1. Cross-Curricular Activities
Local Immigration
Cross-Curricular Activities

2. Activity 1: Cross the Room
Assemble the class into two parallel, single file lines facing each other. Explain that you will be calling out statements (see next slide). Those students who identify with a statement or prompt should cross the room, and stand in the opposite line they were originally facing. If they do not identify with a particular statement then they should stay in their current line. Statements can start off as general, to build a sense of safety in sharing, but then should develop into more in-depth prompts to create deeper learning opportunities.

3. Cross the Room continued
Examples of prompt statements:
Cross the room if…
You like ice cream
You have brown hair
You have a pet dog
You enjoy playing football
You have brothers or sisters
You have ever travelled to another country
You live with your family
You live with an auntie or grandparent
You have family who lives in another country
You were born in Ireland
You were born in another country
Your first language is English

4. Cross the Room continued
As each classroom community is different, teachers can develop appropriate prompt statements with regard to specific needs of each class, or individuals within it.
Teachers can support students in sharing and learning new information about each other by engaging in discussion regarding the prompts.
The teacher may choose to allow for particular students to share more details or experiences in relation to the prompts.
The teacher can point out the value of sharing similarities and also having differences.
e.g.
Did anyone learn something new about a classmate?
Did anyone learn something new about a classmate that was surprising or unexpected?
Did anyone discover that you share something in common with another classmate?

5. Activity 2: Potato
Distribute a potato to each student. Ask students to examine it Students should touch it, smell it, look at its shape and size, any bumps, lumps or discerning marks.
Gather all the potatoes, place them in a bag and mix them up. Then pour the potatoes back out on to the floor. Invite the students to try and find their own potato.
Points for discussion:
Are all the potatoes different?
Are they the same in any way?
Is the potato like them in any way?
The teacher can point out that though each potato is different in its own way, it still remained a potato inside.

6. Potato continued
Discussion can happen as whole class group or in small groups.
In what ways are we different on the outside?
Are we the same on the inside? In what ways?
Ask students to think about their own identity and the ways in which they are proud to be different from others.
Encourage students to think about:
What sets them apart/makes them unique?
Physical appearance
Personality traits
Achievements, skills or talents
Special experiences or personal stories

7. Potato continued
Writing Extension: Students can do a writing exercise about being proud of their identity. This could be in the first person or about a fictional character (which may free the writer up) Visual Art Extension: Students can create an Identity Collage, using magazines, newspapers and personal photos.

8. What’s in a Name?
See PSHE for this activity

9. People's stories
In order to write Jumping on my Shadow Peter Rumney interviewed
his family members,
friends who came to the UK as refugees or asylum seekers,
colleagues whose families came from different countries across the world,
refugee children in the Netherlands,
children in London schools from many different countries.
This helped him write the stories of Grandma, Mr Miah and Josip.
Their stories are fictitious, but based on truth. (See Debate Immigration)

10. Every migrant or refugee’s personal story is different
Every migrant or refugee’s personal story is different. Many of their experiences are similar. Joy Buttress interviewed a lady called Meherit, who came to Nottingham from Eritrea as a refugee and asylum seeker a few years ago. (See Resource Bank for text document)

11. Meherit’s Story – Her Journey to Nottingham from Asmara, Eritrea
I was born and had always lived in or close to Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. I was married with three children and I was expecting my fourth child. It was the year 2000.
We had heard that lots of our friends had been arrested and false accusations had been made against them.
One day, the police came and took my husband, Binyam. They accused him of plotting against the government. They said that he had been planning with the other people that had been arrested.
Binyam was imprisoned for three months – they pressurised him into saying he had done something he did not do. The conditions in Eritrean prisons are terrible: cramped, dirty, dark and dangerous.

