Sam Hepburn Learning Resources
Activities exploring the experiences of asylum seekers through the novel If You Were Me
Introducing If You Were Me
Sam Hepburn spent over 25 years working as a documentary maker and producer of factual programmes for the BBC, a career which has taken her all over the world to discover the stories of people from all different walks of life.
If You Were Me is Sam’s second novel for young adults. It tells the story of Aliya, a young Afghan asylum seeker whose bother is accused of plotting a terrorist attack. As he lies injured in hospital, Aliya sets out to prove her brother’s innocence and discovers a plot that goes right to the heart of the British establishment. A tense and gripping thriller,If You Were Medeals with themes of tolerance, prejudice and the power of lies and is sure to spark debate amongst your pupils.
Activities
Hot SeatingEng 3-19a, Lit 3-09a
Hot seating is a way of developing understanding and exploring a character’s personality, actions and motives.
If You Were Me is populated by characters who aren’t what they seem and who are driven by shifting allegiances and motives. Ask each pupil in the class tochoose a character from the book; this can be a main character like Aliya or Dan, or a less central character such as Connor, Jez, India Lambert or Ron Abbott. Give pupils some time to research their character by reading about them in the book and also ask them to use their imaginations to fill in the blanks where information is not given.
As a whole class or in smaller groups each character in turn comes to the front of the group and takes the ‘hot seat’. They are questioned by the rest of the group about their background, behaviour and motivation.For some of the characters we already know quite a bit about their background, but for others there is less information and so pupils can be spontaneous and use their imaginations.
Create a News BroadcastLit 3-09a, Lit 3-28a, Tch 3-04a,Lit 3-04a, Lit 3-08a
In this task your pupils will create their own news report about Behrouz’s case, imagining that they are one of the film crews camped outside the hospital when Aliya claims that her brother is innocent.
Split pupils into small groups and ask them to consider what makes up a news report. e.g
- An anchor’s introduction from the newsroom
- An on the scene reporter
- An eye witness interview
- An expert’s account for example from a doctor, criminal psychologist or police detective.
Ask pupils to look back through the book to compile information that they want to include in their report. Pupils can then allocate roles and write a script or bullet points for each section.
The BBC has some great tips on how to plan and structure a news report:
Once the pupils have created and compiled their news reports it is time to get filming!
When all the films are completed you can hold a screening to watch each report. Ask the pupils to consider the differences and similarities between each report.
The effect of the media in influencing public opinion is apparent throughout If You Were Me. You could ask your pupils to discuss the following questions:
- Do you think that news reporting should always be impartial?
- Can you think of any times when you have been influenced by what you have seen or read on the news?
Asylum Seekers in the UKLit 3-02a, Lit 3-09a,HWB 3-05a
Aliya and her family have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution and cannot return because it is too dangerous. Although the characters and story in If You Were Me are fictional, the experience of people being forced to leave their country and seek asylum in the UK is an everyday reality. Every year in the UK around 30,000 people arrive in the UK to seek asylum.
In this activity pupils will watch a clip where Amal, a teenager from Somalia, describes what it was like to leave her country and come to the UK. Pupils will then consider what it would be like for them to have to suddenly leave home.
Watch Amal’s story here:
Ask your pupils to imagine that, like Amal, they have been forced to leave their home and seek asylum in another country. Some questions to discuss:
- Has watching Amal’s story changed your opinion about what it is like to be an asylum seeker?
- Imagine you only have one suitcase, what would you take with you if it became too dangerous for you to stay in your country?
- What would you miss most about home?
- What would be your biggest challenges trying to make a life in a new country?
People who are refugees or seeking asylum often feel very isolated in their new country. Ask you pupils to think about what they share in common with other young people from countries around the world for example hobbies, enjoying sports, music, dance etc
After thinking about the experience of a young person seeking asylum in the UK ask your pupils to consider what life might be like for a refugee or asylum seeker in their community. They could design a project or activity to help young asylum seekers feel welcome in their school or community. For example: set up a sports team, music group or conversation club.
Further resources to help your pupils understand the experience of asylum seekers:
The Scottish Refugee Council is often able to send speakers to schools at no cost. These speakers are all refugees who talk about their experiences in the UK:
Amnesty International and the Red Cross have produced resources to help students understand and empathise with asylum seekers and refugees:
Show Racism the Red Card has developed the ‘A Safe Place’ DVD to tackle prejudice and explore discrimination experienced by many asylum seekers and refugees:
Make a Book TrailerTch 3-04a,Eng 3-19a, Eng 3-24a, Eng 3-31a
Book trailers are a fantastic way of encouraging pupils to engage with a book and combine a number of different skills from the curriculum.
A book trailer is just like a film trailer, giving a taster of a book for its potential audience. The hot seating task at the start of these resources will enrich your pupil’s understanding of characters’ motivation and dilemmas and is a great way to prepare pupils for making a book trailer.
Scottish Book Trust has created a brilliant resource pack on creating book trailers which can be found at:
To give your pupils an example there is a book trailer for Chasing the Dark, Sam Hepburn’s first book for young adults, availableon her website.
Once your pupils have made their trailers you can hold a film screening - watching all of the trailers together. Encourage pupils to discuss the trailers after they have seen them:
- How well has each trailer has captured character, setting, atmosphere?
- Does the trailer make you want to read the book?
Reading RecommendationsLit 3-11a
If you enjoyed If You Were Me you might like to take a look at these book lists for some ideas for further reading:
I Have a Dream: 11 books about oppression and civil rights
Books to Make You Think: 7 thought provoking reads
Fiction for Young Feminists: Feisty girls overcoming great odds