how far did people who came to britain find it a place of cold stares and grey skies?
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TRANSCRIPT
What can we learn from the photo about people who travelled on the windrush?
Reconnect• Look at the spotlighted picture.• What are the people wearing?• Why might they be wearing this?
• This is the Windrush - a boat on which many Jamaicans came to Britainin 1948
• What reasons did we find last lesson that people have come to Britain throughout history?
Imagine you are a person in the picture:• What can you see?• What are the expressions like on the faces around
you?• What emotions are you feeling?
Content:By the end of the lesson you will be able to:Explain what the author of the “Empire Windrush” and the
author of“Small Island” thought immigrants’ experiences were likeGenerate questions to ask immigrants about their experiences
Skills: By the end of the lesson you will have learnthow to:Ask interesting open questions
This lesson will benefit me because:It will improve my ability to find the information I want and tohold conversations with people
How did Britain become so diverse?
Are we all immigrants really?
What have immigrants contributed to British society?
How was the UK formed?
How were Jamaicans treated when they came to Britain?
How has immigration changed Britain?
Diversity
Multiculturalism
Think about why they came – it may helpUse the 5Ws Use how, how far, to what extent to start
questions Use open questions, questions that get longer
answersE.g. Instead of “Did you like British food?” try
“How did you find British food?”
It was an invitation.An invitation to come
"Help re-build the Mother country"It seemed like an opportunity
Jobs for everyoneA better future for our children
Then home againJust a few years
We left the blue skiesThe sun, the sea, the light
And then the shockThe cold and damp
The grey skiesThe cold stares
The cold grey staresThe ship arrived on June 22nd 1948
No band played a welcome492 hopefuls stepped ashore
HopefulsWith our British passports in our hands
We thought the journey had endedIt was just beginning
We came for a few yearsWe stayed a lifetime and more
Hopefuls with our British passports in our handsThey didn't think we were British
And now our children know no otherThis is their home
And ours
Annotate the poem with comments on
what Jamaicans found Britain to be like
They found Britain to be cold
If you finish answer the questions below
1) look at the poem’s name. Why do you think
it was called this?2) Were the Jamaicans
intending to stay? Explain your answer
3) How old do you think the person who wrote the poem is? Explain4) How do they feel about Britain now?
How does the author of the poem think the Jamaicans found Britain?
Is there any suggestion that they overcame these difficulties?
What techniques did we discover to help us ask questions?
Jamaica was a colony in the British Empire. This means its people were under the control of the British government. Many Jamaicans would have grown up being taught that Britain – “the Mother” country” was a wealthy nation and was generously educating and protectingJamaicans.
How far did Gilbert find Britain a place of Cold stares and cold skies?
What were Jamaicans expectations of Britain?
What did Gilbert think of Britain?
Can we now say that Britain was a place of cold stares and cold skies?
What do we need to do now?