Overview

This 7-week medium-term plan is designed for Year 7 SEN students (8 pupils) reading The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. It focuses on developing key reading and comprehension skills aligned with the National Curriculum for England, with differentiated activities for emerging, developing, and secure learners. Each week explores a theme central to the novel, aiding deeper understanding and personal connection.

National Curriculum Links

Reading - comprehension (KS3 English programmes of study):

Develop positive attitudes to reading, and understanding of what they read, by:
- Listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks.
- Developing increasing familiarity with a wide range of books including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions.
- Identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing.
Understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by:
- Checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding, and exploring the meaning of words in context.
- Asking questions to improve their understanding.
- Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions.
- Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied.

Weekly Themes & Learning Objectives

Week	Theme	Learning Objective(s)
1	Courage	Identify examples of courage in the text and explain characters’ motivations.
2	Survival	Analyse how characters adapt to challenges for survival.
3	Family & Identity	Explore family relationships and how identity is shaped in context.
4	Gender & Equality	Discuss gender roles and equality as portrayed in the text.
5	War & Conflict	Understand the impact of war and conflict on characters and setting.
6	Hope	Identify symbols of hope and their effects on character development.
7	Education & Freedom	Evaluate the significance of education and freedom for the protagonist.

Week 1: Courage

Learning Objectives

Identify acts of courage within the story.
Explain why characters show courage and how it affects the plot.
Use inference skills to describe feelings and motives.

Preparation

Copies of The Breadwinner extract (chapter 1).
Word Bank (courage, bravery, fear, risk, stand up).
Differentiated worksheets (see below).
Emotions flashcards.

Differentiated Learning Levels

Level	Outcomes	Activity	Support	Challenge
Emerging	Recognise simple examples of courage.	Read aloud extract with teacher, point to times characters are brave.	Visual support with pictures, guided reading, emotion flashcards.	Match actions to emotions.
Developing	Identify and explain more complex examples of courage.	Paired reading then answer targeted comprehension questions.	Sentence starters and word bank.	Write one paragraph explaining a character's courage.
Secure	Analyse how courage drives plot and character growth.	Independent reading; infer motives and describe feelings.	Access to dictionary and thesaurus.	Write a short creative piece imagining themselves in a courageous situation inspired by the story.

Lesson Activities (45 minutes)

Time	Activity	Notes
0-5 mins	Starter: Introduce key words from the word bank. Use flashcards to discuss meaning.	Get students to vote on the bravest character in their lives (role models).
5-15 mins	Guided read of Chapter 1 extract (pages X–X). Teacher models decoding and thinking aloud.	Emphasise tone and feelings of the character.
15-25 mins	Differentiated tasks: worksheets exploring courage examples and feelings. Teacher supports pairs/groups.	Monitor understanding; use gestures and prompts for SEN needs.
25-35 mins	Group discussion: Why did the character act courageously? What would you do?	Encourage all voices; use sentence starters.
35-40 mins	Plenary: Students share their own example of courage or story connection.	Encourage use of word bank and sentence frames.
40-45 mins	Quick quiz or matching game on courage vocabulary and story events.	Formative assessment to gauge understanding.

Assessment & Feedback

Observation and notes during group discussion.
Completed worksheets assessed against learning levels.
Exit task: verbal or written response to “What is courage?” linked to text.

Resources

The Breadwinner (Chapter 1 extract)
Word bank printed and digital display
Emotion flashcards (e.g., brave, scared, proud)
Differentiated worksheets (colour-coded: green = secure, amber = developing, red = emerging)
Whiteboard or screen for vocabulary and brain breaks.

Word Bank (themes across units)

Courage	Survival	Family & Identity	Gender & Equality	War & Conflict	Hope	Education & Freedom
brave	shelter	family, mother, father, sister, brother	gender, equality	war, fight, conflict	hope, dream	learn, study
risk	danger	identity, culture, tradition	respect, fairness	peace, army, soldier	future, believe	freedom, opportunity
fearless	food	relationship, belong, home	role, injustice	bomb, fear, loss	light, positive	knowledge, rights
stand up	weather	personality, community	balance, voice	trauma, destruction	survive, wish	reading, education
courage	adapt	loyalty, trust	stereotypes	enemy, battle, fear	strength	choice, hope

Weekly Reflection & Extension Suggestions

Encourage students to keep a ‘theme journal’ with short reflections each week.
Use drama or role-play to deepen understanding of character emotions connected to themes.
Link discussions to current world events gently to make themes relevant (specially gender equality, hope, and education).
Use multimedia (videos, podcasts) about Afghanistan to support cultural context.

By following this plan, SEN Year 7 pupils will deepen their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and empathy through a structured, theme-based approach adhering closely to the National Curriculum’s reading standards. Differentiation and engaging activities ensure inclusivity and challenge, helping the class connect thoughtfully to The Breadwinner’s important themes.

Exploring The Breadwinner

Teaching Instructions