Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah

The concept behind this scheme of work is to explore a subject that most students will have heard about, but with which many will be very unfamiliar. Students will all have some ideas about what a refugee is but will not necessarily have a great deal of knowledge about refugees or much understanding of why people become refugees.

This scheme is intended to explore the experiences of refugees as people, rather than seeing them as headlines or statistics, and to highlight to students that young people just like them are included in the label refugee or asylum seeker.

As a teacher you will need some knowledge of the text but it is not necessary for students to have any more details than a plot summary and the various sections of text included here. Each session is based on an hour-long lesson, but the scheme is flexible and sessions can run into each other or be paused to continue next time.

Learning objectives

• To introduce the theme of refugees
• To explore the protagonists’ feelings using tableaux and direct address
• To explore the protagonists’ feelings using tableaux, direct address and monologue
• To use group improvisation to recreate the children’s home
• To use monologue and choral voice to explore characters through improvisation
• To use monologue and choral voice to explore characters through improvisation
• To use group skills, split stage and multiple characters to create a television news programme documenting the death of Mr Kelo
• To use group skills, split stage and multiple characters to create a television show documenting the death of Mr Kelo

Number of lessons: 7