Unit Plan

FIONA BLACK
A1606820

Subject: Year 9 English

Unit Name: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Summary of Unit: In this unit students will look at both the text of the The Boy in the Striped
Pyjamas by John Boyne and the movie The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas directed by Mark Herman.
This will offer students a distinctive look into what life was like during the Holocaust and teach them
not only comparative skills in English when they compare the book to the movie, but also give them
the chance to explore an important historical event, which aims to coincide with their history
classes on WW2.

Content descriptors covered: ACELT 1626, ACELT 1627, ACELT 1807, ACELT 1731, ACELY
1731, ACELY 1810, ACELY 1732, ACELY 1734, ACELY 1738

Objectives/Learning outcomes:
> Introduce and develop students comparative language skills
> Give students an insight into Nazi Germany and what life was like for Jewish people during this
time period
> By the end of this unit students should have developed their skills of comparing and contrasting
characters, analysing themes, as well as discussing settings and narrative point of view
> Students will learn important film techniques that will be useful for them not only in this unit but in
their future english studies

> Develop skills of empathy in students in relation to historical events and their own place in the
world

Materials/resources:
> Students will need access to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas text.
> The movie will be shown during class time
> Access to a computer for research purposes

Class demographics:
20 students
No specific identified learning difficulties but there is one hearing impaired student in the class. The
teacher wears a microphone that amplifies sound straight into the students hearing aid. When the
movie is shown in class the subtitles will also be turned on so that this student isnt left behind.

Week 1:
In week 1 students will be introduced to the text and we will aim to read the first 3 chapters together
as a class to get them moving along at the same pace. Students will then be giving a set number of
pages or chapters that they need to complete for homework.
Lesson two for week 1 will look at the historical context of the book and give the students some
necessary background information. Students will be doing research during class time on WW2 and
what they know as they need this background to be able to really understand the text.

Week 2:
Students still reading the book but mostly in their own time - homework pages and chapters will
continue to be set. Some students may finish the book this week.
Students will look at characterisation this week.

Week 3:
Aim to have all students finished the book by week 3 so we can move onto the film

End of week 3: Show the film to students in class

Week 4:
Lesson to refresh students on film techniques that they have learnt in previous years. Introduction
of any new film techniques they do not know but need to know.
Lesson two for week 4 will be on essay writing.

Week 5:
Individual essay writing and teacher drafting work as they go.

Assignment and Activities:

> Class discussion on the Holocaust - what they know, what they need to know, etc, to give context
to the text and film pair. Students research WW2.
> Character analysis worksheet for text
> Character analysis worksheet for film
> Comparative mind map activity for text/film pair to get the ball rolling for students
> How to structure a comparative essay lesson
> Summative comparative essay between the text and the film

LESSON PLAN - WEEK 1

Subject and unit:

Year 9 English
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas unit

Lesson Duration:

45 minutes

Aims:
To introduce students to the text and have them do independent research on its context to give
them needed background information to approach the text/film pair.

Objectives:
By the end of the lesson students should be equipped with the tools necessary for them to
understand the text. Students will have research the historical context of the film and we will have
discussed this as a class to ensure that they all understand this. Students will understand the
significance of the time when this text was written. This is important because students will not be
able to complete this unit successfully if they 1) lack the knowledge to support their
comprehension of the text, and 2) they don't understand the format of the particular genre and its
historical significance.

Introduction (10 mins):

Teacher takes students to the library where they will all collect their copy of the set text. Back to the
classroom and teacher has students look at the front cover of the book and read the blurb and
have a quick class discussion about what they think the book might be about (hopefully none of
them have already read the text).

Main task (30 mins) :

Students are to log into the computers and do independent research. They must fill out and answer
the questions that will guide their research as set out by the teacher on the board. Students are
expected to answer the questions in full sentences and this work will be collected for formative
assessment purposes.
The guiding questions that students must find the answers to, or draw on their own prior

knowledge to answer, will include:

What dates did the second world war begin and end on?
What is the holocaust?
What is Auschwitz and why do you think this is a significant piece of information to know when
approaching The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas text? (Read the blurb, do your research and answer
accordingly).
Find a definition for the word fury (this will be important for future class discussions so remember
this!)
Who is John Boyne and where is he from? Do you think that this affects the reading of the text?

