TEACHING TOLERANCE: USING SYRIAN REFUGEE LITERATURE IN SECONDARY ENGLISH CLASSROOMS
Samantha B. Weiss
A Thesis
Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
December 2018
Committee:
Jolie Sheffer, Advisor
Siew Chat Burroughs
© 2018
Samantha B. Weiss
All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT
Jolie Sheffer, Advisor
In March 2018, the United Nations High Council for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that there are currently more refugees in the world than there have been since WWII (Woolley
377). Nearly 11.5 million of those displaced were forced from their homes by the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 (UNHCR). According to Aline Lo, despite the significance of this announcement and the growing disputes about asylum seekers admission to the United States, critical classroom discussions of refugee narratives are lacking in United States schools (3). As refugee crises increase around the globe, it is crucial that students are taught to critically and compassionately analyze refugee narratives. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) states that the main goal of the Standards is to develop independent thinkers, who will be successful in the globalized workforce and post-secondary institutions of the 21st century. The ability to grapple with a topic like refugees, on multiple fronts, is central to developing such thinkers.
Despite this, the CCSS offers few incentives or instructions for teachers to use multicultural or contemporary literature in their classrooms. I argue that the use of Syrian refugee literature, specifically in a secondary English Language Arts classroom, fosters the development of critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global citizenship: all of which help to prepare students for the world they will enter after high school.
In this thesis, I propose an update to Critical Pedagogy, which I call Critically
Reflective Pedagogy, for use when teaching this and similar topics. By combining the techniques of Critical Pedagogy with several situation-specific teaching methods, including
Launching Lessons, Procedurally Directive Teaching, and Culturally Relevant Teaching, teachers can address the complex nature of the Syrian refugee crisis in constructive ways. The iv pedagogy focuses on personal reflection, source analysis, open discussion, and collaborative problem solving.
Using postcolonial theory to analyze the texts, students are introduced to critical means of inquiry that can be used to understand the Syrian refugee crisis and other current events. The use of these methods helps to create an environment in which students can engage with challenging topics and make personal discoveries, in the service of developing a more empathetic and global perspective of Syrian refugees. I also include four lesson plans that can be used to teach the book Nujeen: One Girl's Incredible Journey from War-Torn Syria in a
Wheelchair by Nujeen Mustafa with Christina Lamb. The goal of this pedagogy and the accompanying lesson plans is that they can be adapted to address other current humanitarian crises as they arise, such as the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar, so students leave their language arts classes with the tools to handle complex problems outside of the school building.
v
For all displaced people. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am not usually one to admit defeat, but there were several times while working on this thesis that I felt that I would never achieve this dream. I regularly told myself that I was not cut out for this level of work and that I would never finish it. I worked myself into panic several times over looming – and missed – deadlines, as well as mistakes and revisions. Though it has been an exceedingly long process for me, I am sure it has felt even longer to those who helped me through it. While it is not possible to list everyone who has had a hand in my success, there are several people who I wish to thank for their continued support and encouragement.
Growing up, I was encouraged to dream big and I always told I could accomplish anything. From supporting my early bid to be the first female president when I was 10 to celebrating my acceptance to graduate school to discussing my classes and thesis topic at length, my mom, Jennifer McDemus has always been the most important support in my life. Without her belief in my ability to succeed, I have no doubt that I would not have made it to this point and I would not be looking to the future. Thank you for your unending encouragement and motherly love, when I needed it most. Thank you to my siblings: Caitlyn and Justin, who constantly give me reasons to strive to do better. Dad, thanks for always being there for me, even when I was unbearable. And to my best friend, Cassie, who is more like my sister: I am not sure how you put up with me, but I am forever thankful for everything you do for me, from midnight phone calls to check in to celebrating my successes and helping me through failures, from afar.
Andrew, I cannot imagine having gone through this experience without you. You kept me calm when I was a mess and I cannot thank you enough for that. Between making me watch
YouTube videos to calm down to reminding me to take naps, you are one of the main reasons I have been able to complete this project. I honestly could not have done it without you here with me and I cannot wait to take on another program with you beside me in the future. vii A special thank you to my cohort; the five of you made it possible for me to get through this program, especially on the more difficult days. Thank you for offering suggestions, providing emotional support, helping me to grow as a scholar and a person, standing up for me, and always grounding me. I am so grateful to have met each of you and had the chance to see you develop as people, as well as to learn from each of you. I will miss coffee dates and movie nights, but I look forward to seeing the amazing things that each of you accomplish.
Finally, thank you to my incredible committee, Dr. Jolie Sheffer and Dr. Kitty Burroughs for helping me to grow as a learner and a researcher through this project. I value your expertise and your willingness to share it with students. I cannot thank you enough for your patience with me and the project, as both have been a challenge. Your advice and feedback have been essential to my ability to finish this thesis in a way which makes me proud.
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………...... 1
CHAPTER II. CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE PEDAGOGY: A PEDAGOGY OF
COMPASSION AND QUESTIONING ...... 13
...... From Critical Pedagogy to Critically Reflective Pedagogy ...... 18
...... Providing Practical Instructions for Teachers and Students ...... 26
...... Technology in the Critically Reflective Classroom ...... 26
...... Addressing the Psychosocial Needs of the Students ...... 29
...... Teaching Contemporary Skills with Contemporary Texts ...... 32
...... Using Critically Reflective Pedagogy with Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from
...... War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair ...... 32
CHAPTER III. “I HATE THE WORD REFUGEE”: CHALLENGING DOMINANT
DISCOURSES ABOUT DISPLACEMENT ...... 48
Focus on Critical Thinking …………………………………………...... 54
Focus on Source Synthesis ……………………………………………………… ... 68
Focus on Critical Empathy ...... 73
Focus on Global Citizenship ...... 81
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION ………………………...... 90
WORKS CITED ……...... 95
APPENDIX A. LESSON PLANS FOR NUJEEN: ONE GIRL’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
FROM WAR-TORN SYRIA IN A WHEELCHAIR …………………………………………. 100
APPENDIX B. COMPILED SOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ………… 126 ix
APPENDIX C. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS ...... 127
APPENDIX D. ALTERNATIVE TEXTS ABOUT SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS ...... 132
APPENDIX E. COMMON CORETANDARDS S AND TEXT EXEMPLARS ...... 134 x
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1 Model for Meaning-Making ...... 30
2 Pre-Reading Opening Discussion Questions ...... 34
3 Pre-Reading Second Discussion ...... 37
4 Possible Classroom Dialogue ...... 43
5 The CCSS Lexile Standards ...... 57 1
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
The United High Council for Refugees (UNHCR) reports an unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world are currently displaced from their home because of violence or persecution. Of that statistic, an astounding 22.5 million of those individuals have taken refuge in other countries (UNHCR). The only other historical moment that has seen such large figures was the immediate aftermath of World War II. Approximately 11.5 million of the world’s displaced population is made up of Syrians, who have been internally or externally displaced because of the Syrian civil war, according to Haisam Hussein (1). A “Brief History of the Syrian civil war” is provided in Appendix C to help students and teachers contextualize the conflict.
