Year 6 - English
Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Coming To England'
'Coming To England': reading
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils read and explore the autobiographical memoir, 'Coming To England'. They engage with the cultural and historical context of the text and explore the imagery used to depict the setting and characters. Finally, pupils engage with the key themes of migration and discrimination.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify and reflect on the key themes in 'Coming to England'.
Key Notes
- 'Coming to England' highlights Floella's resilience and advocacy against racism.
- The text has themes of determination, migration, identity and overcoming adversity.
- Floella has a strong support network; she describes positive traits that she has learnt from both her parents.
- A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
Vocabulary To Learn
- theme: A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
- convey: To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.
- discrimination: Discrimination is treating a person or group of people differently and unfairly because of a certain characteristic.
- adversity: Adversity can be described as challenges, prejudice, and hardships a person had to confront and overcome in their life.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think that Floella's experiences were only negative when arriving in England.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
'Coming to England' highlights Floella's resilience and advocacy against racism. The text has themes of determination, migration, identity and overcoming adversity.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'theme'
A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think that Floella's experiences were only negative when arriving in England. Correction: Experiences that Floella had in both countries were both positive and negative. Listing and discussing these either with talk partners, in small groups or as a whole class can be beneficial to build up an overall picture of Floella's life.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 6 English guide library.