In Her Words, a Refugee Story Told in Verse

Brave and bold, The Good Braider by Terry Farish is told through the voice of Viola, a young immigrant teen who escapes with her mother from war-torn South Sudan to a refugee camp in Cairo and then to a new home in Portland, Maine. Viola is haunted by the life she left behind – the people she has loved, the violence she has endured, and the natural beauty she remembers – as much as she is fearful and uncertain in her new life as an American living in Portland. The story is written in free verse, and the vibrant story-telling entices any young reader or adult.

Both Viola and her mother, Tereza, struggle. They are learning the ropes in their new lives, working in a chicken packing factory, building a community of Sudanese within Portland, keeping up with the news and family left behind in South Sudan.  Other more mundane tasks pose challenges as well, including learning how to drive in the U.S., to check out books from the public library, and to speak English. Acculturation comes easier— though it is by no means easy— for Viola who also attends high school, slowly making friends with a teacher, a social worker, and other students. As Viola poignantly observes, “no one from America is from America.” When romance sparks between Viola and a red-haired classmate named Andrew, a cultural collide erupts, straining reaches a literal boiling point Viola’s relationship with her mother. 

Well researched, this novel is an excellent accompaniment to learning about the conflict in South Sudan, the world’s newest country, which is one of the poorest in sub-Saharan Africa and also one of the most oil-rich. The civil war left tens of thousands of South Sudanese dead, and over 2 million were forced to flee their homes. The Good Braider does not shy away from some violent scenes, so we recommend using discretion and reading at the middle school level and above. 

The novel is also a way for educators to explore the long process of becoming a refugee to the U.S. Each year the President, in consultation with Congress, determines the numerical ceiling for refugee admissions. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, the proposed ceiling is 85,000. In FY 2015, a third of refugee arrivals to the U.S. came from Africa.

Additional Resources

•  A Land of Refuge or Refusal? Perspectives on the Refugee Experience in the United States – In this American Immigration Council lesson plan, students analyze key ideas in an academic article that provides background on the refugee experience in the United States. After analyzing author’s claims and evidence, students apply one of those claims to the current refugee crisis in order to answer the question: how is America a land of refuge, refusal, or both?

• The Good Braider, an Educator’s Guide developed by Portland High School ESL teacher Thomas Talarico featuring vocabulary skill building and text-based comprehension questions.

• The Good Braider Discussion Guide offers probing questions for community reads, book clubs, and classes.

• The “I’m Your Neighbor” Guide to The Good Braider provides questions and resources that connect readers to their communities.  Additional resources can be found on the author’s website, terryfarish.com

Want to get more involved with our educational work by applying for our community grants, writing immigrant-themed book reviews, contributing to our blog posts or offering lessons learned in the classroom? Let us know about it! Email us at teacher@immcouncil.org and follow us on Twitter @ThnkImmigration #teachimmigration

5 Engaging Ways to Teach about the Refugee Experience

In 2015, displaced people around the world faced incredible challenges. The well-being of refugees and the policy decisions affecting them are still at the forefront of many people’s minds. Throughout history, the U.S. has responded at times with generosity and at other times by shutting out those seeking refuge. 

We highlight these historical perspectives in our lesson plan, “A Land of Refuge or Refusal? Perspectives on the Refugee Experience in the United States” which we’ve recently updated to include the ways refugees have contributed to the U.S. Some—like Albert Einstein and Elie Weisel, who were Jewish refugees—have become well-known. Yet there are countless others whose stories may not be as familiar. Meet some of these notable figures now featured in our lesson plan and help students learn about their significant contributions through advancements in the fields of public service, science and technology, entrepreneurship, literature, and the arts. Undoubtedly, these stories will inspire youth to achievement. 