Plenary (5 mins):
Quick pop quiz on the questions the student researched. Questions to be asked will be as follows:
- Where was the author of the text born?
- What date did the second world war begin on?
- What date did the second world war end on?
- What is the holocaust?
Students will then be asked to finish this piece of work off for homework if they have not managed
to finish this in class as teacher will be collecting the work to mark at the beginning of the next
lesson.

LESSON PLAN - WEEK 2

Subject and Unit:

Year 9 English
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas unit

Lesson Duration:
60 minutes

Aims:
To look at the characterisation used in the text.

Objectives:
Students will be able to identify physical characteristics of the characters present in the text as well
as character/personality and belief traits. Students will also be able to identify significant moments
for these characters in the text as well as being able to pick out one or two key quotes from the text
and the character that they relate to.

Introduction (10 mins):

Teacher asks everyone to get out their books. Ideally all students will have remembered to bring
their books but in the case that anyone has forgotten the teacher will direct them to sit besides

someone that has the text so that at least everyone in the class can see it. Teacher explains that
we will start by doing a short bit of reading as a class to get up focused on the text and ensure
everyones at least at the same stage in the text. Teacher will read first paragraph and then follow
anticlockwise around the room and each student will read out about a paragraph each.

Main task/Lesson Questions (40 mins):

The students will be given a worksheet which the teacher has prepared and we will be filling this in
partly as a class and partly as independent work. It is understood that although students have been
asked to read to a certain point that there will always be those students who are either behind or
ahead and thus the class discussion will help these who are behind catch up and allow them to
make some good notes and the individual work will allow the students who may have read ahead to
make some more detailed notes.
On the worksheet there is pictures of the characters (as taken from the actors who starred in the

movie) and three sections:

> Physical characteristics
> Character traits i.e; personality/beliefs
> Key moments and any relevant quotes relating to the character
As a class, the students will discuss with the teacher and put down 2-3 ideas in each box for the
first three characters. This is to set the students up on the right path and then they have the chance
to individually complete the worksheet task for the other characters. The characters we will go
through as a class include:
> Bruno
> Shmuel
> Brunos Father
The other characters that will be on the worksheet that students will need to finish by themselves
include: Maria, Brunos Mother, Fuhrer (e.g Adolf Hilter), Gretel, Pavel and Lieutenant Kurt Kotler.

Plenary/Finishing activity (10 mins):

Teacher brings the class back. On the overhead projector the digital copy of the worksheet will be
put up and the teacher will then go through the remaining characters with the students and see
what ideas they came up with and ensure that everyone was on the right track. Teacher will then
explain that for homework students are expected to read 2 chapters of the text. Any students who
did not finish the worksheet task will also be expected to finish this for homework to ensure all
students are up to date for the following lesson.

LESSON PLAN - WEEK 2

Subject and unit:
Year 9 English
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas unit

Lesson Duration:
60 minutes

Aim:
To refresh students on film techniques and teach them any new ones which they may not have
learnt in previous years.

Objectives:
By the end of this lesson students should be able to identify a wide range of different film
techniques and be able to explain these and identify these when they go on to watch the movie in
future lessons. This will be vital to them being able to write a good argument in their essays at the
end of the unit.

Introduction (10-15 minutes):

Students will be given a sheet of paper each with numbers down the side and they have to work
independently and write down as many film techniques that they can think of. These can include
but are not limited to: costume, mis-en-scene and different camera angles. Students will be given
10 minutes maximum to complete this task and then the teacher will bring the class back and see
who got the highest number of correct film technique words. This will make it a little bit competitive
and fun for students but without singling anyone out or putting too much pressure on them as this
is solely based on what they can remember from year 8.

Main task (40 minutes):

Teacher will go through a powerpoint presentation which will include the following film techniques
and examples of them including a definition:

Mis-en-scene
Costume

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Long shots
Mid shots

Close up
Wide shots
Zoom shots
Panning shots
Tracking shots
Students will copy the definition of these into their notebooks.

