Refugee by Alan Gratz Pre-Reading Historical Context Articles & Assignments
Refugee by Alan Gratz Pre-Reading Historical Context Articles & Assignments: Ground students in the real-world events that shaped the lives of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud with this pre-reading activity for Refugee by Alan Gratz. Before diving into the novel, students will explore the historical context behind each character’s story by reading accessible nonfiction articles. Students will then use timeline-style graphic organizers to summarize the four most significant events that led to each crisis, setting the stage for a deeper understanding and stronger text-to-world connections throughout the novel.
This is included in our popular unit plan:
>>> Refugee by Alan Gratz Unit Plan
Included in the Refugee Historical Context Pre-Reading Timeline:
➡️ Germany After WWI Article & Josef’s Context Timeline: Explain the buildup to Kristallnacht and Josef’s opening chapter, then guide students in recording four key historical events using a timeline graphic organizer that builds foundational context for his journey.
➡️ Post-Revolution Cuba Article & Isabel’s Context Timeline: Trace the events that led to the Malecónazo protest featured in Isabel’s story, and use the accompanying timeline graphic organizer to help students map out the key developments that set her story in motion.
➡️ Syrian Civil War Article & Mahmoud’s Context Timeline: Unpack the historical lead-up to the Aleppo bombings that frame Mahmoud’s journey, and have students use the timeline graphic organizer to summarize the most critical events that shaped his experience.
➡️ Character-Specific Timeline Teacher Answer Keys: Support instruction with sample timelines that offer quick-reference answers for review, discussion, or assessment.
How the Refugee Historical Context Pre-Reading Timeline:
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Students will begin by reading three student-friendly historical context nonfiction articles, each aligned with one of the novel’s characters.
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Next, students will complete timeline-style graphic organizers that require them to identify and summarize the major historical events that led to the opening moments of each character’s narrative.
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Finally, students will refer back to these timelines as they read the novel, helping them connect real-world history to the fictionalized events in Refugee.
This activity is best used before students begin reading the novel to build important context for the three historically-based narratives featured in the book.
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