14–16
Medium (5-11 activities)
Thank You for The Rain offers an engaging and moving non-fiction text for pupils, aged 11-14, as a means of exploring a range of writing approaches through a Kenyan farmer's first-hand experience of climate change. The lessons work as stand-alone pieces for teachers looking to target individual assessment objectives, or can be taught as one cohesive unit as an imaginative and current non-fiction text.
Lesson One - Story and Structure
Students use film analysis skills to develop their narrative writing, whilst learning about Kisilu's life and his quest to fight against climate change.
Lesson Objective:
Clip(s) to Use - Clip 2: Seeking a Loan
Lesson Two - Powers of Persuasion
Focusing on persuasive techniques, students examine how Kisilu influences other farmers to combat climate change.
Lesson Objective:
Clip(s) to Use - Clip 3: Planting Trees, Clip 4: Climate Change
Lesson Three - Stormy Weather
Students, through group and individual work, develop sensory writing skills to write descriptively, using Kisilu's experience of a storm as a stimulus.
Lesson Objective:
Clip(s) to Use - Clip 5: The Rain Comes
Lesson Four - Leading with Language
Highlights the importance of emotive language in achieving effects and influencing readers, using Kisilu's experience of a vital COP conference as a basis for learning.
Lesson Objective:
Clip(s) to Use - Clip 7: Kisilu Gets News
Lesson Five - Voting with our Feet
Students take the matter into their own hands. Using their language skills to form powerful arguments as part of a class debate, students will discuss how to combat climate change.
Lesson Objective:
Clip(s) to Use - Clip 9: Buying a Suit, Clip 10: Forging Ahead
Full lesson outlines and teacher's notes for English 14-16.
Size: 1.19 MB
Story and structure.
Size: 419 KB
Powers of persuasion.
Size: 102 KB
Stormy weather.
Size: 447 KB
Leading with language.
Size: 111 KB
Voting with our feet.
Size: 100 KB
Kisilu applies for a loan so he can run a taxi service when he can't farm.
Duration: 2:54 mins
Kisilu speaks to his community about the importance of planting trees.
Duration: 4:51 mins
Kisilu visits other farmers in his community to talk about climate change.
Duration: 9:40 mins
The rain arrives, showing us both its positive and negative effects.
Duration: 6:58 mins
Following his speech at COP, Kisilu received news about the conference.
Duration: 9:09 mins
Kisilu buys a suit for his trip to Paris and prepares his letter to the UN.
Duration: 0:44 secs
We take a look at Kisilu's onward journey as he continues his work.
Duration: 2:08 mins
We have developed a large catalogue of educational resources since launching in 2013, and some references and terminology will inevitably have dated as society and language evolves. We are aware of this and will be updating resources when our production schedule allows.
