REFUGEE STUDENT BRIDGE WORK
Use these sheets to support your understanding of the Josef sections of the novel Refugee by Alan Gratz
Name:______________
Teacher: Davis Selzer Guillory
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Ms. G REP CQI Class
Small Group Rotation Schedule
Check off each time you come to small group
Lesson 1
9/15 (Section 1) citing evidence
Lesson 3
9/22 (Section 2) teme/CI/summary
Lesson 5
9/29 (Section 3) characterization
Lesson 7
10/6 (Section 5) text structure
Lesson 1
9/16 (Section 1) citing evidence
Lesson 3
9/23 (Section 2) theme/CI/Summary
Lesson5 9/30 (Section 3) characterization
Lesson 7 10/7 (Section 5) text structure
Lesson 2
9/17 (Section 10) citing evidence
Lesson 4 9/24 (Section 11) theme
Lesson 6
10/1 (Section 4) figurative language
Lesson 8 10/8 (Section 6) point of view
Lesson 10
Lesson 2 9/18(Section 10) citing evidence
Lesson 4 9/25 (Section 11) theme
Lesson 6
10/2 (Section 4) figurative language
Lesson 8 10/14 (Section 6) point of view
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Lesson 9 10/15 (Section 13) figurative language
Lesson 9 10/16 (Section 13) figurative language
10/20 (Section 14) text structure
Lesson 10 10/21 (Section 14) text structure
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Lesson 11 10/22 (Section 15) point of view
Lesson 11 10/23 (Section 15) point of view October 27th
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 1: Josef sat close to his little sister on the train. The dark night made every sound seem louder. Soldiers walked down the aisle, their boots hard on the floor. Josef held his breath. His father’s hands shook, and Josef could feel his own heart racing. He wished they could just be safe, but he knew the danger was real.
Circle words that show Josef’s feelings.
Underline words that show actions.
My annotations and notes:
Put a star by details that show fear.
Section 1 – Josef on the Train: Questions
1. What is one word to describe Josef’s feeling?
2. Which detail shows that feeling?
Exit Task:
“Josef feels ___________________________________________________. I know because the text says ____.”
Section 10: Josef watched as men pulled his father away. His father’s voice cracked as he shouted, but no one helped. Josef wanted to run after him, but his feet felt frozen. His mother pulled him close, and Josef’s eyes burned with tears. He felt helpless and confused.
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________ My annotations and notes:
Circle words that show Josef’s feelings.
Mark what Josef wanted to do.
Write: Why does he feel helpless?
Section 10 – Father Taken Away: Questions
1. What does Josef feel in this moment?
2. Which detail shows his feeling?
Exit Task:
“Josef feels ___________________________________________________. I know because the text says…
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 2: Josef walked through the streets of Berlin. Signs hung in shop windows saying, “No Jews Allowed.”
People turned away when they saw his family. Josef felt smaller with each step. He wanted to be invisible. He began to wonder if there would ever be a safe place for them again.
Lesson 3 My annotations and notes:
Highlight signs of unfairness. Circle details that show how people treated Josef’s family.
Write a note about how Josef feels here.
Section 2 – Germany Turns Against Jews: Questions
1. What lesson is Josef learning in this section?
2. What detail shows this lesson?
Exit Task:
“A theme is _________________________________________________. I know this because…
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 11: Josef stood on the deck of the ship and looked at the wide ocean. Behind them was danger. Ahead of them was hope. His mother whispered, “Maybe we will be safe soon.” Josef wanted to believe her words. For the first time in weeks, he let himself smile a little.
Circle the word ‘hope.’ Mark what Josef’s mother says.
Write: What lesson is Josef learning here?
Section 11 – Hoping for Safety: Questions
1. What lesson is Josef learning in this section?
2. Which detail shows this hope?
Exit Task:
“A theme is ______________________________________________. Josef shows this when…
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 3: Josef sat at the table with his family. His father would not eat. His eyes looked far away, like he was lost in another world. Josef wanted to shout, but instead he sat quietly. He realized his father was not the strong man he once knew. Josef knew he might have to be brave for the family now.
Section 3 – Plot & Character Development: Questions
1. What change is happening in Josef here?
2. How does this move the story forward?
Exit Task:
“This event changes Josef because …
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 4: The ship moved slowly, like a tired giant. Josef felt the floor sway under his feet. He held on to the rail, thinking the sea might swallow them whole. The word ‘giant’ made the ship feel alive and powerful, even though it was just wood and metal. Circle the simile. Mark the word ‘giant.’
Write: Does this feel positive or negative?
Lesso 6 My annotations and notes:
Section 4 – Figurative Language & Vocabulary: Questions
1. What does the phrase ‘like a tired giant’ mean?
2. Does the word ‘giant’ have a good or bad feeling (connotation)?
Exit Task: “The
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 5: Josef remembered the day his father was taken. The memory came back quickly, like a flash of lightning. He was on the ship now, but the past still hurt.
The story jumped back to show why Josef was worried about the soldiers around him.
My annotations and notes:
Circle words that show time change. Mark the flashback moment.
Write: Why might the author go back in time?
Section 5 – Text Structure: Questions
1. What part of the story does the author go back to?
2. Why does the author tell it this way?
Exit Task:
“The author uses a structure of
He does this to show …
Section 6: The story tells what Josef saw and felt. We know his thoughts and fears, but not the private thoughts of other characters. When Josef looked at the captain, we only learned what Josef noticed, not what the captain was thinking.
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________ My annotations and notes:
Circle words about Josef’s thoughts.
Mark what we do NOT know.
Write: Whose perspective is this?
Section 6 – Point of View / Perspective: Questions
1. Who is telling the story?
2. How does this affect what we know as readers?
Exit Task:
“The story is told by ___________________. This is important to know because…
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 13: The ocean stretched wide and endless, like a sheet of blue glass.
Josef felt small as he looked across it. The sea whispered and roared at the same time, as if it had a voice of its own. The words made the sea seem alive and powerful. Circle the simile. Mark the personification .
My annotations and notes:
Write: How does this make the sea feel alive?
Section 13 – Figurative Language & Vocabulary: Questions
1. What does the phrase ‘like a sheet of blue glass’ mean?
2. How does personification make the sea feel alive?
Exit Task:
“The phrase __________________________ means… It makes the sea feel …
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 14: Josef listened as the story of another family was told. Their journey was different but also full of danger. The chapter showed this story beside Josef’s, so readers could see how the families faced similar problems in different ways.
My annotations and notes:
Circle details about the other family.
Mark what is similar to Josef’s family.
Write: Why put these stories side by side?
Section 14 – Text Structure: Questions
1. How is Josef’s family like the other family?
2. Why does the author place these stories side by side?
Exit Task:
“The author uses a structure of ___________________________ to show …
Date I met in small group with Ms. Guillory:_____________
Section 15: The story told what Josef thought as he faced a hard choice. We knew his fears and hopes, but not what the adults around him thought. The narrator stayed close to Josef’s mind, so we understood his feelings most of all.
My annotations and notes:
Circle words about Josef’s thoughts.
Mark what we do NOT know.
Write: How does this POV affect the story?
Section 15 – Point of View / Perspective: Questions
1. Who is telling the story? How do you know?
2. How does this point of view affect what we know about Josef?
Exit Task:
“The story is told by ____________. This matters because…
Ms. Guillory CQI Groups
Hearts Diamonds Clubs Spades
Ezekiel Solomia (Guy)
Carissa Brixie
Damian Major Jaliya Freya
Jasmin
Kamryn