Despite the increasing presence of refugees on the world stage, Aline Lo writes that the refugee subject lacks representation in American literature, particularly in literature appropriate in K-12 education (32). In the Common Core State Standard’s (CCSS) text exemplar list none of the novels include refugee characters or discussions relevant to refugee’s lives. Citizenship and epistemic violence, which are central topics in refugee narratives, are necessary discussions in
LA classes today. Scholars largely disagree with incorporating such works in secondary education classrooms. Anna Lopez situates the English language arts classroom as the most opportune educational setting for discussing controversial, contemporary topics, because language and literacy is crucial for “disrupting existing power structures” (76). Ken Winograd argues that students can and should be introduced to social justice topics at young ages to combat the idea that such topics are not developmentally appropriate (11). By including discussions of topics like the Syrian refugee crisis in K-12 education, students can develop more nuanced understandings of complex situations. Given the current state of the world’s displaced people and the various approaches to the crisis, the topic requires more attention at the level of secondary 2 school so students feel capable of discussing current events and participating in democratic debates about immigration and refugee issues. Joseph Riener explains that his students in this age group expressed a desire to be guided through confusions of the adult world (30). Avoiding a discussion about refugees puts students at a disadvantage when trying to interact with the subject in their everyday lives because they have not had the chance to discuss it intellectually.
In order to discuss Western conceptions of refugees, it is necessary to begin with the definition of refugee that is currently accepted by the UNHCR and United Nations (UN) affiliate nation-states. This definition was developed at the 1951 Geneva Convention and states that a refugee is “anyone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion” (Geneva Convention 3). Nation-states can vary the language of their individual policies in order to be more specific or include temporary or special protections for particular groups. According to the United States Country Chapter in the UNHCR
Resettlement Handbook, the U.S. government classifies a refugee as:
any person who is outside any country of such person’s nationality or, in the case
of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last
habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or
unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of
persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or (B) in
such circumstances as the President after appropriate consultation (as defined in
Section 207 (e) of this Act) may specify, any person who is within the country of
such person’s nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, within 3
the country in which such person is habitually residing, and who is persecuted or
who has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. The term
“refugee” does not include any person who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise
participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. For
purposes of determinations under this Act, a person who has been forced to abort
a pregnancy or to undergo involuntary sterilization, or who has been persecuted
for failure or to undergo such a procedure or for other resistance to a coercive
population control programme, shall be deemed to have been persecuted on
account of political opinion, and a person who has a well-founded fear that he or
she will be forced to undergo such a procedure or subject to persecution for such
failure, refusal, or resistance shall be deemed to have a well-founded fear of
persecution on account of political opinion. (Government of the United States of
America)
The legal definition of a refugee, as per the United States asylum policies, provides the framework through which refugees are viewed in the country, but Wooley critiques the limiting definition of refugee and the role that refugees are made to perform in order to be perceived as needing aid (380). Mimi Nguyen explains that these expectations that are placed on asylum seekers to fit the “good refugee” model is one mechanism that marks refugees as other from the general population because of the heightened sense of gratitude (10).
Introducing students to the topic of refugeehood through literature provides them with a controlled setting to safely navigate personal beliefs, understandings, and biases. Chimamanda 4
Ngozi Adichie argues that fiction is an opportunity for readers to experience a “shared sense of humanity” with those whose experiences are unlike their own (qtd. in Woolley 391). Reading multicultural literature, especially that which addresses current events, in the secondary classroom gives students a chance to engage with people and perspectives they may never otherwise experience.
The Standards for Reading Literature are divided into four subgroups: Key Ideas and
Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, and Range of Reading and
Level of Text Complexity (CCSS). The Standards require ninth and tenth graders to cite textual evidence to support explicit inferences, determine themes, analyze complex characters and their role in the story, determine word meanings and analyze their effect on the tone, analyze the author’s choices and their effectiveness, “Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature,” compare a subject in different mediums, and recognize allusions and/or literary traditions (CCSS). Apart from the Standard referring to world literature, eleventh and twelfth graders are expected to expand on those skills and become more familiar with
American literature. Literature that focuses on the Syrian refugee experience offers a valuable opportunity for high school students to meet the CCSS requirements for multicultural texts, critical reading, and media comparisons while engaging with a contemporary world issue in detail. According to Winograd, teaching students critical thinking skills that support their development into civic actors should be the central focus of education (8).
Education scholars suggest that developing more inclusive, interactive, and internationally-minded classrooms supports the goal of preparing students for the globalized 21st century world into which they will enter after high school. Suzanne Choo argues for an 5 educational system that encourages global citizenship by increasing the focus on multicultural texts because of their ability to teach students “knowledge of the world and key dispositions with which to empathize and relate to diverse others” (336). Carol Jago suggests that English
Language Arts (ELA) Standards are intended to provide students with the skills to succeed in the
21st century democracy (vii). Some of the skills necessary for students to excel are those that improve interpersonal connections, which are difficult to regulate and to measure (Blad 1).
Katherine McKnight and the Common Core, Inc. provide tools and activities to help teachers provide students with those skills. One of the essential elements of this success is the ability to engage with various cultures. The Standard which addresses multicultural competence expects students to “analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature”
(CCSS). Marci Glaus, Katie Rybakova, and Rikki Rocanti, write that the conventional texts used to teach CCSS, including books like Little Women, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The
Dark is Rising, fall short of this goal because the suggested literature is often unrelatable to students because of the age of the texts (Glaus 407; Rybakova and Roccanti 33). Providing students with a piece of contemporary literature that addresses a topic of current relevance allows them to more easily transfer their in-classroom learning to their extra-curricular lives, more successfully achieving the goals of the CCSS.
