The Island by Armin Greder, is a powerful picture book for older learners. It tackles issues of prejudice and discrimination head-on. The story provides a potent means of exploring the importance of compassion.
It seems that today, polarised opinions surround us, especially within social media and journalism. The children in our classrooms must learn to navigate these turbulent waters. They need to learn how to be considered and compassionate when it comes to interacting with others.
Through this sequence of lessons, the children will explore prejudice in the context of the story. They’ll then flip the narrative in order to create compassionate journalistic writing.
This plan is accompanied by a comprehensive set of slides. You’ll need to familiarise yourself with these before each session.
What is The Island by Armin Greder about?
The Island deals with an anonymous individual washing up on an island. He is greeted with suspicion and prejudice. This ultimately turns into hatred. Even the more compassionate islanders are caught up in the mob furore.
The story is a powerful and sobering lesson in why compassion is so important, as well as the very real dangers of prejudice. The stranded traveller does nothing to garner such hatred. It is the result of fear of the unknown.
Learning objectives
- Express views about a text
- Show empathy for characters in a story
- Role play from a character’s perspective
- Identify the strength of a word
- Identify the 5Ws of journalistic writing (who, what, where, when, why)
- Make careful word choices
Marc Bowen is a deputy head and primary teacher in South Wales. Browse more resources for Empathy Day.
