A Long Walk to Water: Building Background Knowledge | Refugees & Resettlement

A Long Walk to Water: Building Background Knowledge | Refugees, Resettlement & Starting Over

Help students understand what happens after a refugee reaches safety with this no-prep background knowledge lesson designed to support a study of A Long Walk to Water.

In Refugees, Resettlement & Starting Over, students investigate the refugee resettlement process and discover why leaving a refugee camp is not necessarily the end of the journey. They explore the challenges of adjusting to a new language, culture, school or workplace, community, and unfamiliar systems, while also considering the types of support that can help refugees successfully rebuild their lives.

Students then apply their research as resettlement caseworkers, creating a Resettlement Challenge that combines evidence, real-world examples, and thoughtful analysis of what starting over can actually require.

Students Will
- Explore the refugee resettlement process
- Examine what happens between leaving a refugee camp and beginning life in a new country
- Investigate challenges related to language and cultural adjustment
- Consider challenges connected to school, work, and everyday life
- Analyze how one resettlement challenge can create additional challenges
- Connect specific challenges with practical forms of support
- Distinguish between reaching safety and successfully rebuilding a life
- Investigate a real organization that supports refugee resettlement
- Use evidence to create and present a Resettlement Challenge

Included
- Teacher Directions
- Background Overview
- Mini Research Questions
- Group Activity: Resettlement Challenge
- The Resettlement Journey student investigation
- One New Life — Many Challenges analysis page
- The Ripple Effect cause-and-effect activity
- Build Your Resettlement Challenge planning page
- Color student pages
- Printer-friendly black-and-white student pages

Perfect For
Grades 6–8 • A Long Walk to Water Novel Study • Building Background Knowledge • Refugees • Refugee Camps • Resettlement • Starting Over • Human Geography • ELA & Humanities • Social Studies • Research • Sub Plans
Designed for approximately 1–2 class periods of 45–60 minutes each.

Book Disclaimer
This resource does not include the novel A Long Walk to Water or reproduce text, illustrations, or cover artwork from the book. It is an independently created educational resource designed to build background knowledge related to the novel’s historical, geographic, and social context.
This resource is not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by, or endorsed by Linda Sue Park, the publisher, or the copyright holder of A Long Walk to Water.