BY ALAN GRATZ
NOVEL UNIT PLAN
Embark on an unforgettable journey with your students into the world of Refugee by Alan Gratz, exploring the courageous tales of three young refugees across different eras and regions.
You want ready-to-use materials that require no prep but still engage your students in rigorous, standards-based content, and highly engaging creative activities.
You are a middle or high school English language arts teacher who will be teaching this novel.
who this unit plan is for.
If this sounds like you, then you are in the right place.
BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE DETAILS, LET'S TALK ABOUT
SO, WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE UNIT PLAN?
1. INTRODUctory presentation
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The slideshow will hook students into reading the novel immediately, spark discussion, and provide students with useful information and practical context to prepare them to read.
It includes group discussion questions, an agree or disagree class activity, a book cover analysis activity, author biographical information, a quick-check quiz, relevant background information on the novel, information on the historical fiction genre, and historical context information for each of the three narratives.
2. historical context
This slideshow will help provide students with the important historical context needed for Refugee. The novel includes three different plot lines set in Germany during the Holocaust, in Cuba during the Cuban Raft Exodus, and in Syria during the Syrian Civil War. The notes provide students with the specific reference made in the novel and an easy-to-understand explanation of the history behind it.
The 54 slides are organized by chapter sets, and each slide includes the direct quote from the novel where the reference was made, a detailed explanation of the history behind the reference, and an image that relates to the reference.
3. Chapter Summaries
These 52 summary cards (one for each chapter of the novel) outline the most important elements of the plot. Simply print and cut, and you have a resource available that can be used by any student in the class.
• Use it as a teacher and student reference to locate events more quickly.
• Find quotations for an essay more easily.
• Help your struggling readers by letting them read the summary before reading.
• Use it for students to check their understanding of the novel.
4. READING QUIZZES
Included in this resource are six reading quizzes for the novel. These work well for a quick comprehension check after each chapter set. Each quiz includes six multiple-choice questions and two important quotes which show plot or character development. Students explain what was occurring at this particular part of the plot and what characters were involved.
This resource also includes a detailed answer key, which makes for quick and easy grading or class review.
5. VIDEO JOURNALs
For each chapter set, students watch a short video clip that connects to a theme or an important topic of the novel. This allows students to make connections and consider how the content or themes from the novel connect to the world today.
After watching the short video clip, students will be given a writing prompt that bridges the gap between the video and their lives or the world around them. They will respond to that prompt in writing on the included response sheet.
6. VOCABULARY
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This resource was designed to give students the tools and practice they need to determine the meaning of new vocabulary words in context. They will examine quotes from the novel that include challenging words, use strategies to decode what they think the definition is, and check to see if their definition is correct. There is a ready-to-use student vocabulary booklet, a slideshow to teach students how to determine the meaning of words in context, and a slideshow to review the actual definitions with the class.
7. READING QUESTIONS
Help your students examine the text more closely with these reading questions. The questions were specifically designed for comprehension and analysis and are divided into sections (comprehension, digging deeper, and literary terms). Included is a student handout with all the chapter questions, student response pages, and presentation slides that include all the answers to the questions for easy review with the whole class. The answer keys are detailed with text evidence and quotes for support to show students a strong response.
8. figurative language
Gratz skillfully uses figures of speech within the novel like metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and personification, and these assignments allow students to examine quotes from the text to determine what literary device is being used.
The resource includes seven ready-to-use assignment sheets organized by chapter sets with direct quotes from the novel where students must determine what type of figurative language is being used.
9. ACTIVITIES & Assignments
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15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
Use the arrow below to get a closer look at each of the activities!
9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
Introduce students to the novel by helping them understand more about refugees more generally with this ready-to-use web quest. Students will explore articles and videos related to refugees to learn more about important terms, what makes someone a refugee, what a refugee's experience is like leaving their home, and how they can help. This ready-to-use resource is thoughtfully crafted to facilitate a more profound understanding of the refugee experience, nurturing empathy and insightful perspectives among students.
