Families and migration: refugee stories in art
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can create an artwork which shows empathy towards refugees.
Key learning points
- A refugee is a person who has escaped from their country for political, religious, economic reasons or because of war
- By addressing themes of migration, artists discuss issues such as racism and inequality
- Art can move us to consider what unites us rather than what divides us through exploring people's stories
Keywords
Refugee - a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster
Migrate - to move from one country to another
Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person
Common misconception
Refugees are illegal and take jobs away from others.
Refugees are protected under international law and have the right to seek asylum. While they may need help when they arrive in a new country, many refugees go on to contribute positively to their communities.
Teacher tip
Create a safe, respectful space for discussion by starting with real-life stories that humanise refugees. Use creative activities to help students build empathy and better understand the challenges and strengths of people forced to flee their homes. Make a bird template and photocopy to save time.
Equipment
Paper or card, scissors, glue, ruler, pencil, pencil crayons, collage materials, old maps, string, paint, marker pens
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Risk assessment required - equipment
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the best description for community?
Q2.What does environment mean?
Q3.How can community cohesion be strengthened through art?
Q4.How can art bring people together in a community?
Q5.Why is a wellbeing room in school beneficial?
Q6.Why are shared spaces important in schools?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is a refugee?
Q2.How do refugees often travel when fleeing danger?
Q3.What is the main difference between a migrant and a refugee?
Q4.Which of the following is a common misconception about refugees?
Q5.Why is a bird a symbol of migration?
To help you plan your 9 art and design lesson on: Families and migration: refugee stories in art, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 art and design lesson on: Families and migration: refugee stories in art, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 art and design lessons from the Connections: home, space and family unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.