As the global refuge crisis continues to make headlines, we’re highlighting some of our favorite resources and methods to teach about this important topic in addition to or to extend our lesson plan:

•  Use Photo Journalism to Captivate Attention: These photo essays, Fleeing by the Millions: Migration Crises Around the World (Atlantic) and a Year in Twitter: Refugees Welcome, expand upon the tensions of refuge and refusal to a global perspective. Please exercise discretion as some of the images are graphic.

• Incorporate Global Perspectives to Broaden Understanding: The Global Refugee Crisis, Region by Region (New York Times) uses maps, photos, and short narratives to highlight some of the major geographic pressure points and the reasons people are migrating.

• Engage with Interactive Maps: Use National Geographic’s MapMaker to explore how and why people are forcibly displaced. The interactive layers on Mapping Displaced Persons Around the World can be used to teach about push immigration factors and introduce key terms. The Teaching Channel has a terrific lesson on Sudanese refugee migration “Exploring Emigration: Cultural Identity” that demonstrates how students use MapMaker in class.

• Target an Area of Study: Students will learn well from a close-study of any one of the global migration crises. With teacher guidance, students can break into groups to investigate and educate their classmates. To extend on the Syrian refugee crisis which has dominated headlines and is included in our lesson plan, consider using the Pulitzer Center’s Flight From Syria: Refugee Stories.

• Listen to Youth Voice: Harness the power of youth voice to educate peers and adults.This short video “Teens Talk About the Hardest Part of Being a Refugee” (Mashable, 3:17) is comprised of students in Atlanta, GA talking about what they imagine life would be like in the U.S. before they arrived and what their lives are like now. Additionally, to lighten what can be a challenging topic in the classroom and to learn how a community can make a huge difference in welcoming refugees, listen and learn from the inspiring Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus, a nationally recognized immigrant youth choir based in Portland, ME.

We hope you find plenty of ways to incorporate these resources into your classroom.  If you find this information helpful, please tell a friend about our work, and give them this link http://bit.ly/1KdE5Zz to sign up to receive updates and free resources.

We offer free lesson plans, resources, book/film reviews, and grants to teach immigration. We also welcome teacher and student book reviews and contributions to our blog. Email us at teacher@immcouncil.org and follow us on twitter @ThnkImmigration #teachimmigration

A Land of Refuge or Refusal? A New Resource to Teach About the Refugee Experience in the U.S.

In response to domestic and overseas tragedies, some politicians have proposed shutting our doors to refugees, particularly those from Syria and Iraq. This “knee-jerk” reaction obscured logical thinking based on evidence, history, and analysis. More recently, a growing number of national leaders from a variety of fields—ranging from the military to faith—have spoken out in favor of welcoming of refugees from Syria, Iraq and other nations, often relying on historical examples to make their case.

This tension between refusal and refuge is not unknown in the history of U.S. immigration. In fact, this historical analysis is the basis of our latest classroom-ready resource, “A Land of Refuge or Refusal? Perspectives on the Refugee Experience in the United States.” The source text for this high school lesson plan is an article written by David W Haines, Ph.D. professor of anthropology at George Mason University. What this study of America’s past and present friction offers is a real learning opportunity for students to understand the construction of logical arguments, closely read and analyze the development of an author’s argument in a non-fiction text, and make connections to our present moment. It is the kind of critical and creative thinking about immigration so often missing from a national debate that we hope to inspire in your classroom and offer you a tool to do so. An extension for this lesson can also be made from this photo essay, Year in Twitter: Refugees Welcome, which expands upon the tension of refuge and refusal to a global perspective. Please exercise discretion as some of the images are graphic.

Please click here to view the lesson plan.

Please click here to view additional educational resources related to this topic.

German Steamer MS St. Louis in 1939 (Photo Courtesy: U.S. Department of State)

Syrian Refugees aboard a plastic dinghy (Photo Courtesy: Ben White/ CAFOD, October 2015)

A Land of Refuge or Refusal? Lesson Plan Overview

In this immigration lesson plan, students analyze key ideas in an academic article that provides background on the refugee experience in the United States, including examples of welcoming and exclusionary responses, as well as the impacts of these disparate reactions. After analyzing the author’s claims and evidence, students then apply one of those claims to the current refugee crisis in order to answer the question: how is America a land of refuge, refusal, or both?