Additionally, critical education scholars believe that it is crucial that students connect their experiences with their learning, if the students are going to be able to use their learning outside of their classrooms. Wayne Au and Barbara Waxman explain that the CCSS does not ask students to take their learning beyond the four corners of the texts, limiting the analyses possible
(15). Asking students to bring outside knowledge to bear when reading and to use the knowledge 6 they gain from the texts outside the classroom helps them to make the most of each text they read. Paulo Freire explains that if the “teacher talks about reality as if it were motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable,” he is robbing the students of the chance to endow the subject with significance (57). Thomas Newkirk also criticizes the CCSS for its text dependency, because he explains that students cannot read a text “raw,” meaning without being influenced by what they already know (306).
In this thesis, I suggest using Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair to teach students about critical thinking and source synthesis, in addition to critical empathy and global citizenship. Though Nujeen’s text is not the only refugee narrative accessible to secondary students, I chose it for three main reasons. First, the writer is the same age as the target student group, making the book particularly engaging. For teenagers, it is refreshing to read texts written by peers or near-peers. Marci Glaus also notes that reading contemporary works about teenagers makes a difference in student engagement at the secondary level (411). The material discussed in these books is often of higher interest and relevance to the readers, resulting in increased levels of engagement. Second, Nujeen’s story serves as a FOIL to the dominant refugee narratives in circulation through the news and social media, and requires that students engage with critical empathy when reading it. Agnes Woolley explains that the
“good refugee” is one who goes through the asylum process legally and displays all the proper signs of trauma when asked to retell their story (376). She argues that “such models of ideal refugeehood … have material effects which can often mean the difference between life and death” and Nujeen’s book rejects those models (Woolley 379). Using the scholarship of Sara
Ahmed and Mimi Nguyen to investigate the rhetoric of refugeehood, I argue that Western expectations and stereotypes of refugees must be challenged in classrooms for students to 7 develop a more nuanced understanding of the complex situation. I do not suggest using Ahmed and Nguyen directly in the secondary English classroom, but discussions the gift of freedom and the emotional responses to refugees are integrated into the lesson plans provided with this thesis.
Ahmed interrogates the political implications of emotion in reference to national identity, stating that nations are built by exploiting the us versus them narrative (2). Nguyen highlights that the acceptance of refugees is then considered a gift, which requires the ultimate expression of gratitude from the receiver (5). In this schema, the refugee is expected to fulfill a particular role in order to gain acceptance in the receiving community.
As the number of refugee crises around world grow exponentially, scholarship on teaching refugee students in the classroom has developed quickly, but scholarship on how to teach students about the refugee crisis has not. The Georg Eckert Institut in Germany released a plan for teaching students about the refugee crisis so the refugee students could be easily integrated into the country. The resource is mostly printed in German, with sections that have been translated into English, but a singular source does not constitute enough resources for teachers. Refugee narratives detail an experience which most students are unlikely to have encountered personally and have little exposure to in the American literature curriculum. The
CCSS text exemplar list and accompanying curriculum guides do not include texts at any level which address such stories and media coverage tells a limiting story, with a particular focus and goal that does not help students develop a well-rounded understanding of the topic. Suzanna
Choo argues that “literature education plays a fundamental role in equipping students with knowledge of the world and key dispositions with which to empathize and relate to diverse others” (336). Nujeen’s story gives students the opportunity to engage with the refugee experience that is not otherwise available in most literature classrooms. Finally, it adheres to 8
CCSS expectations for reading material at the secondary school level. When choosing texts for the classrooms, the texts must meet expectations for text complexity, which is gauged using qualitative and quantitative measures. Glaus and Janet Alsup explain that contemporary young adult literature that meets these requirements should be used in the classroom because it is more engaging for the students (Glaus 410; Alsup 183). The texts also provide the opportunity for students to practice skills such as close reading and analytical writing, both of which are included in the CCSS.
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, written by
Nujeen Mustafa with Christina Lamb, offers readers a unique view of the refugee experience in general, and the life of a singular refugee, which seeks to humanize the liminal figure. The book tracks the journey of Nujeen Mustafa, a young Syrian refugee with cerebral palsy on her flight from Syria to Germany. Nujeen’s text complicates media representations of refugees by offering nuanced images of individual refugees and detailed accounts of the events that led to their displacement and encourages students to critically analyze information they encounter daily. The text asks that readers engage on the intellectual and emotional level with such issues as citizenship, ability, and the process of knowledge production. Nujeen ultimately decides that her humanity is more important than her status as a refugee and implores readers to do the same. Her hope is that by first teaching people to connect over common emotions, she can change the way refugees are discussed and treated. Dale Weiss and Patrick Shannon provide activities that educators can use to practice these skills (Weiss 195; Shannon 182). I adapt portions of their activities and use them in the lesson plans provided in this thesis (Appendix A).
In this thesis, I investigate two research questions about the use of Syrian refugee literature in the secondary classroom. First, what are the most effective pedagogical methods for 9 teaching about the Syrian refugee crisis through literature while adhering to and expanding upon the CCSS? Second, what do students gain from interacting with refugee narratives? In answer to those questions, I propose a method for teaching controversial, contemporary topics in secondary
English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms, using an updated version of Critical Pedagogy which
I call Critically Reflective Pedagogy (CRP). I use my reading of Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible
Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair as a model of the pedagogy and the work that such literature can do in the secondary English classroom in this thesis. In order to teach students how to use their classroom experiences in their everyday lives, CRP teaches four essential skills: critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global citizenship.
According to Victor Malo-Juvera, when teaching secondary students about othered subjects and power differentials many educators turn to Critical Pedagogy, which was developed from the work of Freire (42). Wayne Au and Barbara Waxman explain that Freire emphasized the connection of the “word to the world” in an attempt to understand and disrupt the status quo
(19-20). The primary objective of Critical Pedagogy is the humanization of oppressed subjects, in the service of changing unequal social systems. Winograd argues that K-12 classrooms are an important environment for Critical Pedagogy and the discussions it fosters because it gives students an early sense of connection to the world and people around them (9).
