Refugee Novel Study | Syria 2015 Civil War & Displacement Background Knowledge

Refugee Novel Study | Syria 2015 Civil War & Displacement Background Knowledge

Help students better understand Mahmoud’s story in Refugee by Alan Gratz by investigating the real historical conflict that forces his family to flee Syria.
This no-prep Refugee novel study background knowledge activity introduces students to the Syrian Civil War and displacement crisis. Students investigate how protests beginning in 2011 developed into a larger civil war, how the conflict affected cities and everyday life, and why millions of Syrians were forced to leave their homes by the time of Mahmoud’s story in 2015.

Rather than simply collecting facts, students trace cause and effect, examine the human impact of war, distinguish between internal displacement and becoming a refugee, and consider the difficult circumstances that can lead a family to leave home.

Students Will:
- Build background knowledge about the Syrian Civil War
- Trace how protests developed into a larger conflict
- Examine the different groups involved in the war
- Analyze causes and effects of the conflict
- Investigate how war affected homes, schools, hospitals, and basic services
- Explore the impact of war on ordinary Syrian families and communities
- Understand displacement within Syria and movement to other countries
- Analyze the difficult decision families faced when considering whether to leave
- Research the scale of Syrian displacement
- Connect historical circumstances to Mahmoud’s story
- Use reliable and respectful sources
- Collaborate to create a Refugee Context Gallery Exhibit

What’s Included:
- Teacher Directions
- Student-friendly historical overview
- Mini research questions
- Group Activity directions
- Understanding How a Crisis Grows student page
- When War Reaches Everyday Life student page
- When Does Leaving Become Necessary? analysis
- Research resources
- Color and black-and-white student pages

Group Activity: Refugee Context Gallery Exhibit
Students work collaboratively to research the Syrian Civil War and its effect on displacement. Groups choose to focus more closely on either the causes and escalation of the war or its effects on Syrian families and communities. They use their research to create a Gallery Walk display explaining the conflict and its documented effects. Each group must also include a reliably sourced statistic illustrating the scale of displacement.

Perfect For:
- Refugee by Alan Gratz novel studies
- Pre-reading activities
- Building background knowledge
- Grades 6–8
- Middle school ELA
- Social Studies & Humanities
- Historical fiction units
- Syrian Civil War background
- Refugee and displacement studies
- Cross-curricular ELA & Social Studies
- Sub plans

Why Teachers Love It:
- No prep and ready to use
- Provides essential context for Mahmoud’s storyline
- Moves beyond basic research into analysis, cause and effect, and historical thinking
- Helps students understand the difference between war as a political event and its impact on ordinary people
- Encourages students to interpret statistics instead of simply recording numbers
- Approaches a difficult topic in an age-appropriate, respectful way
- Makes meaningful connections between historical context and literature
- Develops research, collaboration, critical-thinking, and presentation skills
- Includes structured organizers with plenty of space for student thinking

This resource focuses specifically on the Syrian Civil War and displacement crisis through 2015, giving students the historical background they need to understand what Mahmoud’s family is fleeing and why so many Syrian families faced similar decisions.