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UNIT OVERVIEWThis short unit is rooted in exploring the situation in Burma and the plight of the refugees. The documentary explores two families’ journeys to England to begin a new life, away from the political turmoil in Burma. In using this documentary, students are able to complete a range of reading, writing and speaking and listening activities.

NATIONAL CURRICULUM OBJECTIVESAs from September 2015 LESSON ONE, PAGE 3R2 Make inferences and refer to evidence in the text.R2 Know the purpose, audience for, and context of the writing

and drawing on this to support comprehension.R3 Make critical comparisons across texts

LESSON TWO, PAGE 8R2 Make inferences and refer to evidence in the text.R2 Know the purpose, audience for, and context of the writing

and drawing on this to support comprehension.R3 Make critical comparisons across texts

LESSON THREE, PAGE 12R2 Make inferences and refer to evidence in the text.R2 Know the purpose, audience for, and context of the writing

and drawing on this to support comprehension.R3 Make critical comparisons across texts

ASSESSMENTReading:The song Moving to Mars by Coldplay is inspired by the events in Burma. How do the lyrics reflect this?The song Moving to Mars contains the following lyric: ‘They’ll be tearing us apart / Maybe moving us to Mars.’ How does the families’ experience, within the DVD extract, reinforce the idea that where they are moving to is something strange and unfamiliar?

Writing:Write a letter to your family back home in Thailand, describing your experiences in England so far and explaining how life in England is different to life in Thailand.

Speaking and Listening:Present a short news segment that will contribute to an extended news report on the plight of the Karen people.

CONTENTSLesson One: Introduction to key terms, the context and the text Moving to MarsLesson Two: Reading responses exploring how the Karen fami-lies might have felt moving to EnglandLesson Three: Writing to describe and explainLesson Four: News report

KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH:

MOVING TO MARS

DocAcademydocacademy.org

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TEACHER’S NOTESABOUT THE FILM

TITLE AND DIRECTORMoving to Mars by Mat Whitecross

SHORT SYNOPSISMoving to Mars follows two refugee families from Burma over the course of a year that will change their lives completely. Forced from their homeland by the repressive military junta, they have lived in a Thai refugee camp for many years. A resettlement scheme offers them the chance of a new life, but their new home, in the British city of Sheffield, will be different to everything they have ever known.

LINK TO WEBSITEwww.movingtomarsfilm.com

LIST OF PRINCIPAL CHARACTERSThaw Htoo and Tutu Paw’s family – their son Tu Wah, and daughters La Seh Wah and Elizabeth.Jo Kae and Daisi’s family – their daughters Seh Seh Lu and Ei Ei, and their son Di Di.

FILMING STYLEObservational

VIDEO CLIPS:

Clip 1: ContextClip 2: Life in the refugee campClip 3: The family’s thoughts about movingClip 4: The initial arrival in EnglandClip 5: Thoughts of home

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LESSON ONE OVERVIEWWithin this introductory lesson, students are intro-duced to the term ‘refugee.’ They will explore, with particular reference to Burma, the circumstances that lead to someone becoming a refugee. By the end of the lesson, they will be able to show a greater understanding of the situation in Burma by:Understanding its position geographicallyLearning more about the political situation Drawing comparisons between Burma and the UK

Using this newly acquired information, students will then carefully consider the meaning behind the title of the documentary Moving to Mars.

OBJECTIVESR2 Know the purpose, audience for, and context

of the writing and drawing on this to support comprehension

R2 Make inferences and refer to evidence in the text

R2 Make critical comparisons across texts

STARTERKey questions to be answered within this section: Am I aware of Burma and where it is geographi-cally placed within the world? Do I understand the term ‘asylum seeker’ and ‘refugee’?

Give each pair a copy of the World Map. Explain to the students that you are going to read the name of some countries out to them and that you would like them to identify where in the world these coun-tries are. Read the names of the following countries out: Afghanistan, Iran, Burma, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia. Take feedback from the students. What can you tell me about these countries?

Explain to the students that England has received asylum seekers from each of those countries. Show students table of figures from 2007. Why might this be? What is an asylum seeker? What is a refugee? - An Asylum seeker is ‘someone who leaves their

own country for their safety, often for political reasons or because of war, and who travels to another country hoping that the government will protect them and allow them to live there’ (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/asylum-seeker)

- A refugee is ‘a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, perse-cution, or natural disaster.’

DEVELOPMENT

ACTIVITY A: Key Question: Why did the Karen people become refugees?

Ask students in small groups to read Source A and Source B. Pose question to students: Why did the Karen people become refugees? Ask students in their groups to list / summarise the reasons put forward in both sources. Take feedback.