He writes that critical literacies and the CCSS are often seen as contradictory, but can be used in tandem in the classroom, to positive effect (4). Rather than being framed as having divergent purposes, Winograd highlights how the skills that are taught by critical pedagogues can supplement the CCSS. However, Critical Pedagogy has several deficiencies which make it insufficient for teaching about contemporary social issues, like the Syrian refugee crisis. Rebecca
Tarlau argues that Critical Pedagogy often falls short of its social justice goals when situated in 10 the American school system (370). Like Tarlau, Sibela Pinochet explains that Critical Pedagogy has its faults, most notably a lack of practical instructions for teachers and limited details about teaching secondary students in the Critical Pedagogy scholarship are her primary concerns with the method (43). Second, little modern Critical Pedagogy scholarship has taken classroom technologies into account and their educational possibilities. The CCSS offers suggestions that teachers can use in the classroom to incorporate technology. Additionally, critical pedagogues are not expected to consider the emotional well-being of the students and such teaching can be detrimental to the teaching process. Michalinos Zembylas and Elena Papamichael argue that students learn to use empathy if they see it modeled in their classrooms, so teachers must be aware of the students’ emotions (4). Finally, Critical Pedagogy is often used in reference to texts about events of the past. Reading works from the past does not require students to make connections to their everyday lives or engage in empathy, and both skills help students to comprehend and retain the information.
These limitations make it necessary to update Critical Pedagogy. An updated version that
I refer to as Critically Reflective Pedagogy, which incorporates elements of several other methods, is needed to successfully teach secondary students contemporary literature such as
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. By combining components of Critical Pedagogy with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Procedurally Directive
Teaching, and Launching Lessons, I address the deficiencies of Critical Pedagogy and build on the goals of the CCSS. Pinochet defines Critical Pedagogy as “the use of dialogue and praxis as means to foster the ability to articulate and critique systems of meaning at work in texts and the world at large” (5). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is a method that uses the students’ cultural backgrounds and knowledge to enhance the classroom experience (Lopez 77). Procedurally 11
Directive Teaching offers a model for discussion in the classroom that is intended to teach students to use reliable resources to support stances. Maughn Gregory explains that the teacher acts as a guide whose job is to help students learn reasoning skills through directed questioning
(628). Launching Lessons promotes a teaching style which highlights the connections between
text and life. The creators of the approach suggest asking students questions about their own understanding of situations and their motivations. Combining these elements creates a pedagogy that addresses the needs of the students, the complexities of the texts, and fills gaps in previous pedagogical methods, while supporting CCSS learning outcomes.
The following chapters are organized around the analysis and application of the memoir
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair in the secondary language arts classroom. In Chapter II, titled “Critically Reflective Pedagogy: A Pedagogy of
Compassion and Questioning,” I lay out the pedagogical framework of CRP and its application within this project. I provide an example lesson plan – the extended version of which is in
Appendix A – to demonstrate how to use the materials. The lesson plans provided in this thesis do not constitute a full literature unit, but rather act as four anchor assignments around which teachers can develop other assignments and lessons.
Chapter III. “‘I Hate the Word Refugee’: Challenging Dominant Discourses About
Displacement” is written as a model of the critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global citizenship exercises that are central to CRP. In my reading of the memoir, I highlight
Nujeen’s learning process, in which she engages in thinking which models the tenets of CRP. I argue that her narrative rejects the language of refugeehood as inexplicable to those who have not experienced it by telling her story through common emotions and desires, like fear, belonging, and sadness. She does this through first-person narration and the juxtaposition of 12 factual information and violent imagery, creating a stark contrast. Mustafa’s text also includes an atypical call to action. In her work, she encourages readers to revisit their preconceived notions of refugees and interrogate how and why their understanding exists. Her hope is that by getting readers to question the production of knowledge, she can change minds about refugee rhetoric and policy.
In the final chapter, I summarize my findings in answer to my research questions, discuss the limitations of this project, and suggest avenues for future exploration. The hope for this thesis is that CRP can be later adapted to the teaching of other controversial topics, as new current events make it necessary. Though the overall project focuses on memoirs, I encourage the use of other materials like poetry and blogs to supplement the larger texts in the classroom. The appendices include four lesson plans for teachers to implement, resources for teachers to use, a
Brief History of the Syrian civil war, a list of other Syrian refugee texts that teachers may choose to use in the classroom, and the Common Core State Standards and text exemplar list. 13
CHAPTER II. CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE PEDAGOGY: A PEDAGOGY OF
COMPASSION AND QUESTIONING
The Common Core State Standards1 (CCSS) are a set of national standards that define the skills that students should acquire during each year of school in one of the main subject matters –
English language arts (ELA) and mathematics (xii). The Standards are written with the intention of developing a more capable workforce and a stronger economy, according to Carol Jago, editor of the Common Core Curriculum Maps (vii). The ELA Standards2 are further broken down into reading literature and reading information, both of which emphasize the ability to identify important themes and appropriately use textual evidence when making a claim about the text.
Though the CCSS does not employ the term critical thinking, six of the ten Standards address features of critical thinking, such as analysis and posing questions (CCSS). Under the reading literature category, students are expected to be able to analyze unknown vocabulary and figurative language, determine how form impacts tone, and compare the work to other texts at their grade level3 independently by the end of the school year. Marci Glaus encourages English teachers to remember that their role is more than “just [assigning] novels, but also [providing] spaces for critical thinking” (409). While the goal clearly seems to be to encourage intellectual development [or critical thinking], scholars have criticized CCSS as not achieving their goals.
These skills are considered hard skills, which the Standards deem necessary for success in the education system and beyond. A student’s knowledge of hard skills can be measured through summative or formative assessments. Wayne Au and Barbara Waxman write that the CCSS’s
1 In this thesis, I will refer to the Common Core State Standards as CCSS or Standards. They are also referred to as Common Core Standards or CCS or the Common Core, in several of the sources that I cite. 2 The complete list of ELA Standards for Reading Literature can be found in Appendix E. 3 Grade level texts are determined in the Standards by a measure called text complexity, which rates literature by difficulty based on “word frequency, sentence length, and text cohesion,” among others (CCSS). 14 focus on objective readings limits the use of such skills by keeping students from connecting the
“word to the world” (20). Students are not asked to contextualize the work or discuss its relation to their lives, which Au and Waxman consider essential to critical thinking.
Evie Blas explains that social competencies, often called soft skills, are those that enable better interactions between people and are difficult to quantify (1). Empathy and global citizenship – with all its component parts, like global responsibility and engagement – would be considered soft skills. To meet Standards requirements, the curriculum is focused heavily on the hard skills needed to succeed on high-stakes tests, which measure a select few skills (Au and
Waxman 15). Assuring that students are prepared for high-stakes testing often results in teachers leaning on teacher-centered approaches which include more lecturing and less discussion (Au and Waxman 16). Such teaching is directly inverse to the goals of the Standards and do not help students to develop as learners. For example, the CCSS explains that students who are prepared for college and the workforce are “independent,” but the teacher-centered approach does not work to produce students who can independently analyze a text and the context in which it exists
(CCSS). This approach relies on the banking theory of education, that Paulo Freire explains as a teaching style in which the students are passive receptacles for teacher knowledge (71). He argues that such a method limits students’ experiences with the meaning-making process and their ability to think critically (Freire 71). Rebecca Goldstein builds on this position, explaining that students maintain the knowledge that they create better than that which teachers “bank” on them (220).