This lesson encourages critical thinking from students in a very public discussion, both in the United States and abroad, about the worldwide refugee crisis. In recent years, the United States has welcomed 70,000 refugees per year. The President has indicated he intends to admit 85,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2016, including 10,000 from Syria.  This increase has been criticized by some who believe the United States should do much more to protect those fleeing dire situations and by some who fear that welcoming Syrian refugees may compromise our national security. In considering the appropriate U.S. response to the refugee crisis, it is important to remember the central role of refugees in the American experience.

Adaptations are made for English Language Learners and readers at multiple levels.

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How Can Teachers Address the Plight of Refugees in the Classroom?

Photo Credit: Freedom House

In the aftermath of the tragedies in France, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Mali, many people are feeling a mix of emotions from grief and outrage to vulnerability and fear. In response to the latter, some U.S. politicians have called for denying entry to Syrian refugees—or those Syrians who are not Christian. On November 19^th, the House of Representatives passed the “American Safe Act of 2015” by a vote of 289 to 137, with 47 Democrats and all but two Republicans supporting the bill. Some have called this bill a “knee-jerk reaction” since it was not reviewed by a relevant House committee beforehand and its fate in the Senate is still unknown. The President has said he will veto it if it reaches his desk.

Given the gravity of the tragedies and their impact—including the quick responses by lawmakers and what it means for refugees worldwide, students will likely want to discuss and learn more as they process their understanding and opinions. It’s important to provide students with this outlet as well as to equip them and yourself with facts and resources for credible information (in comparison to what they may hear around the dinner table or by some media).

Among some of the questions students may ask include: What is a refugee? What is the process like for becoming a refugee in the U.S? What types of circumstances are they fleeing from? How does the U.S. compare relatively to other nations accepting refugees? What is the process like for resettlement in the U.S.?

What follows are resources that answer these questions and more in order to facilitate conversations factually and humanely:

Facts About Refugees

• An Overview of Refugee Law & Policy (American Immigration Council) The United States passed its first official refugee legislation to address the plight of displaced Europeans following World War II. Learn about the definition of a refugee, the process, (which after vetting by several agencies can take 18-24 months), and resettlement.

•  4 Things to Know About the Vetting Process for Syrian Refugees (Byran Naylor, National Public Radio) This short article with audio clearly defines the vetting process and addresses objections raised by lawmakers.

•  Infographic: The Screening Process for Refugee Entry into the United States (WhiteHouse.Gov) A step-by-step illustrated guide to the process for refugee entry into the U.S.

Connections to History

• We are a nation of immigrants and refugees. Yet we always fear who is coming next. (Jamelle Bouie, Slate) This article presents several historical examples of acceptance and resistance to refugees and migrants even within our own nation. It concludes by asking an essential question for youth and adults: “the question of the refugees isn’t if we’ll honor our values; it’s which ones we’ll choose. Will we embrace our heritage of inclusion or reject it for nativism?”

• Refugees Should Not Pay the Price for Paris Attack (American Immigration Council) This article briefly details a long and proud U.S. history of welcoming refugees with a position to resist isolationist tendencies.

Policy to People

• Humans of New York Refugee Stories (Brandon Stanton, Medium) Detailed stories from interviews with refugees around the world after they have found safety and are in different stages of acclimating to a new environment. Students could read an individual story in groups or individually and participate in a jigsaw or turn-n-talk literacy strategy to discuss some of the common themes learned.

We seek to connect teachers and students with the most relevant, fact-based information to teach immigration critically and creatively – at no cost.  If you like our work, please pass this email, tell a friend and give them this link http://bit.ly/1KdE5Zz to receive updates and free resources such as lesson plans, books reviews, and community grants.

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