Exploring Tarek's Character

National Curriculum Links

• Reading - Word reading and comprehension (Y7):
  En3/1.2: Develop positive attitudes to reading, and understanding of what they read, by: listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, and plays, both modern and classic
  En3/1.3: Identify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
  En3/1.4: Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justify with evidence
• Spoken Language: Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates (Spok1)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 60-minute session, students will:

• Analyse the character of Tarek in chapters 5 and 6 of Safiyyah’s War, identifying his motivations, conflicts, and personality traits.
• Develop inference skills by citing textual evidence to support their understanding of Tarek.
• Engage in group discussion and role-play to deepen empathy and comprehension.
• Complete a differentiated written task matching different ability levels.

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Materials Needed

• Copies of Safiyyah’s War chapters 5 and 6 (printed or digital)
• Character analysis worksheet (with sentence starters for support)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or interactive board
• Lined paper or exercise books

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Lesson Outline

1. Starter (10 minutes): Hook & Prediction

• Activate prior knowledge by briefly recapping chapters 3-4.
• Pose an open question: “What kind of person do you think Tarek is? Why?”
• Quick paired discussion (2 minutes) then whole-class feedback (5 minutes).
• Show a photo of a young soldier (fictional, not from the book) and ask students to consider how external appearances could be misleading regarding personality.

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2. Guided Reading & Comprehension (20 minutes): Deep Dive into Tarek

• Read excerpts aloud from chapters 5 and 6 focusing on key moments revealing Tarek’s character.
• Pause at critical points to ask probing questions, e.g.:
  • What does Tarek’s reaction here tell us about his feelings?
  • How does the author use language to show Tarek’s inner conflict?
• Students annotate their copies or worksheets with underlining and brief notes.
• Use interactive questioning – cold call a few students to share their answers.

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3. Interactive Group Activity (15 minutes): Character Hot Seat

• Divide the class into 5 groups of 5. Each group prepares to "interview" someone playing Tarek.
• One student from each group sits in the “hot seat” as Tarek and answers questions posed by classmates.
• Encourage questions like:
  • “Why did you choose to act like that in chapter 6?”
  • “How do you feel about Safiyyah?”
• Teacher circulates, supporting and prompting deeper thinking.

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4. Differentiated Written Task (10 minutes): Character Analysis

• Most Able: Write a 200-word response analysing Tarek’s development across chapters 5 and 6, supported by two direct quotes.
• Expected Level: Complete a paragraph explaining Tarek’s character using sentence starters, and one quote with an explanation.
• Support Level: Fill in a character grid with adjectives and evidence supplied by the teacher, e.g., emotions, actions, appearance.

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5. Plenary (5 minutes): Reflection and Share

• Ask 3 volunteers (representing different levels) to share their written insight or a key takeaway.
• Summarise the complexity of Tarek’s character and how considering multiple viewpoints enhances understanding.
• Set a reflective question for homework or next lesson: “How might Tarek’s actions affect Safiyyah in the story?”

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Observations during paired discussions and hot seat activity.
• Written task assessed for: use of evidence, depth of analysis, ability to infer character traits.
• Speaking and listening assessed through participation and quality of questions/answers in role-play.

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Inclusivity and Differentiation

• Scaffolding through sentence starters and character grids for lower-ability students.
• Extension tasks or challenge prompts for more able students – e.g., write a diary entry from Tarek’s perspective.
• Varied learning styles addressed through reading, speaking, listening, and writing activities.

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Teacher Notes and Tips

• Encourage students to refer closely to the text: “Look back at the section we read—what exactly did the author say?”
• Emphasise empathy without judgement during the hot seat role-play, helping students explore complexity.
• Use formative questioning to push students from surface-level answers to deeper inference and evaluation.
• Remind students about the historical/cultural context sparingly if appropriate to support understanding.

This lesson fosters critical engagement with character, hones inference skills, and integrates active learning methods, fully aligning with England’s national curriculum expectations for Year 7 English.