The increased attention paid to test results has also limited teachers and sometimes administrators from making individualized choices for the benefit of the students, including which materials to use in the classroom, according to Dhaya Ramarajan and Marcella Runell 15
(95). This has led to a decreased focus on multiculturalism because such texts are not often included on high-stakes testing, which means that students interact with texts written by non-
Western authors less frequently and less intimately (Au and Waxman 15). This limiting focus is also contrary to the goal of understanding “other perspectives and cultures,” which the Standards list as a primary objective:
Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace are
settings in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who represent
diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together. Students
actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and
listening, and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied
backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view critically and constructively.
Through reading great classic and contemporary works of literature representative
of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit
worlds and have experiences much different than their own. (CCSS)
Likewise, Marci Glaus suggests that there is a mismatch between the CCSS text exemplars and the rhetoric of the Standards (411). Of the 35 CCSS suggestions made for novels and short stories for secondary school students, only two were written after the year 2000, with the average year of publication being 1941. The 11 texts that were written by women are famous canonical texts, like Jane Eyre. While the texts on the list represent several geographical regions, including Russia, India, Britain, and Nigeria, there are no texts from the Middle East and none of the works are refugee narratives4. The Standards directly mention using Shakespeare to achieve several of the required benchmarks in high school ELA, which could be met with more diverse
4 For a full list of the suggested novels and short stories in the CCSS text exemplar list, see Appendix E. 16 works. These famous works of literature are invaluable elements of the ELA curriculum, but the list should be updated to include works written in recent years, from a wider variety of authors.
Suzanne Choo argues that literature classrooms are a space in which students can develop the skills needed to engage with the wider world, but only if the literature reflects varied authorship (336). Likewise, Katie Rybakova and Rikki Roccanti suggest that contemporary works help students to connect their learning to their other classes and their extracurricular lives
(31). Sibela Pinochet argues that current educational models in the United States “allow students to graduate from our schools without possessing the necessary tools to question and help find solutions to social problems” (1). The increased focus on standardized testing and the STEM fields contribute to a lack of attention to the humanities and a focus on social issues. Choo advocates for a cosmopolitan approach to the U.S. education system – including more materials from around the world – in order to better prepare students for the current globalized world.
One way to better prepare students for the world that Choo describes is to diversify the literature taught in schools. By including works that reflect various worldviews and historical periods, teachers have more opportunity to develop critical competencies such as analyzing various points of view. Rybakova and Roccanti explain that including contemporary young adult literature
(YAL) in the curriculum helps readers to deal with “unique 21st century problems” (32). Glaus employs the definition of YAL created by Sarah K. Herz and Donald R. Gallo (2005): a young adult text is likely to have teenage narrators and main characters, whose choices are integral to them solving complex, contemporary issues, which I adopt in this thesis (408).
Critically Reflective Pedagogy addresses these criticisms because it is predicated on the belief that all students should have access to various cultures and knowledgeable adults in their schools, as well as texts which entice them to learn about and expand upon their own interests. 17
Research has shown that children learn more efficiently when given materials that they find useful and relevant and their interests are central to classroom development (Glaus 414). Though there are topical matters which are essential in the secondary literature classroom, such as identifying and using figurative language or reading a Shakespeare play, most of the Standards can be addressed using a wide range of materials. For example, teaching figurative language through short excerpts of YAL is a great way to engage students and encourage them to look for their lessons in their daily lives. Additionally, adaptations of Shakespearean plays, like the 2006 film She’s the Man can help students engage with and understand texts in new and enticing ways, endowing them in new meaning. Making sure that the texts and activities are accurate and beneficial for the students can be the most difficult part of using pedagogies like CRP, but valuable to the students’ learning processes. It can also become a collaborative effort; asking students to provide formative feedback and discussing choices the teacher makes for the classroom with them increases their engagement in the process and reminds them that they are active participants in their academic journeys.
One example of a contemporary text that gives students the chance to engage with 21st century social concerns is Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a
Wheelchair. Despite not being marketed as YAL, this text satisfies the typical requirements; it has a teenage narrator and main characters whose choices dictate the outcome of their situation.
Additionally, the author of the book is only 17-years-old and the text reads like it was written by a teenager. Despite a writing style that is not common on the CCSS text exemplar list, this text offers countless opportunities for readers to satisfy nearly all the ELA Standards for ninth through twelfth grade. The text includes many traditional literary elements, like figurative 18 language, character development, and foreshadowing, so teachers can address ELA Reading
Literature Standards one, two, three, four, six, and seven.
This memoir, written by Nujeen Mustafa with Christina Lamb, differs from the works on the text exemplar list for several reasons. First, the memoir was released in 2016 and the crisis it chronicles continues today, making it both more relevant and more urgent to readers. Research suggests that using relatable literature makes students more motivated to read (Glaus 408;
Rybakova and Roccanti 32). Second, as a text written by a young woman from a country that is not represented on the list, it provides students with another worldview to engage. The increased diversity of stories, themes, authors, and publication years provides students with more opportunities to learn about and empathize with others (Choo 336). Finally, there are no other memoirs or refugee narratives included on the text exemplar list for secondary students.
Aline Lo writes that memoirs and refugee literature “have allowed the writers to recreate or
(re)imagine an alternative or complementary narrative to that of the silent, anonymous refugee, or the dehumanized uncle, or the muted victim” (24). Both categories of literature provide students with the chance to practice critical thinking, source synthesis, empathy, and global citizenship. As an example of both, Nujeen gives readers opportunities to question power structures and dominant knowledge, interrogate sources and synthesize information, experience and act on empathy, and be active global citizens.
From Critical Pedagogy to Critically Reflective Pedagogy
The CCSS does not dictate “how teachers should teach” their classroom materials, but rather what academic expectations teachers should prepare their students for (CCSS). This product-based model means that teachers could employ most pedagogical methodologies if there is careful consideration for the Standards. Critical Pedagogy is often the chosen teaching method 19 for multicultural texts because its focus on questioning power structures lends itself to reading texts which do not fit into the “white, middle class standards” of the U.S. education system
(Pinochet 3). Peter McLaren explains Critical Pedagogy as “a way of thinking about, negotiating, and transforming the relationships among classroom teaching, the production of knowledge, the institutional structures of the school, and the social and material relations of the wider community, society, and nation state” (345). Rebecca Tarlau cites the first mention of Critical
Pedagogy in Henry Giroux’s 1983 book Theory and Resistance in Education (372). Tarlau explains that the pedagogy was developed from the work of Paulo Freire, focusing on the role of education in the reproduction of knowledge, and the liberating potential of education (372).