The powerpoint presentation will then go through a number of different scenes from The Boy in the
Striped Pyjamas and students will discuss as a class which film techniques they can identify being
used in the scene and discuss what the director of the film is trying to portray from using these
techniques. This will help students when it comes to writing their essays. The students will be given
a worksheet which has still frames from the movie and room next to each picture for them to jot
down what is being discussed. This means that when the students come to watch the movie in the
following weeks, they will be able to identify these pivotal scenes and the techniques being used.
The worksheet will also serve as a cheat sheet for those students who might need some extra help
when it comes to writing their essays.

Plenary (5 mins):
Teacher will flick to a quick quiz on the powerpoint where there is 5 different camera angle shots
and the students have to identify these shots as quickly as possible. This will ensure that students
understood what was taught and didn't just copy information down without paying attention to what
was happening.

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LESSON PLAN - WEEK 3

Subject and Unit:

Year 9 English
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas unit

Lesson Duration:
120 minutes (double lesson but this will possibly even have to split up into a double and a single
lesson if there isn't time to show the entire film)

Aims:
Show students the film and have them fill out a worksheet as they go.

Objectives:
Students will have notes as per the worksheet to help them when it comes to doing their
comparison between the text and film and for writing their comparative essays.

Introduction (5-10 mins max):

Students move to the AV room to view the film and get settled. Teacher hands out worksheets and
explains that students are to read these questions before the film begins and then fill in the

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questions and make any additional notes that will be helpful for them as they watch.

Main task/Lesson Questions (1hr34 mins):

Students watch the film and fill in their worksheets
Questions included in the worksheet:
What is the purpose of this film?
From what point of view is this film narrated?
Make some notes about the character of Bruno in the film
Who do you think was the intended audience?
What feelings or ideas do you think the film maker was trying to communicate to the audience?

Plenary/Finishing activity (15-20 mins):

Students are to have a class discussion and share the ideas that they have for each of the question
on their worksheets. Teacher will go through these one by one and ensure that every student in the
class contributes at least one idea. Students have the opportunity to write down any of the ideas
their peers got that they didnt. This also ensures that the students were paying attention to the film
and taking their notes as planned.

LESSON PLAN - WEEK 3

Subject and Unit:

Year 9 English
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas unit

Lesson Duration:
60 minutes

Aims:

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Teaching students essay structure

Teaching key words for comparative writing
Beginning of an essay plan

Objectives:
Students will be able to write an essay plan
Students will be able to begin writing their first drafts of the comparative essay (this will be set for
homework)

Introduction (15 mins):

Teacher asks students to chat to the person beside them about the structure of an essay and
students are to follow specific questions, as stated below, and write down their ideas. This will help
to get students into the task whilst still allowing them to have a chat before its all eyes to the front
and focus on the teacher. The questions to guide partner discussion are as follows:

> What do you remember about writing essays from last year?
> What are the main sections of an essay?
> What is a thesis statement?

Main task/Lesson Questions (35-40 mins):

Teacher uses the white board to go through the 5-paragraph outline of the essay that they will be
expected to follow when it comes to their assessment task, which will be as follows:

INTRODUCTION (including the thesis statement)

BODY 1: Analysis and discussion of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas text
BODY 2: Analysis and discussion of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas film
BODY 3: Comparative analysis between both the text and the film
CONCLUSION

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Teacher will give students specific essay plan worksheets that they need to follow out once it has
been discussed as a class. Students will just need to fill in some rough details as to what is going
into the introduction; including the use of a thesis statement, the main body paragraphs of their
essays, and the conclusion. What the students do not finish will be finished for homework so that in
the following week they can start piecing their essays together properly and drafting and polishing
them off.

After this activity, teacher split the students into groups of 4-6 and they will each be given a piece
of butcher paper on which they have to brainstorm words for comparing and contrasting and create
a mind map. This will help them when it comes to their essay writing. Breaking them up into groups
will keep them focused and give them a break from the paper to pen work they have been doing
above.

Plenary/Finishing activity (10 mins):

Teacher brings everyone back and we compare the different words that the students have got, as
well as adding words that the teacher has put on her own mind map which will have been prepared
before class by only revealed to students after they have come up with some of their own. Recap
quickly on the essay plan and the teachers expectation that the students will complete this for their
homework.

REFERENCES:
I referred to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas unit plan in Great Ideas for English in the Middle
Years, but I adapted the ideas to how I wanted them to be and came up with some of my own ideas
as this was my original text/film pair I chose for the discussion board assignment and a text that I
absolutely loved in high school.

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