Rock Your World

In chapters 13-15, readers see Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud moving forward in their journeys. Along the way, each character experiences something that reaffirms life continues even when far away from home. For example, Josef celebrates his Bar Mitzvah (in spite of his father's absence and Hitler's image having to be removed). Isabel gets to know the others on the boat more and they participate in a sing-a-long. Mahmoud notices a wedding procession amid the influx of refugees in Turkey. I think it would be a good time to discuss why the author made the decisions to write about these moments. One might explore the significance of a Bar Mitzvah if students live in an area where Judaism isn't practiced regularly. I think these chapters are create an excellent opportunity for students to explore their own traditions--whether these pertain to coming of age or not. What special traditions do students share with their families? In order to be sensitive to students who may have living situations that are not ideal, you might ask students to write or journal about what traditions they want to start with their friends and/or future families. By the end of Chapter 18, the rollercoaster up and downs have come into focus for Isabel, Josef and Mahmoud again. Now would be a good time to discuss character traits. What do the three have in common when it comes to coping? How are they different? Extend that question to their family members. Consider the difference in coping skills between Mahmoud's brother and his father. Ask students to journal or discuss how they cope with stressful, sad, or scary situations. Some vocabulary that may need review before the reading include words such as: deserters, infidels, hijab, Shabbos. Perhaps instruct teams/groups to create a vocabulary poster as they read.

I just had a moment while rereading these six chapters -- something I realize that I cannot believe I did not pick up on before -- which is the interconnectedness of place in these stories. Mahmoud is traveling from Syria to Germany; Joseph is traveling to Cuba from Germany, and Isabel is traveling from Cuba to the USA. This makes me think again about the idea of having a classroom map of the journeys that these three characters are undertaking as the book is being read. Additional themes that came up in these chapters are uncertainly, sacrifice, and urgency. I also noticed again how Gratz establishes motifs and uses them to connect the three stories, like the broken glass I mentioned in an earlier post. Here, music appears in the stories in meaningful ways. The last two years, I have had students create one pagers about their books in interesting ways. This has me thinking about a variation on this to use with Refugee. I can imagine giving students an organizer with a box for each chapter in the book. Within each box would be space for them to sketch an image or a symbol that is significant for the chapter and write an important / significant quote from the chapter. These could then be a tool for talk with peers in discussion groups.

After rereading this section of the book, there are two major thoughts I have. The first is about what motivates people as seen through the characters in the novel. Specifically, thinking about the actions of Captain Schroder, Isabel, and and Samih Nasseer in these chapters. It would be interesting to direct kids back to the text to see what incited (or did not) each of these characters to behave the way they do. Each of them acts as an up stander or protector of sorts though they are motivated to do so for different reasons. I think this can be part of a larger, meaningful conversation about why and how people can be upstanders as well as what prevents people from being upstanders. The other thing that came up for me is the various obstacles faced by the characters coming up as the different forms of conflict in literature. This really stood out for me in this section - though it might be worth having students consider this from the start of the novel. Each of these characters experiences conflicts with other characters, with themselves, with nature, and with society.

I love that you're considering character motivations in this segment too, Tricia! I think this section would be an excellent place to introduce Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as an anchor for a discussion or writing assignment about character motivations. I'm curious about how Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud are able to become 'upstanders' when they are also, for so much of their stories, in survival mode. Here's a link about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html I've also attached a great graphic to be used with students.

These chapters were so upsetting on a variety of levels. We witness our protagonists experience cruelty, violence and loss. I think one way to process the storyline for these chapters would be to think about symbols. Namely, the symbol of water: rain, ocean, storm. How does the author use the external environment to reflect the internal landscapes of the characters? I would also open a discussion about how Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud are still serving as 'upstanders'/helpers to their families, and the greater good. In order to create an opportunity for connection, I suggest having students journal about a time when they helped a friend of family member. What were the circumstances? How did it make them feel to offer help? Did they have to sacrifice anything for themselves in the process of helping?

I love the idea of focusing on symbols in these chapters, Jess. The water images are so vivid throughout this whole section and I could see this as a powerful lens for students to use. Another thing that I thought much about in these chapters is how trauma can result in shifting family dynamics. Joseph, Isabel, and Mahmoud all have been thrust into roles with far greater -- life and death -- responsibilities. Jess's journaling prompt is a perfect to have students connect this to their own lives.

I think what I most appreciate about the conclusion of this book is that while Gratz conveyed a vibrant sense of hope and connection, he also didn't sugarcoat what happened to Josef, nor did he tie a bow with Mahmoud's little sister. Having taught high school in a border state for many years, the issues of migrants and refugees seemed to be ever present in the news, but rarely discussed in school beyond a historical deep dive here and there. That's what made the creation of Project Home on Rock Your World so exciting. Receiving funding for the explorations of issues and actions regarding refugees from the Newman's Own Foundation was a beautiful validation of the vision we had to model how to dig deep into the causes, journeys, challenges and triumphs that are integral to the stories of so many, if not most human beings who leave their home countries. As a teacher, I appreciate the flexibility of the 6 segments. Students can dive in, teachers can utilize the modeled explorations as a script or they can simply use it as a springboard. Coupling the reading of refugee with Project Home, or even keeping them as separate explorations is possible. I love the idea of using the book as inspiration to learn more. And, as is our tradition at Rock Your World, we believe in empowering youth with the ability to take meaningful action. Exploration 6 culls tons of resources and a narrative about how one might move forward. I'm grateful that we are able to add such an effective method of study to this evergreen topic. Be sure to explore Project Home which is very much in the style of our discussion here: https://www.rock-your-world.org/project-home --please share your educator and student discoveries with us as you explore and be sure to encourage your students to share their creative activism efforts with other kids and the world at www.rock-your-rights.org.