Humanizing students through education is one of the core tenets of the pedagogical tradition and requires educators to discuss sociopolitical issues, such as racism and poverty, which explains its use with multicultural texts more often than canonical American texts (Pinochet 15). Critical
Pedagogy offers a way for teachers to enhance their students’ learning experiences by highlighting how the skills learned in the classroom can be used in the service of others.
Despite the goals of Critical Pedagogy and its ability to enrich the literature classroom, it often falls short of aims. In order to make the method most effective and best integrate it into a
Standards-driven classrooms, it is essential to note four of its major shortcomings. First, Critical
Pedagogy texts often lack practical suggestions for teachers and institutions to use with adolescent students (Pinochet 4). As a pedagogy that requires a high level of teacher preparation and comfort, scholarship regarding its praxis is necessary. Such scholarship is severely limited, especially for teachers of children and adolescents (Pinochet 42; Winograd 5). In addition to already limited scholarship, even fewer works focus on the integration of Critical Pedagogy within the CCSS. Most scholars consider these two systems to be at odds and some argue that 20 they cannot be used in tandem, which stems mostly from a lack of practical suggestions
(Winograd 207).
Second, modern Critical Pedagogy scholars are largely inattentive to the possibilities created by access to classroom technologies. Critical Pedagogy is built upon the belief that education should and can be liberating for all students and the use of technological resources in the classroom provides more opportunities for students to access new and varying types of information. Access to the internet in a classroom can facilitate discussions about efficient research techniques and reliable sources, as well as encourage safe computer use. Encouraging students to find new ways to bring technology into the classroom is another way to increase student commitment to their coursework. For example, allowing students to use phones to participate in Kahoot! quizzes or headphones to listen to podcasts during class promotes that the teacher is also constantly growing, changing, and adapting. Though pedagogy cannot rely entirely on technologies, it is crucial that modern pedagogies consider ways to make use of those available to the students. As not every classroom will have the same resources, all the lesson plans provided with this thesis include options for differing levels of technological availability.
For example, students in classrooms which have ample computers and internet access are encouraged to do research in the class and use file sharing software programs to communicate with peers and others. The same lesson in a classroom without such access would require the students to do their research in the library, at home, or in rotations with available computers or tablets.
Third, Michalinos Zembylas and Elena Papamichael note that Critical Pedagogy scholarship has given little consideration to emotional/mental states of the students learning in a critical classroom (4). By failing to include this aspect of the students’ lives in their learning, 21 students are not given an example of empathy to follow. As Critical Pedagogy relies so heavily on the students’ willingness to interact with the feelings and situations experienced by the characters in the texts, it is necessary that they have examples of empathy to model their actions after. This lack of focus also impedes the self-reflection process, which requires students to have fairly nuanced understandings of their own emotional state and how they relate to others.
Finally, Critical Pedagogy is typically used when discussing topics from the distant past, meaning students are not asked to critique the structures that organize their own lives. Discussing past events requires different methods because students do not need to consider their involvement with the topic. Asking students to read texts that they cannot connect with the outside world limits their ability to use what they learned outside the classroom or to help them interact with controversial issues. Maughn Gregory argues that the best way to teach students to make decisions on controversial issues in the future is “by permitting them the opportunity to honestly and openly examine” such issues in the classroom (647). That examination requires texts be discussed as more than hypothetical or historical situations.
To this end, I propose combining several teaching methods to create what I will call
Critically Reflective Pedagogy (CRP), the goals of which include increased attention to critical thinking and source synthesis with an emphasis on critical empathy and global citizenship. This new pedagogy incorporates methods from Critical Pedagogy, Procedurally Directive Teaching,
Launching Lessons, and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to produce an approach that provides clear, detailed instructions for teachers, builds on existing requirements for critical thinking and source synthesis required by the CCSS, and focuses on soft skills, including critical empathy and global citizenship. Each of these component parts are explained below. This pedagogy extends the goals of the CCSS by expecting students to practice using what they have learned in their 22 daily lives. Preparing students to be college and career ready, as the Standards aim to do, necessitates their ability to transfer classroom experiences to their day-to-day lives.
Critical Pedagogy is “the use of dialogue and praxis as a means to foster the ability to articulate and critique systems of meaning at work in texts and the world at large” (Pinochet 5).
This pedagogical method was developed from the work of Paulo Freire, who believed that education should be liberating for those of lower social classes (Tarlau 375). Freire encouraged students to question the social structures that existed and fight against injustices. Critical pedagogues attempt to teach students to use critical thinking skills to act for social justice topics.
This focus on critically assessing situations and working toward a more just world is an element of Critical Pedagogy that I carry into Critically Reflective Pedagogy.
Procedurally Directive Teaching is a method that focuses on developing sound reasoning skills through guided questions by a teacher (Gregory 636). Teachers using this approach ask questions to all students that encourage them to consider where a source comes from and how the source fits into the argument the student is trying to make. For example, if a student cites a blog post as a source, a teacher may ask questions like, “who wrote the post and what expertise do they have in the field?” to begin the discussion. The goal of such questioning is to model critical thinking for students so they can use such reasoning when citing sources outside of the classroom, whether that is when they repost a viral Facebook link or write an analytical paper in a college classroom. The more controversial in nature a subject is, the more crucial it is that teachers ask these questions to all students so everyone learns to use critical thinking skills when analyzing information, in a book or elsewhere. When using texts like Nujeen: One Girl’s
Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair in the classroom, teachers can use such questions in several situations, including but not limited to the following: (1) when asking 23 students to find sources about the impact of refugees on receiving countries; (2) when requiring students to personally research the cultures of the refugees in the story; (3) when questioning facts and beliefs that students bring with them into the classroom; (4) when encouraging learners to expand on how and where they found information; and (5) when teaching media literacy skills such as fact checking and cherry picking.