ACTIVITY B: Key Question: What can I learn about Thaw Htoo’s situation?

Show students Clip 1: Context and ask them to respond to the following questions:Why were the demonstrations taking place at the start of the clip? In what year did the Burmese dictatorship seize power?Why was Thaw Htoo forced to escape to the refu-gee camp?What is the name of the refugee camp and how many people live in this particular camp? Once the DVD has been shown, take feedback on the answers to the questions.

ACTIVITY C: What difficulties might Thaw Htoo and his family experience in moving from the Mae La refugee camp to England?

Explain to students that Thaw Htoo and his family were able to relocate to the UK through the Gate-way Protection Programme, a scheme operated by the UK Border agency. This programme was established in March 2004 and through it a maxi-mum of 750 refugees can be relocated to the UK each year.

Exploring the images – what difficulties might Thaw Htoo and his family experience in moving from the Mae La refugee camp to England? Students discuss responses in groups and then feedback into classroom discussion exploring cultural differ-ences and the difficulties Thaw Htoo and his family might face.

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PLENARY / HOMEWORK Explain to students that the documentary we are going to be exploring is called Moving to Mars. Ask students to individually consider the following ques-tion: Based upon your learning this lesson, why do you think the producers of this text decided to give it this name? Is this an effective title? Give students 5 minutes to respond before feeding back.

EQUIPMENT / RESOURCES NEEDEDWorld MapTable of statistics from 2007Source A and Source BImages from Mae La camp

ASSESSMENTOn-going oral assessment through the lesson.

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LESSON ONE – RESOURCES

STARTER ACTIVITY

No. of asylum seeker applications in 2007 (the same year the documentary was made)

Country No. of asylum seeker applications

Afghanistan 2,500Iran 2,210China 2,100Iraq 1,825Zimbabwe 1,800Somalia 1,615Pakistan 1,030Sri Lanka 990Burma 225

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LESSON ONE – RESOURCES

ACTIVITY A: WHY DID THE KAREN PEOPLE BECOME REFUGEES?

SOURCE AAung San Suu Kyi, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, symbolises the struggle of Burma’s people to be free. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democ-racy (NLD) won 82% of the seats in elections held in 1990. The people of Burma overwhelmingly rejected military rule yet the military refused to transfer power to Burma’s democratically elected leaders.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s message is a simple one - that only by fight-ing fear can you truly be free - a message Burma’s military fears and aims to silence.The widespread use of forced labour Over 1 million people forced from their homes Hundreds of political prisoners, many of whom are routinely tortured Widespread use of child soldiers Rape as a weapon of war against ethnic women and children The regime spends nearly 25% of the budget on defence and just 1.3% on health

However, during a tour of northern Burma in 2003, Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters were attacked by the Union Soli-darity and Development Organization (USDA), a government sponsored militia. The attack took place in Depayin on 30 May 2003. As many as 70 people were killed in the attack and over 100 people arrested, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi remained in secret detention for over three months. She was then placed under house arrest in Rangoon, where she was allowed no visitors, her phone line cut, and her post intercepted.

The dictatorship responded to international criticism over the Depayin massacre by announcing a ‘roadmap to democracy’ in August 2003, in an attempt to avoid further international pres-sure and sanctions. The sham elections held on 7th November 2010 were part of that ‘roadmap to democracy’.

Ahead of the elections the dictatorship increased harass-ment of democracy activists, banned the National League for Democracy and placed severe restrictions on parties and candidates. There were widespread allegations of voter intimi-dation and bribery during the election.

http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/about-burma/about-burma/introduction

SOURCE BUnder the rule of the Burman, the Karens have been oppressed politically, economically, and educationally. The Karen schools and institutions were taken by force and many were destroyed. We are no longer allowed to study our own lan-guage in Burmese schools. Many of the Karen newspapers and literary books were banned. Economically, our fields and plots of land were nationalised and confiscated, we have to toil hard all year round and have to take all our products to the Burmese Government for sale at its controlled prices, leaving little for ourselves. Culturally, they have attempted to absorb and dissolve our language, literature, traditions, and customs. We have been denied all political rights, and militarily, our people have all along been systematically exterminated as part of the annihilation, absorption, and assimilation pro-gramme of the Burman. Our educational quality and living standards have dropped considerably, falling far behind the Burman in all respects. Their efforts and actions against us are as strong, or stronger, today as ever before in the past.Since the 1960's, they have been attacking with the "Four Cuts Operation". This includes cutting our provisions, cutting the contact between the masses and the revolutionaries, cutting all revolutionary financial income and resources, and cutting off the heads of all revolutionaries. To make the four cuts opera-tion successful, the Burmese troops are using strong suppressive measures. They destroy the fields of crops planted by the villag-ers and eat their grains and livestock. They take away whatever they like and the things they cannot carry away they destroy. Captured villagers, woman and adolescents as well as men, are made to carry heavy loads as porters for the Burmese sol-diers. Many of the villagers have been forced to work as porters for several months; they are deliberately starved, and regularly beaten, raped, or murdered. When the Burmese soldiers enter a village, they shoot the villagers who try to escape. Some of the villagers have been accused of helping the revolutionaries and then have been killed. In certain areas, the villagers have been forced to leave their villages and have been moved to camps some distance away. They are not permitted to leave the camps without permission from the Burmese guards. Some villagers, who have been found in their villages after being ordered to move to the camps, have been shot and killed by the Burmese soldiers with no questions asked.

