LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about the experience of two teen refugees from the war in Ukraine; empathize with the difficulties of being a teen refugee; identify ways to show support for Ukrainian refugees.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 1: Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.

CASEL COMPETENCY: Social awareness

KEY VOCAB

harrowing

refugees

chaos

shrapnel

diplomat

Lesson Plan: Our Lives as Refugees

War doesn’t just affect soldiers. It can force millions of people to flee their homes in search of safety. Here are the stories of two teen refugees from the war in Ukraine.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Our Lives as Refugees,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

How are teens physically and emotionally affected by having to leave their home countries as a result of war?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Our Lives as Refugees” independently; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION AND VOCAB

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Vocab Builder

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:

In LIFE AS A TEEN REFUGEE, have students connect with the experience of either Rostyslav or Olena by choosing one of two prompts. If they choose option A, they’ll write the words of a one- to two-page email from the perspective of Rostyslav. In this email, they should write the words Rostyslav might say to describe his evacuation experience and encourage his friends back home. If students choose option B, they should write two or three journal entries, totaling one or two pages, from the perspective of Olena. The journal entries should describe different parts of her experience as a teen refugee, such as her thoughts and feelings before the war started, after the war started, or after her first day at a new school in Poland.

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