12. Meherit’s Story continued … My children (aged 3, 5 and 9) and I escaped to my grandparents’ village, which was one hour from Asmara. Life was different and so it was difficult. There was no running water, there was water from a well; there were no toilets or electricity. We found out that Binyam was being released from prison. The authorities had no evidence to support their accusations so we returned to Asmara. My brother was getting married and we stayed for the wedding. Then the police arrested Binyam again, he was a threat because he was a trained soldier. I became more and more worried when one of Binyam’s friend’s wives was arrested. I was so scared. I decided we had to leave Asmara – it was not safe to stay, I had to think of my children so I decided to escape to Sudan. I could not talk to Binyam about it as he was imprisoned so I wrote a letter to him and left it in our house so that he would find it when he was released. The only person I could tell was my Mum - you couldn’t trust anyone.

13. Meherit’s Story continued … I returned to my Grandad’s house
Meherit’s Story continued … I returned to my Grandad’s house. My grandad had contacts. He knew a man who could drive us into Sudan. We first drove to Keren (90 miles north of Asmara). My son became sick and we had to stay in Keren for three days. I was so worried we wouldn’t be able to continue the journey. When he started to recover, we set off again. It was so hot. We would walk for an hour and take a break for half an hour and walk again. It is not a hard walk but because I had small children, it took us much longer. We did this for about a week. My Grandfather’s friend was still with us and he helped to carry the children. For the next stage of the journey, we had the choice of a camel or a car. I took the car. It took two days in the car but the car broke down on the way. We finally reached Kassala, Sudan. We stayed one week there and rented a room in a house. I had taken all of our money and my mother had helped us financially. I paid a man from an agency to arrange the papers to travel to Khartoum (capital of Sudan).

14. Meherit’s Story continued … We travelled to Khartoum on a lorry full of around 20 people: men, women and children. The journey was 250 miles. We stayed there for a month, living with a family friend. I speak only a little Arabic so it wasn’t easy. While we were there, I bought a visa for the UK – it cost a lot of money, which I was running out of. I flew from Khartoum to Heathrow. This whole journey took 3 months from leaving Asmara. I didn’t have a mobile phone so I would telephone my family from a hotel. I would telephone my brother who lived in Germany and he would send us money. Because I had a visa, I came straight through customs at Heathrow and I immediately claimed asylum. We were sent to a hostel in Camden. It wasn’t too bad; I remember we ate sandwiches. The food was so different, it was difficult, we were so hungry and we couldn’t cook in the hostel - we were there for three months. We were living in one room and my youngest son, Amanuel was born there.

15. Meherit’s Story continued … We had to wait until my application for asylum had been processed. I had to attend an interview in Liverpool. I was given a rail pass and get the train to Liverpool. The interview was for ten minutes and I didn’t pass the interview. This time was very close to the birth of my youngest son so the journey and interview were hard. We didn’t really make friends with other families in the hostel. We did talk with another Muslim family and there were two other Eritrean families but people often moved on after a short time. They left us there because I was pregnant. We were supplied with food, bread, one piece of toast and milk, cereal, soap, tea, sugar – just small necessities. We were not given money, just food.

16. Meherit’s Story continued … I would never want to complain about how we were treated. I had a terrible journey and the British government gave me a home. It was so much better than where we had come from. Lots of other people were complaining. The hostel staff used to ask me how life was and why I wasn’t complaining as everyone else was. I was grateful for what I had. Some of the British people were friendly, some were not; we did feel safe though. I found it really hard because I wasn’t able to speak English. After three months in the hostel, we were sent to Nottingham. We knew we were not going to stay to be able to stay in London – there is a strong Eritrean community in London. I received a letter to say we were going to Nottingham. We were sent on a coach with an Afghanistani man and his son. We were sent to ‘Refugee Housing’ on Alfreton Road.