In addition to Procedurally Directive Teaching, I employed elements from Launching
Lessons, an approach developed by Danielle Lillge and Diana Dominguez for teaching multicultural literature that helps teachers co-construct frames with their students, which helps the students understand how and why texts should be analyzed (34). Lillge and Dominguez explain that students must be taught how to engage with experiences that are unfamiliar to them and that using familiar frames of reference helps students to do so. In the case of Nujeen, a teacher using this method may ask students to read the chapter titled “The Walls of Aleppo,” which describes her internal struggle with having cerebral palsy. Rather than asking an able- bodied student to “imagine what Nujeen feels like” as they may not be able to do so, a teacher using this method may ask “what feelings does Nujeen express in this chapter?” After getting students to discuss this question for a bit, the teacher may ask a follow-up based on the answers, like “have you ever felt helpless and what made you feel that way?” Though it is likely that students will not name a cerebral palsy, they are likely to have had experiences like being too sick to care for themselves or seeing someone hurt and being unable to help. Allowing students the time to immerse themselves in these connections helps them to see how the literature evokes emotions and why it is relevant to them. It is important to note that this method can be altered to match the students’ individual levels, so an upper level course, which may not need to discuss the explicit questions, can move onto deeper levels of meaning more quickly. 24
Anna Lopez explains that Culturally Relevant Pedagogy emphasizes a cultural competency on the part of the teacher and the students, in service of solving complex problems
(78). The main goal of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is to “empower students to examine critically the society they live in …”, which when combined with reading a contemporary text, allows them to bring their own experiences to bear (Lopez 78). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is the method which seems most in conflict with the CCSS because the CCSS encourages reading within the four corners of the page rather than connecting texts to the current world situation.
However, in reviewing the goals of the CCSS it is actually favorable for students to have this ability. The English Language Arts Standards include requirements that students be able to make logical inferences, address similar themes various works, and integrate content from different mediums, all of which demand that students use prior knowledge, draw connections, and discuss their thinking (CCSS). Being college or career ready means that students should be able to confidently and independently navigate texts from various disciplines and use that knowledge as a foundation for future discovery and learning (CCSS).
Combining the teacher’s role from Procedurally Directive Teaching with the framing exercises of Launching Lessons, the attention to cultural competency development of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy, and the focus on social justice of Critical Pedagogy, CRP is designed to help teachers grapple with contemporary, controversial topics, like the Syrian refugee crisis in the secondary language arts classroom. The overarching goal is to better prepare students for the critical and compassionate thinking required for engagement with complex world issues outside of the classroom.
I call this approach Critically Reflective Pedagogy because “critically” harkens one of its parent pedagogies – Critical Pedagogy – and suggests the type of thinking that will be expected
25
of students. Reflection is central to the methodology of Procedurally Directive Teaching and
Culturally Relevant Teaching, whose primary intention is to ask questions which gently compel students to analyze personal beliefs as well as cultural beliefs. Reflective methods can also trace back to Freire, who said that social change “can be done only be means of the praxis: reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it” (36). Reading journals and reflexivity exercises are central to CRP and can take many forms in the classroom. Asking students to keep track of their ideas allows them to track growth and practice sound reasoning which is an important goal of the inquiry model of Procedurally Directive Teaching.
In this chapter, I explain the contributions of each of these methodologies in detail, noting how they address specific shortcomings of Critical Pedagogy, and offer an example lesson plan.
In addition, I include an outline with the full lesson plan (Appendix A) that details how the lesson adheres to CRP. These methods each support the goal of Critical Pedagogy – to work for social justice – and offer practical methods to accomplish this goal in the classroom, while meeting CCSS expectations. All these teaching styles focus on reading beyond the four corners of the page and bringing what has been learned into one’s nonacademic life, which contradicts the rhetoric of the CCSS, but supports its overall goal to better prepare students for college or the workforce. CRP is designed with the CCSS in mind; nine of the ten ELA Standards are addressed in the activities provided and the larger goals are met and surpassed. Critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global citizenship are stressed because these skills create
“the opportunity for students to relate text to the personal, political, and moral dimensions” of their own lives (Winograd 207).
26 Providing Practical Instructions for Teachers and Students
One of the most critical elements I adopt from another pedagogy is the inquiry model that
Maughn Gregory suggests from Procedurally Directive Teaching. Teachers employing procedurally directive tactics should plan to guide students in the process of finding and verifying facts in the hopes that they learn to “make sound inferences, avoid fallacies, weigh evidence, ask critical questions, look for missing points of view, consider practical consequences, generate creative hypotheses, and think of ways to test them” (Gregory 637).
Ramarajan and Runell suggest that getting students to use these skills for the sake of engagement with the larger world “must begin with preparing youth to become curious” (96). Gregory’s method focuses on teaching students to investigate topics of interest and critically analyzing sources so they can locate “weak reasoning” on their own in their academic and nonacademic pursuits (637). The inquiry dialogue which he proposes as effective for discussing controversial topics involves making students accountable for the information they bring to the classroom, which is aligned with the goals of critical thinking and source synthesis that are crucial to CRP.
Using this in reference to Nujeen’s story, a teacher could use this method of questioning when guiding students in controversial or heated discussions, like illegal immigration or human smuggling. By asking students to interrogate the logic used to justify all arguments, teachers are demonstrating how to identify sources that have the strongest reasoning behind them.
Technology in the Critically Reflective Classroom
To assure that Critically Reflective Pedagogy is attentive to the use of technology in the classroom, I look to Launching Lessons and the CCSS for ways to seamlessly integrate technology into pedagogy. Tarlau highlights the importance of collective learning to Critical
Pedagogy, explaining that working through problems together encourages students of their individual and group efficacy (382). Technological innovations such as Google Docs, Dropbox, 27 and FaceTime create opportunities for students to engage in collective learning asynchronously.
Though the creators of Launching Lessons do not spend much time discussing the specific importance of technology to the method, the approach offers several suggestions for bringing video and audio into the classroom. One of the core elements of Launching Lessons, according to its creators, is building connections which can be understood multiple ways, meaning that students are expected to build connections between their experiences and questions posed by the teacher, the questions and the text, and the text and their experiences (Lillge and Dominguez 34).
One way of building some of these connections is through media. For example, when teaching with Launching Lessons one educator played a music video in her classroom that set up the book they would read, then asked the students to draw parallels between the music and their own experiences, before relating it to the text (Lillge and Dominguez 36). In order to further draw connections between the text and the world, students were assigned to interview members of the community about an element of the text, which offers the chance to work with recording software. In addition to playing videos and recording audio, the journaling associated with this method could easily be made digital. By asking the students to keep a digital journal, rather than a physical one, students can revise easily and publish directly and teachers can offer feedback and suggestions quickly.
