‘The Day War Came’ by Nicola Davies
Middle Years Primary – Primary 3/5
Curriculum Overview
This package provides all the material needed to deliver a learning programme on the plight of refugees
- Introduction
- Learning Aims
- Video Presentation: Reading of The Day War Came
- Lesson plans incorporating aims, themes, skills and resources - see "Lesson Plans" below
- Extension work with themes, skills and Experiences and Outcomes identified
- Experiences and Outcomes for Early Years at level 0 and 1 for all activities
- Activity sheets for all learning activities and extension work 1 -8
- User friendly summative lesson outline for each learning activity and extension work
1. Introduction
This programme of work is based on the story The Day War Came by Nicola Davies. The book follows the journey and experiences of a girl who seeks safety and belonging when war destroys her home and her world. The book is endorsed by Amnesty International and is published by The Bucket List, Edinburgh
Themes: The Day War Came explores the following themes, amongst others: being safe, family, loss, journeys, despair, prejudice, being alone, rejection, belonging, refugee crisis, inclusion
Skills: It develops the following skills, among others: working together, empathy, gratitude, kindness, respect, equality, sharing, working together, thinking in role, imaginative responses, drama skills
Timing:
· The video presentation takes 5 - 6 minutes. It includes the story being read aloud by the author while looking at the pictures of the story.
· The following learning activities are divided into sections, each of which takes approximately between 15 and 30 minutes. These are designed to be followed chronologically as a response to each stage of the story, building up a narrative to an understanding of the story and its themes.
· Each of the 6 activities covers one or more of the themes, one or more of the skills and Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes. Each of the extension activities is designated a subject focus and is designed to deepen learning in skills and themes.
You can download the following pdf files
Learning Aims & Objectives
The following aims and objectives apply to the complete primary and secondary education programme
- To raise awareness of the refugee crisis by:
- Exploring how global events can impact on the lives of individuals
- Examining the journeys faced by refugees in pursuit of safety
- Reviewing the myths surrounding the refugee crisis
- To develop empathy towards the plight of refugees by:
- Giving children the opportunity to take on the roles of young refugees
- Exploring feelings and sensory responses to imagined situations
- Examine ways in which the worlds of the refugees and the children are both similar and different
- To promote the successful integration of refugees in the community by:
- Providing activities which heighten awareness of social responsibility
- Promote acceptance and celebration of diversity of culture in our community
- Considering the lives of refugees in their new communities
In addition, all the Experiences and Outcomes of the learning experiences are identified for each activity.
The CfE four capacities, identified below, are also embedded in the learning:
- Successful Learners
- Effective Contributors
- Confident Individuals
- Responsible Citizens

Over half of the world’s refugees are children. Many will spend their entire childhoods away from home, sometimes separated from their families.
UNHCR, 2020
3. Video Presentation
Play the presentation to the children.
Initial response of pupils generated from questions. Example of questions:
- what would you say that story was about?
- how did it make you feel when you were listening to the story and looking at the pictures?
If you were telling a friend or someone at home about the story, what would you say happened in the story?