Teaching resources for KS3 and GCSE English
The resources draw on the work of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), to engage students with humanitarian challenges. They are based on clearly established learning objectives for Key Stages 3 and 4 English.
They include games, real-life stories, images and videos to create a buzz in the classroom.
Click on the Key Stages below to access the exercises.
War in words
This resource is based on two war poems: Exposure by Wilfred Owen and Who’s for the Game? by Jessie Pope. Students revise key vocabulary then examine and analyse language and techniques and study their effectiveness.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Working for MSF
This resource tells the stories of people working for MSF and what they need to do their jobs effectively. Students analyse language and techniques and then produce their own piece of creative writing.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Hitting the headlines
This resource is based on media headlines linked to current affairs (migration and refugees). Students analyse language and techniques and then produce their own piece of persuasive writing in a formal letter.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Working for MSF - Dr Johnson
This resource tells the inspirational story of Dr Johnson who started his life as a child refugee and now works for MSF. Students analyse language and techniques and then produce their own piece of writing. There is also a KS4 version of this resource available.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
The Crossing
This resource is based on an art portrait project which tells the stories of 17 different people from a variety of countries who crossed the Mediterranean Sea as refugees. Students select, summarise and organise key information from these accounts.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Pakistan floods
This resource covers the causes and consequences of the August 2022 floods in Pakistan, and examines the work MSF is undertaking there. Students complete activities related to key vocabulary, summarising, inference, and raising awareness through persuasive language and facts.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Tier 2 vocabulary
This resource develops students’ literacy skills by practising a range of tier 2 vocabulary. Although the words are introduced within the context of humanitarian aid, these words are not topic-specific. Students are asked to recognise, understand, and use these words in a variety of tasks.
This resource is also ideal for revision, homework, cover work or independent learning, and could also be adapted for GCSE students.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Storytelling and innovation
This resource examines the role of storytelling in different cultures, and the importance of local communities when undertaking humanitarian work, and focuses on the MSF project Stories of Change to see these in context.
Students complete activities related to key vocabulary, inference, and selecting key information, and then create their own piece of writing for a specific audience and purpose.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Storytelling reading comprehension
This resource is based on a first-person narrative essay written by a doctor working for MSF, and a particularly memorable patient of hers. Students work through tasks to help them understand, analyse and respond to the text. This resource is also ideal for revision, homework, cover work or independent learning, and could also be adapted for GCSE students.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Fighting dengue with mosquitoes
This resource is based on a new project MSF is working on to fight arboviruses such as dengue and malaria. The key idea is that mosquitoes don’t just spread diseases – they can also be used to stop disease transmission! Students complete activities related to key vocabulary, comprehension, reading for detail, and inference.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Examining non-fiction texts
This resource is based two non-fiction texts, describing MSF’s work in two different locations and fields, linked to emergency medicine and climate change. Students work through tasks to help them understand, analyse and compare the two texts. This resource is also ideal for revision, homework, cover work or independent learning, and could also be adapted for GCSE students.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Analysing a non-fiction article
This resource is based a non-fiction article which describes MSF’s work with asylum seekers in the UK. MSF has a long history of supporting refugees and displaced people around the world, but this is the first project working with people seeking safety in the UK. Students work through tasks to help them understand and analyse key features of the article before creating their own piece of writing to argue or persuade. This resource is also ideal for revision, homework, cover work or independent learning, and could also be adapted for GCSE students. The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Perspectives – the voices of refugees
This resource is based on the novel The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon, and encourages students to reflect on their own and others’ perspectives and viewpoints. Students complete exam-style tasks and produce their own piece of creative writing.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
The letter that changed me
This resource is based on a letter of thanks sent to a doctor working for MSF in Haiti. Students complete exam-style tasks and analyse techniques and language and then produce their own open letter.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Working for MSF - Dr Johnson
This resource tells the inspirational story of Dr Johnson who started life as a child refugee and now works for MSF. Students complete exam-style tasks in analysing language and techniques and then produce their own piece of writing. There is also a KS3 version of this resource available.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
The Mind's Eye
This resource is based on the conflict poem War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy. Students complete exam-style tasks and analyse imagery, techniques and language.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
An open letter
This resource is based on an open letter from MSF and other health and humanitarian professionals to the UK government (published October 2022), regarding the consequences of a shortfall in funding for HIV, TB and malaria. Students revise key terms, analyse techniques and language, and then produce their own open letter.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Sudan - analysing a non-fiction text
This resource is based a non-fiction article which describes MSF’s work in Sudan and laments the global response to the humanitarian crisis the country is currently experiencing. Students work through tasks to help them understand and analyse key features of the article such as persuasive and literary devices and vocabulary choices. This resource is also ideal for revision, homework, cover work or independent learning.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Attention English teachers!
Are you a teacher who uses these resources in the classroom? If so, we would love to hear your feedback, good or bad, to help us keep improving our resources. Please send us an e-mail with your thoughts.
Look out for more resources from MSF on the Times Educational Supplement website.