Understanding ideas of humanity and oppression in Zephaniah's 'We Refugees'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Zephaniah presents the struggle of refugees in his poem.
Key learning points
- Zephaniah's poem focuses on the struggle of refugees and how badly they are treated by many in society.
- Zephaniah uses the pronoun 'we' in the title to remind readers that anyone could become a refugee in their life.
- Zephaniah is a strong advocate for human rights.
Keywords
Refugee - a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
Displacement - the action of moving something from its place or position.
Persecution - hostility and ill-treatment, especially on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.
Oppression - prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority.
Universal - relating to or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases.
Common misconception
That an economic migrant and a refugee are the same thing.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster.
Teacher tip
It would be useful to discuss the concept of a refugee before the lesson and perhaps list examples of recent events that have caused people to become refugees.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Edexcel Belonging anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.To be "hated" implies that people think __________ of you.
Q2.The word "we" suggests which of the following?
Q3.'The action of moving something from its place or position' is the definition of which word beginning with 'd'?
Q4.'A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Q5.'The action or practice of inflicting severe pain or suffering on someone' is the definition of which word beginning with 't'?
Q6.'Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority' is the definition of which word beginning with 'o'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'We Refugees', Zephaniah implies that refugees are treated ...
Q2.It is estimated that how many people worldwide were forcibly displaced by the end of 2023?
Q3.'Relating to or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases' is the definition of which word beginning with 'u'?
Q4.Words such as "hurricane" and "pray" in Zephaniah's 'We Refugees' imply that people can become refugees through which of the following?
Q5.'Hostility and ill-treatment, especially on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?
Q6.Zephaniah's use of "they" in 'We Refugees' rather than specific names implies which of the following?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of humanity and oppression in Zephaniah's 'We Refugees', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of humanity and oppression in Zephaniah's 'We Refugees', 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 4 English lessons from the 'Belonging' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.