http://www.rainbowends.org/karen/history.htm

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LESSON ONE – RESOURCESACTIVITY C: what difficulties might Thaw Htoo and his family experience in moving from the Mae La refugee camp to Sheffield?

ACTIVITY C: what difficulties might Thaw Htoo and his family experience in moving from the Mae La refugee camp to Sheffield?

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LESSON TWO OVERVIEWIn this lesson, students will explore the song Moving to Mars by Coldplay and consider how the song has been inspired by events in Burma by identifying relevant textual details and using these to complete a PEE paragraph of analysis. They will then compare the lyrics from the song with key details in the text, demonstrating their ability to relate ideas – once again through the construction of a PEE paragraph of analysis.

OBJECTIVESR2 Make critical comparisons across texts R2 Make inferences and refer to evidence in the textR2 Know the purpose, audience for, and con-

text of the writing and drawing on this to support comprehension

STARTERRecap prior learning. Explain to students that the band Coldplay wrote a song entitled Moving to Mars which was based upon the events in the documentary. Play the song to the students using the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-KsutWy3UU Hand out Worksheet A and complete a class read-ing of the lyrics.

DEVELOPMENT

ACTIVITY A: How do the lyrics of the Coldplay song Moving to Mars relate to the situation the families find them-selves in in Burma/Thailand?Hand students Worksheet B, cut into slips. Ask stu-dents to match the statements on the slips of paper with lines from the song. Take feedback.Students respond to the following question using PEE: The song Moving to Mars by Coldplay is inspired by the events in Burma. How do the lyrics reflect this?Point – what aspect of the situation in Burma is being described? Choose a key statement.Evidence – what evidence in the song reinforces the idea within the statementExplanation – how do the song lyrics reinforce the idea within the statement

ACTIVITY B: Drawing comparisons between the song lyrics and

the documentaryExplain to students that the song is called Moving to Mars which has the inference of moving to a strange and unknown place which is exactly what the families’ do when they move to Sheffield.Watch the clip, Clip 4: The initial arrival in England where the families land in England and make their way to Sheffield and hand out ‘transcript’The song Moving to Mars contains the following lyric: ‘They’ll be tearing up apart / Maybe moving us to mars’. How does the families’ experience, within the DVD extract, reinforce the idea that where they are moving to is something strange and unfamiliar? Students construct PEE response.Point – What do we learn about the families’ arrival in the UK?Evidence – what evidence is there to suggest that the family are in a strange and unfamiliar land?Explanation – what does this evidence tell us? How does it connect with the lyric ‘They’ll be tearing us apart / Maybe moving us to mars’?

ACTIVITY C: Peer AssessmentStudents can peer assess their work for an appropri-ate point, evidence and explanation.

PLENARY / HOMEWORK Hear examples of students’ reading responses

EQUIPMENT / RESOURCES NEEDED• Worksheet A: Lyrics to Coldplay song Moving

to Mars• Worksheet B: Statements about Burma• Worksheet C: ‘Transcript’ from DVD

ASSESSMENTStudents complete a peer assessment of their paragraphOral assessment as students share their paragraphs

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LESSON TWO – RESOURCES

WORKSHEET A: LYRICS TO COLDPLAY’S MOVING TO MARS

Somewhere up above the starsThe wreckage of a universe floats pastSomewhere up above my heartA tiny little seed is sown,A government is overthrown,Who knows when we'll be coming home at last

And I heard it on the radioThat one day we'll be living in the starsAnd I heard it on a tv showThat somewhere up aboveAnd in my heartThey'll be tearing us apart,Maybe moving us to marsPast the satellites and stars,Maybe moving us to mars

We won't see the earth againIn these seconds just remain unchanged8 to 9, 9 to 10We are meeting for the first timeWe might never meet again you and meWe are meeting for the first timeCan't you see76543We are meeting for the first time

Singing this space symphonyThey'll be tearing us apart moving us to mars,Past the satellites and starsThey're moving us to mars

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LESSON TWO – RESOURCES

WORKSHEET B: KEY STATEMENTS

The government of Burma will be overthrown.

