Refugees
Refugees (ages 11-12)
This scheme of work explores the experiences of refugees through the tale of displaced children. Students are taught to empathise with their plight through character development exercises using Role on the Wall, Mantle of the Expert and Stanislavski techniques. They will reflect on the real life tale of a wartime refugee, focus on issues of identity and communication and relate these to current events.
This scheme of work contains 6 drama lesson plans.
- Lesson 1: The Children Leave. Students learn to understand the confusion refugees feel when they arrive in unfamiliar place by devising scenario-based pieces from story cards.
- Lesson 2: The Children go to a new Family. The importance of communication is explored through spontaneous improvisation with language difficulties highlighted.
- Lesson 3: Identity. The concept is introduced and challenged by the students as they devise and perform scenario-based pieces.
- Lesson 4: Developing Your Character. Groups develop a character using basic Stanislavski and Role on the Wall techniques, bringing the character to life in their new environment.
- Lesson 5: 5 Years Later. The characters are developed further using Stanislavski methods and Mantle of the Expert as the refugees’ situation changes.
- Lesson 6: Mrs Shumacher’s Story. Students read and discuss a real-life refugee’s experiences. Groups devise a scene where the refugees are reunited, using a frozen picture and thought aloud to express the final part of the tale.
Supporting Materials include
- Story Cards
- Role on the Wall Sheet
- Interview with Mrs Shumacher
Additional resources are included in the Appendices
- Basic Drama Skills Sheet
- End of Unit Assessment Form
The document is supplied as a PDF file, readable on most computers.
