Since 2001, the United Nations has designated 20 June as World Refugee Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.

In this lesson, pupils learn what a refugee is by reading a definition, some statistics and some information about how refugees might feel. Learners are encouraged to put themselves in the place of a refugee and consider how they might feel at leaving behind their homes and belongings. They can also watch a short video produced by UNICEF, in which two brothers talk about their journey from Syria to Germany.

In the main part of the lesson, learners work in groups to produce a poster presentation. They imagine a group of refugee children of the same age are coming to live in their town. They follow clear steps to plan, research, prepare, do and present ideas for activities to make the refugees feel welcome. Finally, they present their ideas to the class using posters to help them explain their ideas.

Aims

  • To promote cross-cultural understanding and tolerance
  • To encourage planning, collaboration and teamwork
  • To raise awareness of World Refugee Day
  • To give pupils an opportunity to be creative
  • To develop presentation skills

Age group
Young learners aged 12+

Level
CEFR level B1 and above

Time
70-80 minutes

Materials
The lesson plan and worksheet can be downloaded in PDF format below. In addition, you will need:

  • Project materials: coloured pens, pencils or crayons, paper, a large sheet of card, scissors, glue
  • Optional: access to a classroom computer
Downloads
Lesson plan357.09 KB
Worksheet538.5 KB
Language Level

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