The Burmese government is referred to.

The return home is uncertain but it will happen.

The Karen people have been separated / divided.

The Karen people will find themselves living in a strange environment far, far away.

The future of the world is unstable. There is a suggestion it will be destroyed.

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LESSON TWO - RESOURCES

WORKSHEET C: ‘TRANSCRIPT’ – ARRIVAL IN UK

Oh look – horses, horsesSon, did you see? The horse has got a dress onWhat do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?

They’re growing the food systematically look, onions, onions, onionsThey only use machinery here, not manpower, huh?

Very beautiful sceneryVery nice

England is a great country, everyone has freedomIt’s not like Thailand and it’s not like BurmaBurma is a stupid countryThere is no freedom and there is no peace

My new life in Sheffield will be paradise because I have the chance to live in a new house

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LESSON THREE

OVERVIEWIn this lesson students will explore the journey that the two families have been on and their feelings for both Burma / Thailand and England. Using Clip 5: Thoughts of home, students will complete the follow-ing task: Write a letter to your family back home in Thailand, describing your experiences in England so far and explaining how life in England is different to life in Thailand.

OBJECTIVESR2 Make critical comparisons across texts R2 Make inferences and refer to evidence in the textR2 Know the purpose, audience for, and con-

text of the writing and drawing on this to support comprehension

STARTERExplain to students that in today’s lesson we will be looking at letter writing. Hand students a copy of Worksheet A. Ask students to orally identify whether the letter is formal or informal. After clarifying that the letter is formal, ask students to work in pairs to identify the conventions that help to make this a formal letter. Feedback. Ask students why the letter is formal. Revise with stu-dents the need for formality and informality.Ask students to consider how the form and tone of this letter might change if it were informal. Students to re-write certain parts of the letter to make it less formal in groups.

DEVELOPMENT

ACTIVITY A: How do the members of the two families feel about their homeland? How do the members of the two families feel about their new life in England? Explain to students that in today’s lesson they are going to be completing a writing task: Write a letter to your family back home in Thailand, describing your experiences in England so far and explaining how life in England is different to life in Thailand. Is this going to be a formal or informal letter?Explain to students that they are going to use an extract from the documentary to help them develop the content of their letter.Ask students to respond to two questions whilst watching Clip 5: Thoughts of homeHow do the members of the two families feel about

their homeland? How do the members of the two families feel about their new life in England? Reinforce that what is shared here will help them develop their ideas and the content of their letter.Show students Clip 5: Thoughts of home (60.18-60.21)Ask students in groups to share their ideas. Take feedback and discuss the ideas that have come from the DVD.Explain to students that before they write their letter, they must organise their ideas. Give students 6 min-utes in their groups to identify what they might write within each section of their letter.

ACTIVITY B: Write a letter to your family back home in Thailand, describing your experiences in England so far and explaining how life in England is different to life in Thailand.Students work individually to construct their letter home.

PLENARY / HOMEWORK Share letters and comment upon level of engage-ment with the central character

EQUIPMENT / RESOURCES NEEDEDWorksheet A: Identifying the conventions of a letterWorksheet B: Planning sheet

ASSESSMENTStudents can be assessed against the National Cur-riculum: Writing criteria for their formal news reports.

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LESSON THREE – RESOURCESWORKSHEET A: IDENTIFYING THE CONVENTIONS OF A LETTER

1 High StreetSheffieldSK11 3PB

David Cameron10 Downing StreetLondonLO13 4TP

20th May 2012

Dear Mr Cameron,

I am writing to you about the plight of the Burmese people and what we, as a country, can do to help them.

As you may be aware, the situation in Burma is tense and still the Karen people are fighting for their freedom. Despite having voted in a democratic election, the military continue to rule over the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s campaign for freedom aims to: stop the widespread use of forced labour, return people to their rightful homes, release hundred of political prisoners, abolish the widespread use of child soldiers, stop rape as a weapon of war against ethnic women and children and ensure funds are distributed appropriately.

However, Aung San Suu Kyi’s campaign is hindered by the fact she remains under house arrest in Rangoon…

Yours Sincerely,

Miss Odell

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WORKSHEET B: Write a letter to your family back home in Thailand, describ-ing your experiences in England so far and explaining how life in England is different to life in Thailand.

How do the members of the two families feel about their homeland?

