Imagine you were homeless...What are the problems and

dangers that homeless people face?

Nowhere to wash, shower, or brush your teeth.

Nowhere to sleepLimited money to buy foodClothes become dirty, tatty

and wornCold weather (rain and

snow)Accosted by drunksWhat would be your

biggest fear?

Lesson 3 – Looking for Shelter

By the end of the lesson

ALL of you will be able to identify how a writer establishes and develops charactersMOST of you will be able to select appropriate and effective vocabulary WAF 7SOME of you will be able to deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts RAF 3

Your starter…. Copy this but use a dictionary to check the meaning of the words underlined and change them to something that a Year 6 student

could understand. It is the “Mission Statement” of a charity called Shelter.

Shelter believes we all have a right to a decent, secure and affordable domicile so that we can work and link with others around us. Shelter works indefatigably to prevent and alleviate homelessness. We propose solutions and we influence politicians, decision makers and public opinion to ameliorate the lives of homeless people. We work closely with governments to persuade them to pass new legislation to help homeless and badly housed people.

One key sentence

On page 10, Shelter says “They abolished National Service, and they’ve put me where I can’t turn garbage into men anymore…”

If we can understand what that sentence is all about we can really start to understand the character of Shelter.

National Service

From the end of World War 2 in 1945 until 1963 every man in England had to do MILTARY SERVICE at the age of 18, usually for two years.

Call –up papersThis meant that on his 18th birthday every boy received a letter (like the one on the right) telling him to “report for duty”. You had to join the army, the air force or the navy and serve for two years. You were only let off if you were disabled or had a serious medical condition. If you refused you were sent to prison.

Sergeant Majors

Shelter was a Sergeant Major whose job was to train the eighteen year olds and make them into soldiers. Since most of the men did not want to be in the army in the first place, the Sergeant Majors had to be very tough! During basic training, usually 6 weeks, they had to produce a unit of smart, disciplined soldiers.

Turning …….

Into ………

Read on to the end of page 18Now you have much more information about Shelter. In your book answer these questions:

1. Shelter has made a false identity for himself. Describe some of the things he has done to create this identity. (the way he dresses and speaks, for example).

2. On page 10, he says “but I can clean up the garbage, can’t I?” What does he mean?

3. Why does Shelter think he has to “clean up” the streets?

Are you able to...

...identify how a writer establishes and develops characters...select appropriate and effective vocabulary WAF 7...deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts RAF 3

What do you think Shelter would look like in a film adaptation?