17. Meherit’s Story continued After some time in the hostel on Alfreton Road, a social worker came and took us to a house in Sneinton. Some people in the community were very racist towards us. They threw dog dirt at our windows and made racist comments towards us; some people though were friendly. The children went to Windmill Lane School. After six months, I had appealed for a second time and we were given, ‘leave to remain’ which meant we could stay here. We lived for one year in Sneinton. Once I had leave to remain, the council had a responsibility to give me accommodation. I went into a hotel called The Park Hotel. For a month we were living in one room again. We had to leave the hotel during the day which was difficult with the baby and young children. I kept my daughter and eldest son at school in Sneinton. Friends used to bring in food for us.

18. Meherit’s Story continued Next we moved to Highwood Hostel for five months. It was horrible but I tried to make it home. There were no other Eritrean families there an only the reception lady was my friend. We then found out there was a house available in Lenton Abbey. We came to look at it and I cried. It immediately felt like home. I didn’t have any furniture or anything. Not everyone is friendly here but we’re ok. It’s a mixed area. The children transferred to Beeston Fields School. They were good to us. The teachers, especially the head teacher, were really kind. If the children didn’t do their homework because they couldn’t do it, they weren’t cross. They seemed to understand. The children were happy at school and made friends. I started going to learn English as soon as I could. We became a part of the Eritrean community in Nottingham. We meet monthly and support each other in any way we can.

19. Meherit’s Story continued … During this journey, I did not know anything of my husband’s whereabouts. After three years, he was released from prison and escaped from Eritrea. He thought we were in Sweden so first went to look for us there and then the Red Cross told him we were in the UK. He first went to Leeds and then found us in Nottingham. We couldn’t believe it when Binyam arrived. My three youngest children didn’t recognise him. My youngest daughter kept talking about the man who smoked, who was in our house, who was actually her Father.

20. Meherit’s Story continued …
I am extremely thankful for what I have.
When I return to Eritrea to visit my family, I feel as though I stand out, I feel guilty for what I have. I am now British.
My home is here as my life is my children and they are here. I came here for them.
My two eldest children have gone to University and have degrees and my youngest daughter will start a degree in September.
My only wish is that I lived near my Mum.

21. Questions for Discussion
Meherit’s journey from when she left Asmara till the time she was given her own house in Lenton Abbey took several years. What do you think about the time it took?
How could her journey have been made easier?
Who helped her on this journey?
What do you think Meherit’s children think of their Mother’s decision to leave Eritrea?
Are the family Eritrean or British? Is this important?
Meherit is grateful for how she has been treated – do you think she should feel grateful? Do you think she should expect good treatment as a human right?
How does Meherit’s story compare with Josip’s in Jumping on my Shadow?

22. Opportunities to Write and Speak from Local History

23. Opportunities to Write …
The profile of any of the writing opportunities is raised by giving the children a real purpose.
Send the letters or reports to the government, City Council, or tweet the refugee support groups.
Write a newspaper report on asylum seekers and refugees in Nottingham or the UK
Write a non-chronological report on asylum seekers and refugees in Nottingham or the UK
Write a letter to the government or support group on the issue of asylum
See the Planning Grids to support the children’s writing in the Resource Bank.

24. Opportunities to Write …
Compose and send a Tweet on the issue of asylum in the UK or Nottingham to Nottingham City Council, a government minister, Refugee Forum or Amnesty International. Give the children a grid of 140 boxes (one for each character of the tweet – see below and in the resource bank). This is a great activity to encourage children to consider their choice of vocabulary and punctuation in a short and powerful piece of writing.

25. Spoken Language Opportunities … Debate Immigration
Debate the issues of asylum. This could be asylum in Nottingham or the UK as a whole…. or you could include recent decisions by the Trump government to issue a travel ban on visitors from six predominantly Muslim countries. Write the debate in the form of a discussion text. See the Debate PowerPoint in English Spoken Language

26. Create Graphs Investigating Different Ethnic Groups
and their Migration
This provides valuable opportunities to understand the changes in the demographics of the UK and Nottingham and for working with larger numbers, percentages and handling data: