persecution was official.

You were not raped because of your dark skin You were not raped because of your gypsy tongue, You were raped because you are a woman And rape is one of the things that can happen toI a woman So go home.

You have been the victim of an act of depravity And you may never love again, Nevertheless you have only been raped And in the books that I have read Rape does not constitute torture, Not within the ordinary meaning of the word, So go home And take your exceptional circumstances with you.

Benjamin Zephaniah ASA-level English provides ample opportunities for students to attain communication key skills at level 3. In their communication portfolio candidates are expected to provide evidence that they can: contribute to discussions; make a presentation; read and synthesise information; write different types of documents.

This activity, which I call “Poetic justice!”, presents students with the opportunity to participate in discussion and produce work that is meaningful in English curriculum terms as well as meeting the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority key skill requirements.

Activities

* Read Appeal dismissed by Benjamin Zephaniah. Think about the lines “I don’t have to hear you cry toknow that you are crying”.

* Select an issue - or use the story of the Gypsy women whose appeal for asylum has been rejected - which you feel is important and not sufficiently discussed.

* Pupils can research on the internet (for example, www. sunday-times.co.uk) for media texts on human rights, sexism, torture and such issues to fulfil the key skills specification that they are required to make use of different types of documents.

* Next, they choose a suitable publication - a magazine perhaps, or a local newspaper - for which they could write about this subject.

* Students plan and write a report about their chosen issue. This should be an extended document and should include at least one image.

* Students could make use of recent human rights legislation to give broader emphasis to their reading and thinking.

The focus on communication continues to support the key skills development process as a whole:

* Developing and improving learning skills;

* Enabling learners to become independent and work effectively with others;

* Equipping learners with transferable skills.

Key skills as a whole are generic skills that help to improve learning and performance in education, training, work and life in general. Learner autonomy is, therefore, an important feature of demonstrating competence in communication skills and so learners will not be set assignments in a traditional sense. Rather, they should be directed to undertake open-ended projects as with the activities here.

An integrated approach to key skills should ensure equal access to the curriculum and to assessment for all students and, therefore, become a vehicle for embedding communication skills within academic study, in this case, ASA-level English.

Ian Duckett teaches ASA-level English and key skills at East Berkshire College, where he is curriculum manager for advanced programmes