Embedded Files
The following section includes resources on the experiences of refugees. The reviews were developed by graduate students at the Ontario Institute for the Studies of Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto. A reference to each resource is included with a link to access the resource, an overview of the resource as well as ideas on how to use these resources in teaching.
Overview:
This resource is a website for the book/DVD of first-person narratives by youth with refugee experiences. Includes digital storytelling in English and French.
Reference: Experiences of refugee youth. (n.d). Retrieved January 16, 2020, from http://mappingmemories.ca/index.html
To access this resource, please click on the title.
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Overview:
This resource is a book about two girls, Lina and Feroza, who reside in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, becoming friends. The two girls meet when relief workers hand out clothing in their camp where each of them grab a shoe of the same pair. Their friendship flourishes when they decide to share the pair of shoes and take turns to wear them.
Reference: Mohammed, K. & Williams, K.L. (2007). Four Feet, Two Sandals. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
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Overview:
This resource is a refugee story of a ten year old boy, Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah, and his family who fled Iraq to Syria from religion persecution; then to Canada to escape the civil war in Syria.
Reference: Al Rabeeah, A.B. & Yeung, W. (2018). Homes: A Refugee Story. Calgary, Alberta: Freehand Books.
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Overview:
This resource is a short documentary that tells the story of Mohammed Alsaleh, a Syrian refugee who is working to help newly arrived families through the resettlement process. He is also working on bringing the rest of his family to Canada.
Reference: Fowles, M. (Director), & Loften, A. (Director). (2016). Welcome to Canada [Video]. Go Project Films.
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After watching the documentary, students can tell their own story by filming a short video or creating a book, which could be published using the Blurb website.
Then students can participate in a symposium to share their creations with others.
Overview:
This resource is a powerful picture book which tells the story of a father and son who are forced to flee Syria and travel to (what they hope is) safety via the sea. Hosseini’s inspiration for the book was the famous photo of Alan Kurdi, the three-year old Syrian refugee whose death became an international wake up call for the severity of the refugee crisis.
Reference: Hosseini, Khaled. (2018). Sea Prayer.USA: Viking by Penguin Canada.
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Overview:
This resource is about a little girl and her mother who have fled their country of origin by boat, in hopes of starting a new life in a new country. Out celebrates their courage as they work through uncertainty to build their new life.
Reference: George, A.M., Swan, O. (2016). Out. Gosford, NSW: Scholastic Australia.
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Overview:
This resource is a book about Kek, a Grade 5 boy, who narrates his experience as a refugee from Sudan who lost his father and brother in a civil war and searches for his mother while living with his aunt in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His first week of settling in a new country is explicitly stated through his apprehension of a new lifestyle and his use of language as he tries to acclimatize to “America.”
Reference: Applegate, Katherine. (2008). Home of the Brave. New York. Feiwel and Friends.
To access the author's introduction about this resource, please click on the title.
Additional resources related to the use of this book in teaching:
Overview:
This resource is about a heart-wrenching story that depicts the real-life experience of the author Michel. He recalls his experience as a 5-year-old child soldier in Congo, his escape to Uganda, and his immigration to Canada.
Reference: Humphreys, J.D., Chikwanine, M. (2015). Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War. Toronto: CitizenKid, Kids Can Press.
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Kahoot Activity: Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War:
Overview:
This resource is a book that tells the story of a teddy bear who lived during the holocaust. He gets passed around until he ends up in the USA and gets reunited with his original Jewish owner.
Reference: Ungerer, T. (2010). Otto: autobiography of a teddy bear. New York: Phaidon Press.
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Additional resources related to the use of this book in teaching:
Overview:
This resource is a video that offers a wide variety of information regarding what it means to be a refugee. Definitions and challenges are clearly laid out in a way that is easy to understand. This is a great resource for the beginning of a unit on the refugee experience.
Reference: Berti, Benedetta and Evelien Borgman, directors. What Does It Mean to Be a Refugee? YouTube, YouTube, 16 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=25bwiSikRsI&t=2s.
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Overview:
This resource is a picture book about Ali, a young child living in Baghdad, Iraq during the war in 2003. He shares the connections he experiences when writing calligraphy in Arabic.
Reference: Rumford, J. (2008). Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad. New York, New York: Roaring Books Press
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Additional resources related to the use of this resource for teaching:
Art, social studies, language arts, and health and career education activities
Overview:
This resource is a website by The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that compiles a vast and differing amount of experiences of refugees from all around the world as well as significant work that organizations contribute to the lives of refugees. Moreover, the blog posts share the lived experiences of refugees or asylum seekers provide fragments of their experiences via interviews and short videos. There are multiple blog posts that are shared almost daily with the option to search relevance, dates and/or titles in a search engine.
Reference: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (n.d.) The UN Refugee Agency: Stories [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/stories.html
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Overview:
This resource is a picture book that is intended for children in the primary grades. It explores the refugee experience from the perspective of Sangoel, a young boy who is moving to America with his mother and young sister from southern Sudan. There is a focus on visual communication throughout the text and multimedia art is used to convey meaning in the created images.
Reference: Williams, K.L. and Mohammed, Khadra. (2009). My Name is Sangoel. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Co.
To access this resource, please click on the title.
Additional resources related to the use of this resource for teaching:
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