How do the members of the two families feel about their new life in England?

Planning sheetThe conventions of informal letters that I need to include:

Opening paragraph

Paragraph 1 – describing my experi-ences in England so far

Paragraph 2 – explaining how life in England is different to life in Thailand

Paragraph 3 – describing my feelings towards Thailand / Burma in contrast to my feelings towards England

Concluding paragraph

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LESSON FOUR OVERVIEWIn this lesson students will bring their learning about the Burmese people together through the crea-tion of an extended news report on the families’ experience. The news report will focus on the skill of presenting and will cover the background to the situation in Burma; the families’ lives in the refugee camp; their thoughts about leaving the camp; their arrival in England and their thoughts about home.

OBJECTIVES2.1a present information and points of view clearly and appropriately in different contexts, adapting talk for a range of purposes and audiences, includ-ing the more formal;2.1d engage an audience, using a range of tech-niques to explore, enrich and explain their ideas2.1i sift, summarise and use the most important points

STARTERRecap the students’ learning over the past few les-sons about the families’ experiences in the refugee camp to their new life in England.Explain that today’s lesson will bring that learning together. Divide the class into five groups.

DEVELOPMENT:

ACTIVITY A: Using the documentary to research key informationAssign each group their task sheet and a specific excerpt from the documentary to watch / re-watch:Group 1 – Clip 1: ContextGroup 2 – Clip 2: Life in the refugee campGroup 3 – Clip 3: The family’s thoughts about moving

Group 4 – Clip 4: The initial arrival in EnglandGroup 5 – Clip 5: Thoughts of homeStudents watch their documentary extracts and make notes that will help them prepare their news report.

ACTIVITY B: Forming the news reportsStudents work in their groups to prepare their seg-ment for the news report. Encourage a wide variety of approaches: in the studio, live link, interviews etc etc.

ACTIVITY C: Presentation of the newsStudents present their news segment to the rest of the class in the order of their groups.

PLENARY / HOMEWORK Draw together students’ learning about the unit and ask them, individually, to respond to the following two questions:What have we learnt about the situation in Burma?What have we learnt about the difficulties refugees face when forced to leave their homes?How far would you agree that you have a better empathy for refugees coming to England?

EQUIPMENT / RESOURCES NEEDEDWorksheet A: Group task cards

ASSESSMENTStudents can be assessed against the National Curriculum: Speaking and Listening criteria for their formal news reports.

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LESSON FOUR – RESOURCES

WORKSHEET A:

Group 1 Clip 1: ContextYou are going to prepare a short news report documenting the journey the families have been on. Your section of the news report is going to focus on the situation in Burma. To help you prepare your news section, you need to watch the following extract from the documentary: Clip 1: Context (00.14-04.00). You should also draw on your learning from the past couple of lessons. Once you have completed your research, you need to construct your short news segment and practise how you are going to present this to the rest of the class.

Group 2 Clip 2: Life in the refugee campYou are going to prepare a short news report documenting the journey the families have been on. Your section of the news report is going to focus on life in the refugee camp. To help you prepare your news section, you need to watch the following extract from the documentary: Clip 2: Life in the refugee camp (07.11-08.37). You should also draw on your learning from the past couple of lessons. Once you have completed your research, you need to construct your short news segment and practise how you are going to present this to the rest of the class.

Group 3 Clip 3: The family’s thoughts about movingYou are going to prepare a short news report documenting the journey the families have been on. Your section of the news report is going to focus on the families’ thoughts about moving. To help you prepare your news section, you need to watch the following extract from the documentary: Clip 3: The families thoughts about moving (18.18-19.35). You should also draw on your learning from the past couple of lessons. Once you have completed your research, you need to construct your short news segment and practise how you are going to present this to the rest of the class.

Group 4 Clip 4: The initial arrival in EnglandYou are going to prepare a short news report document-ing the journey the families have been on. Your section of the news report is going to focus on the families’ arrival in England. To help you prepare your news section, you need to watch the following extract from the documentary: Clip 4: The initial arrival in England (40.24-42.34). You should also draw on your learning from the past couple of lessons. Once you have completed your research, you need to construct your short news segment and practise how you are going to present this to the rest of the class.

Group 5 Clip 5: Thoughts of homeYou are going to prepare a short news report document-ing the journey the families have been on. Your section of the news report is going to focus on the families’ thoughts

about Burma and their people now they live in England. To help you prepare your news section, you need to watch the following extract from the documentary: Clip 5: Thoughts of home (60.18-60.21). You should also draw on your learning from the past couple of lessons. Once you have completed your research, you need to construct your short news seg-ment and practise how you are going to present this to the rest of the class.

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