Refugee Novel Study | Syria Before the Civil War Culture & Daily Life Background

Refugee Novel Study | Syria Before the Civil War Culture & Daily Life Background Knowledge

Help students better understand Mahmoud’s story in Refugee by Alan Gratz by discovering Syria as it was before the Civil War—a country filled with ancient cities, rich traditions, diverse communities, and ordinary family life.

This no-prep Refugee novel study background knowledge activity moves beyond images of conflict and displacement to help students understand Syria as a real place people called home. Students investigate historic Syrian cities, everyday family and community life, cultural traditions, and the religious and ethnic diversity that has shaped Syrian society.

Rather than simply collecting facts, students analyze what makes a place feel like home, consider how different communities contribute to a shared culture, and connect what they discover to what Mahmoud and his family leave behind.

Students Will:
- Build background knowledge about Syria before the Civil War
- Explore historic cities such as Damascus and Aleppo
- Investigate everyday family and community life
- Research school, markets, food, traditions, and celebrations
- Explore Syria’s cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity
- Compare aspects of Syrian daily life with their own experiences
- Analyze what makes a place feel like home
- Connect historical and cultural context to Mahmoud’s story
- Use reliable sources to gather specific evidence
- Collaborate to create a Refugee Context Gallery Exhibit

What’s Included:
- Teacher Directions & lesson overview
- Mini research questions & reliable resources
- Group Gallery Walk activity
- 3 student research, analysis & planning pages
- Connection to Mahmoud activities
- Gallery Exhibit planner & checklist
- Color and black-and-white student pages

Group Activity: Refugee Context Gallery Exhibit
Students work collaboratively to research Syrian culture and daily life before the Civil War. Groups choose to focus more closely on either a specific historic Syrian city or everyday family and community life. They then create a Gallery Walk display presenting Syria’s history and culture and include a specific example of its religious or ethnic diversity and how different communities lived alongside one another.

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
- Syria background studies
- Refugee & migration units
- Sub plans

Why Teachers Love It:
- No prep and ready to use
- Provides meaningful context for Mahmoud’s storyline
- Helps students see Syria as more than a setting for war
- Centers people, communities, culture, and everyday life
- Encourages students to move beyond stereotypes and generalizations
- Develops research, analysis, and historical-thinking skills
- Makes meaningful connections between home, belonging, culture, and displacement
- Encourages students to use specific evidence rather than simply collect facts
- Builds research, collaboration, critical-thinking, and presentation skills

This resource helps students understand Syria as a country with a deep history, diverse communities, rich traditions, and everyday family life—giving them a fuller understanding of what “home” means to Mahmoud and what his family has lost by leaving.