Reading Refugee Journeys

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is Lesson 7 of 22 in the unit Journeys of Refugees designed for Year 4 students (ages 8-9). It focuses on developing reading comprehension skills through engaging with Chapter 1 of Refugees and Migrants. The lesson aligns closely with the National Curriculum for England's English programmes of study, specifically Reading - Comprehension: Develop positive attitudes, vocabulary, and understanding of texts.

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National Curriculum Links

• Year 4 English Programme of Study: Reading - Comprehension
  • Pupils should be taught to:
    • Maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding by:
      • Listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks.
    • Understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by:
      • Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions.
      • Identifying main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these.
      • Checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context.
• Spoken Language
  • Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others.

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Learning Objectives

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

• Read Chapter 1 of Refugees and Migrants with understanding (Reading Comprehension).
• Identify and discuss the main ideas and key details in the chapter (Inference and summarising).
• Use new vocabulary introduced in the text confidently in discussion (Vocabulary in context).
• Collaborate respectfully and respond to peers’ viewpoints during group discussions (Spoken Language).

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Resources Needed

• Copies of Chapter 1 of Refugees and Migrants (paper or projected).
• Whiteboard and markers or flip chart.
• Vocabulary mat with key words from the chapter.
• Sticky notes or small cards for summarising activity.
• Chart paper or large sheet for ‘Main Ideas’ mind map.
• Prepared question prompts for guided discussion.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter: Engage and Activate Prior Knowledge (10 minutes)

• Activity:
  Begin with a brief whole-class discussion on what a refugee or migrant is. Use simple definitions and ask pupils if they have ever heard these words before or read stories about journeys.

  • Write pupil responses on the board to create a word web of known ideas.
  • Introduce the book Refugees and Migrants and explain that today’s lesson will focus on Chapter 1, which tells us about the beginning of these journeys.

• Purpose:
  To connect pupils’ prior knowledge with new learning, activating curiosity and setting a purposeful context.

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2. Reading: Guided Shared Reading of Chapter 1 (15 minutes)

• Activity:
  The teacher reads aloud Chapter 1, modelling fluent reading with expression and pausing to think aloud about vocabulary and meaning.

  • At key points, stop briefly to check understanding, ask pupils to predict what might happen next, or explain unfamiliar words using context.
  • Invite pupils to follow along in their copies or projected text.

• Purpose:
  To expose pupils to rich text and new vocabulary, modelling reading strategies aligned with the National Curriculum (checking understanding, clarifying vocabulary, predicting).

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3. Discussion: Identifying Main Ideas and Vocabulary (15 minutes)

• Activity:
  In small groups (3-4 pupils each), pupils discuss:

  • What are the main points or events in Chapter 1?
  • Which words or phrases are new or important? How do these words help us understand what refugees and migrants experience?

• Provide groups with vocabulary mats and sticky notes to write new words and their own simple definitions.

• Each group writes down 2-3 main ideas from the chapter on sticky notes.

• Class activity:
  Groups share their ideas and place sticky notes on a large mind map visible to all. Display vocabulary cards around the room.

• Purpose:
  To encourage collaborative thinking, deepen comprehension by identifying main ideas, and enhance vocabulary acquisition.

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4. Consolidation: Summarising the Chapter (15 minutes)

• Activity:
  Guide pupils to work individually or in pairs to write a short summary of Chapter 1, using the vocabulary and ideas discussed.

  • Provide a simple sentence starter page for scaffolding, e.g.,
    • "Chapter 1 is about..."
    • "I think the main idea is..."
    • "An important word I learned is... because..."

• Invite volunteers to share their summaries aloud.

• Purpose:
  To develop pupils’ ability to synthesise information and express it clearly, fulfilling the National Curriculum requirement to summarise main ideas from a text.

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5. Plenary: Reflect and Respond (5 minutes)

• Activity:
  End with a whole-class reflective discussion. Ask:

  • How does reading this chapter make you feel about refugees and migrants?
  • Why is it important to understand their stories?
  • How did your group help you understand the text better?

• Optionally, create a “feelings chart” where pupils can place stickers or write one word describing their thoughts after the lesson.

• Purpose:
  To promote empathy, encourage personal connection to learning, and reflect on group collaboration and comprehension development.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation of pupil participation during guided reading and group discussions to assess understanding and spoken language skills.
• Review pupils’ written summaries for evidence of main idea extraction and use of vocabulary.
• Informal questioning during plenary to gauge pupils’ reflections and attitudes towards the content.

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Differentiation

• Support:
  Provide sentence starters and vocabulary banks for pupils needing additional scaffolding. Use paired reading during the guided section.
• Challenge:
  Encourage confident readers to identify inferred meanings, feelings of characters, and ask open-ended questions to peers. Introduce dictionary use for unfamiliar words.

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Notes for Teachers

• This lesson intentionally blends language comprehension skills with social learning about empathy and global citizenship, supporting non-fiction text engagement early in KS2.
• The group work and mind map foster active participation which is known to boost retention and deeper understanding.
• Consider using real stories or short video clips from safe, age-appropriate sources to supplement this lesson in future sessions.

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This detailed plan aims to support pupils in engaging meaningfully with complex, real-world topics through reading, discussion, and collaboration, all firmly rooted in the expectations of the National Curriculum for Year 4 English.