Refugee:Author's Craft,Themes & Evidence:Borders & Barriers Literal & Figurative

Refugee: Author's Craft, Themes & Evidence — Borders & Barriers
Literal & Figurative Barriers Evidence Wall | Grades 6–8

Some barriers can be seen. Others are invisible—but just as difficult to overcome.

In this engaging, no-prep lesson, students investigate the literal and figurative barriers faced by Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud in Refugee by Alan Gratz. Through collaborative research, close reading, and textual analysis, students examine how physical obstacles, discrimination, government policies, and social attitudes shape each character's journey.

Students apply their findings by creating a Literal & Figurative Barriers Evidence Wall, using textual evidence to compare obstacles, analyze their consequences, and explore how Gratz develops larger ideas about displacement, survival, and the search for safety.

What's Included
- Teacher Directions with lesson flow, differentiation, and assessment ideas
- Student Overview
- Mini Research Questions
- Five-Step Group Research Activity
- Three Student Worksheets for evidence collection, barrier analysis, and evidence-based conclusions
- Color and Black-and-White Versions of Student Worksheets

Students Will
- Distinguish between literal and figurative barriers
- Identify physical and invisible obstacles faced by all three protagonists
- Collect and organize specific textual evidence
- Analyze how barriers influence characters' decisions, safety, and opportunities
- Investigate moments when literal and figurative barriers combine
- Compare obstacles across three historical settings
- Evaluate which type of barrier is more difficult to overcome
- Develop and defend a claim using evidence from multiple storylines
- Explore how Gratz uses barriers to communicate larger messages about refugees
- Create and present a collaborative Literal & Figurative Barriers Evidence Wall

Why Teachers Love It
- No Prep Required: Ready-to-use directions and structured student activities
- Flexible Timing: Designed for 1–2 class periods of 45–60 minutes each
- Meaningful Literary Analysis: Moves students beyond identifying obstacles to examining their consequences and significance
- Collaborative Learning: Encourages discussion, research, and evidence-based reasoning
- Critical Thinking: Challenges students to evaluate how physical and invisible barriers interact
- Textual Evidence Focus: Strengthens students' ability to support claims with specific details from the novel
- Creative Application: Students organize and communicate their findings through an interactive evidence wall
- Built-In Differentiation: Supports a range of reading levels and learning needs
- Print-Friendly: Includes color and black-and-white student worksheets

Perfect For:
- Refugee by Alan Gratz novel studies
- Author's craft and theme analysis
- Literary conflict and character development lessons
- Close reading and textual evidence practice
- Compare-and-contrast activities
- Collaborative literary investigations
- Small-group research and presentations
- Discussions about immigration, displacement, prejudice, and human rights

Help students discover that crossing a physical border does not always mean overcoming the barriers to safety, freedom, and belonging!
Through this investigation, students develop a deeper understanding of how Gratz uses both visible and invisible obstacles to connect three refugee journeys across different historical periods. Students learn to recognize how physical borders, political decisions, and human attitudes can shape the experiences of people seeking refuge.

This resource is an independent educational supplement and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alan Gratz or the novel's publisher. A copy of the novel is required.