What to Include in Your Refugee Novel Study

I’m a big fan of any novel that takes big, complex topics and makes them accessible for students. Things like immigration and war, which are hotly discussed online, can be tough for middle schoolers to take in. And instead of forming opinions of their own – or better yet, attempting to understand others – they jump to take on the first opinion they hear on TikTok. That’s why I love this Refugee novel study. It presents these big topics through a gripping story that students can connect with.

About Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refuee follows three children across different timelines and backgrounds, all with one thing in common: they are attempting to flee their violent countries. Josef is a Jewish boy fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938. Isabel’s family is fleeing Cuba in 1994. And Mahmoud is leaving Syria behind in 2015. The story follows their equally nerve-racking and heart-breaking journeys to find a safer place to live.

This book is written specifically for ages eight and up, so while the topics are heavy, they are written in a way that a middle schooler can understand and absorb. There is violence mentioned throughout the book, including people being beaten, bullet wounds, and shark attacks. But the good far outweighs that. Students not only see the bravery and courage of the characters but also learn about real historical events and how they impacted real people’s lives. With that in mind, you can use this book with grades 6 and up!

Fiction or Historical Fiction?

So, which unit should you teach it in? If you follow my pacing guide (free for 6th, 7th, and 8th), you might notice that I include both a regular fiction and a historical fiction unit in some grade levels. And there’s a reason for that.

You absolutely can teach your Refugee novel study during a fiction unit. However, I like to separate them because having a dedicated historical fiction unit lets you go deeper into the context of the novel. For example, I have dedicated lessons in my historical unit on historical account notes (which build background knowledge) and eras and time periods (which dig into historical context students might be missing).

With Refugee specifically, the story explores multiple historical time periods. Having the background on exactly what is happening historically in each of those timelines builds character motivation and allows students to draw comparisons across characters. 

My vote is to go with the historical fiction unit!

A Look at My Refugee Novel Study

When putting together my Refugee novel study, I didn’t want this to be just another unit filled with empty discussions and time-filling worksheets. I really wanted students to think critically and analyze what we were reading. That’s why I built my unit around Socratic Seminar.

If you’re not familiar, Socratic Seminar is a student-led discussion where students analyze and discuss a text. It might feel impossible to implement, especially if your regular class discussions feel like a flop, but it makes a huge difference in students’ ability to engage with the text and think critically. It’s all about how you set it up and the expectations you put into place. You can watch my workshop, The Socratic Seminar Academy, for a step-by-step guide to implementing seminars.

Each lesson in the unit follows a similar, repeatable process. Students are presented with the guiding question, read as a class, complete a quick write, and then meet in Socratic Seminar where they discuss the interpretive question. (More on what this looks like in the next section.)

Here’s how I laid out my Refugee unit – 

• Pre-Lesson: Socratic Seminar Norms
• Lesson One: Point of View
• Lesson Two: Author’s Purpose
• Lesson Three: Plot
• Lesson Four: Plot
• Lesson Five: Text Evidence and Point of View
• Lesson Six: Theme
• Lesson Seven: Compare and Contrast
• Lesson Eight: Compare and Contrast- Audio
• Lesson Nine: Compare and Contrast- Texts
• Lesson Ten: Point of View and Plot
• Lesson Eleven: Plot and Author’s Purpose
• Lesson Twelve: Plot Development and Point of View
• Lesson Thirteen: Compare and Contrast
• Lesson Fourteen: Text Evidence
• Lesson Fifteen: Objective Summary
• Lesson Sixteen: Plot
• Lesson Seventeen: Text Evidence
• Lesson Eighteen: Plot
• Lesson Nineteen: Text Evidence
• Lesson Twenty: Tone and Mood
• Refugee Bonus Lesson: Author’s Note
• Bonus Lesson One: Point of View Influence
• Bonus Lesson Two: Comparing Texts
• Bonus Lesson Three: Objective Summaries

A Sample Lesson of Refugee

I’ve shared a bit about how I lay out my Refugee novel study, but it’s always helpful to see it in action. I want to give you a breakdown of lesson six, which is focused on theme.

The lesson starts with the guiding question: How do the differing viewpoints of the three characters help develop the theme of the book? Are there any details that help contribute to the theme? Then, as a class or in book clubs, students would read pages 81-98. 

After reading, students immediately move into a quick write. They’ll jot down their thoughts and responses to the guiding question, using textual evidence when they can. They shouldn’t stress too much about grammar or spelling, just getting their ideas down. 

Then, you transition into the Socratic Seminar. You’ll start by sharing the interpretive question: What is the difference between how Mahmoud views the journey to Germany (or freedom) and Waleed? Why do you think they have different responses? You’ll let students steer this conversation. They can use their quick write to support them if needed. They can disagree with what another student said (respectfully, of course) or add additional thoughts to the conversation.

If you want to move beyond worksheets and dead classroom conversations, grab my Refugee novel study. It includes daily lesson plans and teaching materials, like reference pages, guiding and interpretive questions, lesson slides, and more.