Innocence and Friendship

Overview

This 50-minute lesson is designed for Year 8 students studying English as part of an 18-lesson unit titled Holocaust in Film Analysis. The focus is on analysing how themes of innocence and friendship are presented through carefully selected scenes from the film studied in previous lessons. The lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England, specifically targeting reading, comprehension, critical analysis, and discussion skills.

National Curriculum Links

Reading (KS3 - Years 7-9):
Pupils should be taught to:
- Develop understanding of how meaning is shaped through the structure and organisation of texts (National Curriculum English Programme of Study, Reading – Word Reading and Comprehension)
- Analyse characters, events, and themes in texts, drawing inferences and justifying these with evidence (NC KS3 English)
Spoken Language (KS3):
Pupils should be taught to:
- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas (NC Spoken Language)
Writing (KS3 Literary Analysis):
Developing the ability to write analytical responses about themes and characters, supporting ideas with textual evidence

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

Identify and explain key scenes from the film where the themes of innocence and friendship are evident.
Analyse how these themes contribute to understanding characters and wider historical context.
Use precise textual and visual evidence to support their ideas during group discussion.
Develop critical thinking skills by comparing different representations of innocence and friendship.

Resources Needed

Extracts/clips from the Holocaust film previously introduced (focused on innocence and friendship)
Scene summary handouts (brief descriptions of key scenes)
Theme trackers (worksheet for noting examples of innocence/friendship)
Whiteboard and markers
Projector and audio-visual equipment
Student notebooks

Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity (10 minutes)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge and set purpose for the lesson.

Begin with a quick whole-class brainstorm: “What does innocence mean? What does friendship mean?” Write student responses on the board.
Show two brief, contrasting images or short silent clips (1-2 minutes) from the film focusing on innocent moments and acts of friendship.
Ask students, in pairs, to discuss how these moments might feel and why these themes might be important given the film’s historical content.
Quick feedback: select 2-3 pairs to share their thoughts.

Curriculum Reference: Spoken Language – exploring ideas and speculating.

2. Main Activity - Scene Analysis (30 minutes)

Objective: Identify and analyse how innocence and friendship are portrayed in film scenes.

Divide class into five groups of five pupils. Give each group a scene summary handout describing a key moment illustrating innocence and/or friendship.
Groups watch an assigned film segment (3-4 minutes).
Each group completes the Theme Tracker worksheet, noting:
- How innocence/friendship is shown (actions, dialogue, expressions, setting)
- The emotional impact on the characters
- How this scene relates to the broader historical context of the Holocaust.
Groups then prepare a 2-minute presentation to explain their scene’s significance. Encourage the use of analytical language (e.g., “This scene shows… because…”, “The filmmaker uses…”).

Curriculum Reference: Reading - comprehension and analysing themes; Spoken Language - developing and presenting ideas.

3. Group Presentations and Class Discussion (8 minutes)

Objective: Share interpretations and deepen understanding.

Each group presents their analysis.
After all presentations, facilitate a class discussion with questions such as:
- “How do the themes of innocence and friendship help us understand the characters better?”
- “Why do you think the filmmaker chose to include these themes in the context of such a difficult historical period?”
- “Can innocence and friendship survive in such harsh conditions? Why or why not?”

Curriculum Reference: Spoken Language - engaging in discussions; Reading - drawing inferences from texts.

4. Plenary/Reflection (2 minutes)

Objective: Consolidate learning and reflect on themes.

Students write a brief exit ticket:
“One thing I learnt about the theme of innocence or friendship today is…”
Collect for formative assessment and to inform next lesson’s planning.

Assessment and Feedback

Formative: Monitor group discussions and presentations for understanding and analytical skills.
Exit tickets will provide insight into individual grasp of themes.
Teacher feedback during plenary reinforces key ideas.

Differentiation

Support: Provide sentence starters on Theme Tracker for pupils needing scaffolding.
Challenge: Ask more able pupils to consider how the filmmaker’s choices (camera angles, music, lighting) deepen the themes.

Extension Ideas

Homework: Write a paragraph comparing innocence or friendship in the film with another text or historical account studied previously.
Cross-curricular link: Explore historical facts about friendship between children during the Holocaust, reinforcing empathetic understanding in History.

This lesson combines film literacy with critical thinking, speaking, and writing skills and honours the complexity of the Holocaust while making themes accessible and age-appropriate for Year 8 students.

Teaching Instructions