Refugee: Three Stories, One NovelThree Journeys of Survival | Parallel Journey

Refugee: Three Stories, One NovelThree Journeys of Survival | Parallel Journey Board

Take students beyond the moment the characters leave home and help them investigate what it actually takes to reach safety in this engaging, no-prep lesson for Refugee by Alan Gratz.

In Three Journeys of Survival, students trace the journeys of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud after their families flee. They examine where each family travels, how they move, the dangers and obstacles they encounter, and the choices they make to survive. By placing all three journeys side by side, students discover how geography, transportation, and historical circumstances create very different experiences—even when every family shares the same goal: reaching safety.
Designed for Grades 5–8 and 1–2 class periods of 45–60 minutes, this lesson combines literary analysis, research, historical context, comparison, and collaborative learning.

Students Will
- Trace each family's journey toward safety
- Identify major stops, obstacles, and turning points
- Analyze how each family responds to danger
- Examine the physical and emotional toll of the journeys
- Explore difficult choices and sources of strength
- Determine and defend the most dangerous moment in a journey
- Compare how geography, transportation, and history shape each experience
- Connect dangers in the novel to challenges refugees may face today
- Synthesize their findings into a collaborative Parallel Journey Board

What’s Included
- Teacher Directions & Lesson Flow
- Student Overview + Mini Research Questions
- Parallel Journey Board Group Activity
- 3 Student Research & Analysis Pages
- Color + Black-and-White Versions
- Resources, Differentiation & Assessment Ideas

What Teachers Love About This Lesson
- No prep and ready to use
- Moves beyond plot recall into deeper analysis
- Helps students visualize three complex journeys
- Naturally integrates ELA, history, and geography
- Builds evidence-based reasoning and comparison skills
- Explores both the physical and emotional dimensions of survival
- Encourages meaningful collaboration and discussion
- Connects the novel to real-world refugee experiences
- Works with individuals, pairs, or small groups

Perfect For
Refugee Novel Studies • Middle School ELA • Historical Fiction • Literary Analysis • ELA + Social Studies • Geography • Compare & Contrast • Research • Group Work • Sub Plans • Grades 5–8

Important Novel & Copyright Disclaimer
This resource is an independently created educational product designed to accompany the novel Refugee by Alan Gratz. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or sponsored by Alan Gratz, the publisher of Refugee, or any related copyright or rights holder.
The novel Refugee is NOT included with this resource. No portion of the novel's text is reproduced, provided, or distributed as part of this product. This resource is designed to supplement classroom reading and instruction and is not a substitute for the novel.
Teachers and students should have access to legally obtained copies of Refugee when completing activities that require reading, rereading, quoting, or referring to the text. Purchase of this resource does not provide a copy of the novel or permission to copy, scan, reproduce, upload, distribute, or otherwise share the book.
Refugee, its characters, storylines, settings, and other original elements remain the intellectual property of their respective copyright holders. References to the novel are included solely to support classroom instruction, literary analysis, historical research, discussion, comparison, and educational activities.