Chapter 1: The Empty Chair (The Boy at the Back of the Class)

CHAPTER 1. THE EMPTY CHAIR

1. Re-read to end of page 9 (if necessary): why did Mrs Khan point to the empty chair? Make predictions. 
2. Speaking & Empathy: How would you feel if you were the new boy? Write a recount of first day from perspective of Ahmet.
3. How would we welcome someone new? (speaking and critical thinking)
4. What do you look forward to at the start of term? Do you do anything special to prepare for going back to school? (SPEAKING)
5. How did you feel on your first day at school? (speaking and vocabulary brainstorming: feelings).
6. Have you ever joined a class (or something similar) after everyone else? How did it feel? Think of three words that describe how Ahmet feels when he comes into the class. (SPEAKING).
7. What makes Mrs Sanders so scary? In your opinion, should students be scared of teachers? Is it ever right to be scared of someone? Why?/Why not? Explain your answer. (SPEAKING + CRITICAL THINKING)
8. Why do you think the narrator makes a secret promise to be friends with Ahmet (if necessary, go back to page 12)?
9. The narrator observes: “Sometimes I think everyone likes to believe a lie even when they know it’s a lie because it is more exciting than the truth” (quote from page 18). Do you agree and why do you think this is? Copy the quote in your notebook and explain why you agree or disagree.
10. What do you think ‘seclusion’ is (go and find it on page 27)? Does it remind you of any other words? (friendly reminder: this is one of the words we learnt during the pre-reading!) What do you think about Ahmet being in seclusion?
11. YOUR CHAPTER HANDS-ON TASK: You will be creating an information leaflet about our school to help someone feel welcome (for example, erasmus students, refugees, students who moved, etc.). Think about what would we need to include?
12. FAST FINISHERS can start this activity: What do we find out in the first chapter about the narrator and Tom, Josie and Michael? using the information shared by the narrator, create ONE of this (choose ONLY ONE OPTION):
1. a character sketch of each main character 
2. a character chart of each main character.
3. a character map of each main character. 

Start to list what you already know about them and keep your ideas so you can add to them as you work through the book.