An introduction to the play 'Small Island'
I can understand Levy's intentions for 'Small Island', through the reading of her essay ‘Back to My Own Country’.
An introduction to the play 'Small Island'
I can understand Levy's intentions for 'Small Island', through the reading of her essay ‘Back to My Own Country’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Levy describes her parents experiences of migration and the disparity between expectations and reality.
- The term "Small Island" refers not just to the geographical space but also to the mindset of people living there.
- The term ‘Mother Country’ is a powerful concept.
- Levy wants to foreground the voices of those absent from history like the Caribbean soldiers who fought in WWII.
- Levy has pride in her ancestry and believes that the Caribbean should be recognised, as part of Britain's history.
Keywords
Empire - a group of states or countries ruled over by one leader e.g. a monarch
Disparity - a lack of equality or devoid of similarities
Assimilate - to become part of a group, country, society or culture
Colonial - referring to colonialism, where a country establishes control over another country
Ancestry - the origins of your family
Common misconception
That only people born in Britain were part of the British Army that fought in WWII.
The British Army contained a huge number of soldiers from different countries. For example, over two and a half million men from the Indian subcontinent volunteered for service, producing the largest volunteer army in history.
To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: An introduction to the play 'Small Island', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: An introduction to the play 'Small Island', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 english lessons from the 'Small Island' unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to an abridged version of Andrea Levy’s essay ‘Back to My Own Country’ which is available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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