Stepping Into the Shoes of a Character

This term, our focus text in Literacy is 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' by Onjali Q. Rauf.

We started off by practising our prosody skills, reading with fluency and expression.

The children were then introduced to the character of Ahmet, a boy who is new to his class and to his school. When he arrives in class, he feels the eyes of many staring at him.

Different children took turns in 'Ahmet's' chair whilst other children stood around them in a circle, silently staring. The children then discussed what Ahmet must have been feeling, answers ranging from puzzled and embarrassed to angry and uncomfortable. 

We then considered how someone like Ahmet may react in such a situation. Answers varied from crying and hiding away to staring back and intimidating others. 

Next week, we are going to be using these ideas and this practical experience to write a free verse poem from Ahmet's point of view.