Pre-Reading Refugee Web Quest
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
Help provide more context for students about what was happening in Germany, Syria, and Cuba before each of the characters' plot lines begin in the novel with this timeline assignment. Students will read nonfiction articles about the important historical moments leading up to Kristallnacht in Josef's narrative, the Malenconazo protest in Cuba in Isabel's narrative, and the Aleppo bombings in Mahmoud's narrative. Then, they will show their understanding by summarizing the article into the four major events that led to these moments in history.
Chapters 1-6 History Timeline
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 7-12 of Refugee by Alan Gratz, students will participate
in the 'Isabel's Interview' assignment. They imagine Isabel's response during a beachside reporter's interview as her family departs Cuba on a makeshift boat. This exercise showcases their understanding of her character and the historical context. Students also explore provided articles about the Cuban boat exodus and create
a front-page news story, using quotes from Isabel and an adult family member
to highlight child and adult perspectives during this pivotal historical moment.
Chapters 7-12: Isabel's Interview
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 19-27 of Refugee by Alan Gratz, students will engage in the 'Refugee Blackout Poetry' activity. Using pages from Refugee as their source text, students will create blackout poems by intentionally blacking out selected words with a marker. They will craft unique poems following the provided steps, which include a slideshow and student handout, along with an example poem from the novel.
Chapters 19-27: Blackout Poetry
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 28-36 of Refugee by Alan Gratz, students will join the 'Writing to a Refugee' assignment. This activity fosters real-world connections as students write a letter to a newcomer refugee in their community. Inspired by the book's portrayal of kindness's powerful impact, students will see their potential to positively affect newcomers to their country or community, with provided instructions, a pre-writing graphic organizer, and a letter template for guidance.
Chapters 28-36: Welcoming a Refugee
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 37-45 of Refugee by Alan Gratz, students will participate
in the 'Refugee Human Rights' activity. This exercise introduces students to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and encourages its application to the
novel. Students will explore the 30 universal human rights, analyze violations
within Refugee, and write paragraphs for each protagonist, describing
the violations they experienced in the novel with text evidence.
Chapters 37-45: Human Rights
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 37-45 of Refugee by Alan Gratz, students will engage in 'The Perils of Indifference' activity, drawing inspiration from Elie Wiesel's speech. Students will analyze quotes from the speech using task cards and apply their insights to
the novel. They will describe a plot event in these chapters illustrating the consequences of indifference and select one task card to respond to in-depth.
Chapters 37-45: The Perils of Indifference
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 46-53 of Refugee by Alan Gratz, students will engage in the 'Refugee by Brian Bilson Poetry Connection' activity. This poetry response exercise encourages students to demonstrate their understanding of the link between Brian Bilston's poem 'Refugees' and Gratz's novel.
Chapters 46-53: Refugees Poem by Brian Bilson
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After reading chapters 46 - 53, students will delve into the symbolic elements of Refugee by Alan Gratz, including Isabel's Trumpet, Ruthie's Bunny, Mahmoud's father's cell phone, and others, in this assignment. They'll explain the meanings behind the many symbols used in the novel.
Chapters 46-53: Symbolism Activity
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
After completing the novel, students will play a plot card sorting game to unveil a powerful quote relevant to the three narratives in the story.
Post-Reading: Plot Game
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
For the final novel project, students will express their comprehension, interpretation, and analysis of Refugee by creating three one-pagers, each dedicated to one of the plot lines in the book. This project includes comprehensive instructions, pre-writing graphic organizers, and character-specific one-pager templates.
Post-Reading: One Pager
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9. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS
Who doesn't like a good deal, right? I've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. There are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more!
15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for Refugee to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.
Conclude your Refugee unit with a final essay. Students can choose from
a selection of ready-to-use essay topics that align with the thematic graphic organizer they've worked on throughout the unit.
Post-Reading: Thematic Connections & Essay
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Prefer to purchase individual resources from the unit instead of the bundles? Click here to browse.
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