The CCSS focuses on students’ need for technological training and incorporates its use into several of the subsections of the ELA Standards rather than considering it a separate set of skills. The expectations for technological competence for students are:
Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor their searches online to acquire
useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using technology 28
with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations
of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best
suited to their communication goals. (CCSS)
Katherine McKnight explains several ways that teachers can address Standard seven, which encompasses several different technological platforms, by requiring students to “integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words” (CCSS). McKnight acknowledges the differing levels of access to technology in schools but offers a variety of ways to make it more accessible to students. Allowing students to use cell phones, moving to computer labs, accessing classroom laptops, or using library resources are all ways that students can engage with technology in the classroom. Digital libraries, archives, and galleries allow students to amass source material
(McKnight 154). Once students have gathered the information, teachers can lead them through activities to determine their credibility. Finally, file sharing sites, collaborative workspaces, and social media create digital spaces to synthesize the information.
Suggested assignments or in-class activities that provide students a chance to develop technological skills include blogging, digital storytelling, Google Docs collaborative discussions, digital presentations, and group source curation (McKnight 164). Pinochet also suggests video projects so students can use their technology skills and display their work for others (212). Each lesson plan provided in Appendix A integrates technology in one or more ways, and the post- reading activity creates opportunities to use multiple digital tools in the same class. By including technology in the inquiry process, CRP addresses Standards for technology familiarity and demonstrates how technology can be used for social justice purposes. In addition to encouraging 29 collaborative processes and accomplishing CCSS goals, digital materials may allow for decreased cost on the part of the students and teachers.
Addressing the Psychosocial Needs of the Students
Zembylas and Papamichael note that Critical Pedagogy, though concerned with the subject being discussed, often does not address the learner (4). This means that educators are not encouraged to check in with their students’ emotions or grasps of the information. This can cause a disconnect between the teacher and the students because Critical Pedagogy suggests attention to the feelings and concerns of others, as well as a more cooperative classroom. Giving students examples of empathy and making sure that the classroom is a space for honest exploration of a topic is crucial to filling this gap. Robin Robinson calls her awareness to student needs ethical empathy, because it refers to her attentiveness to the psychological safety of her students and
“respect of [their] privacy and agency” (147). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy offers teachers several tools for addressing students’ various backgrounds simultaneously, including activities that can be started at different places and framing questions which allow students to express emotion and connect with the events and people in the text. For classrooms that are not ethnically diverse, cultural differences may arise from socioeconomic status, location, or religion, which can all be addressed with culturally relevant practices. Lopez argues that creating a socially just society demands teaching styles that take all students’ individual well-being into consideration.
One way that Lopez saw teachers working to create culturally competent spaces was through the use of learning exercises that the developing teacher created to teach students to analyze performance poetry. What the creator calls a model for “deconstructing,” I will refer to as a Model of Meaning Making. The model translates well from poetry to literature because 30 many of the same analytic strategies are employed. Teachers are encouraged to use this to teach students about reflecting on how they came by their knowledge of a particular subject or topic.
However, it is not expected that teachers narrate the steps of the process when first using it in the classroom; they may provide handouts that explain the process later so students can use this method on their own in the future. The goal of teaching the process this way is that students are not hindered by the seemingly “correct” way of moving through the steps. The handout includes guidelines for when and how to use each step, so students can learn it for themselves, after having been introduced to it.
Evaluating
Reflection Critique
Action Collaboration
Figure 1. Model for Meaning Making. This five-step process is a way that educators can teach students to analyze the information they read or hear about any topic, but it is especially useful for controversial topics. I walk through the use of this model later in the chapter in a sample activity.
The model I am proposing has five steps in a cyclical configuration, which includes the steps of deconstructing – which I refer to as evaluating – critique, collaboration, action, and 31 reflection; created in this fashion, students can enter the cycle from their individual positions
(Lopez 84). In the sample activity provided, all students should begin on the same step, but other assignments will dictate they start at the step which allows them to work with their current knowledge. Additionally, its cyclical nature means that the meaning-making process that students are engaged in should be iterative. I use this model to navigate the sample activity provided in this chapter and include instructions for other teachers to do the same (Appendix A).
This model can be used to discuss Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn
Syria in a Wheelchair by providing students a process by which to breakdown complex issues and reflect on them. Using this method can help develop empathy and promote critical thinking skills, which the CCSS considers critical to student success. This method also gives students the ability to begin at individualized points based on their knowledge or comfort with a topic.
Students should start at the evaluating step if they know something about the topic or have a pre- held belief about it. They should start with the critique step if they do not know something about the topic or do not have a pre-held belief about it. The next step – collaboration – should be the starting point if students are working in a group and some members have more extensive prior knowledge than others. Action should be the first step if the students are being pre-evaluated on their knowledge or if they are an expert on the topic already. The reflection step should come first if students have feelings about working on the topic, but not on the topic itself. It is up to the teacher to have a working knowledge of their students’ strengths and weakness and to help the students develop the reflective skills to know when they should begin the actions associated with a given step. Highlighting the knowledge of the student and listening when they need help or advice is a central component of CRP because it is a way teachers can model critical empathy to 32 their students. To do so, the teacher must give up their position of authority and speak with the student as an equal Andrea Lobb explains (602).
Teaching Contemporary Skills with Contemporary Texts
A final shortcoming of Critical Pedagogy is the use of texts about past events. Using the pedagogy only to address past events keeps students from fully engaging with the topic at hand.
Glaus argues that contemporary works that addresses contemporary concerns are the best way to encourage students to take action on societal issues (407). Janet Alsup is in agreement with
Glaus, arguing that students are more engaged with a text if they can relate it to their daily lives
(184). By using a text like Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a
Wheelchair, students are able to see the implications of the book in their lives, as well as their ability to affect the situation. CRP considers this an essential element of a student’s education because it prepares them to be life-long learners who actively connect what they learn to their own experiences and struggles.
Using Critically Reflective Pedagogy with Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn
Syria in a Wheelchair
To demonstrate a lesson taught with CRP, I will detail the classroom activity suggested for the day that the class is first assigned to read Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from
War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. I propose this lesson is used prior to reading the text because it allows the teacher to gauge the classroom’s knowledge and comfort with the subject. Doing so will assure that students are being heard and their specific needs addressed. The teacher should start the class by explaining the nature of a safe space and negotiating the rules of the space with the students – assuming this has not already been discussed. Rebecca Goldstein argues that including the students in this process is essential to their buy-in and should be employed 33 whenever possible (218). In my classrooms, my students have helped me to establish the following rules for discussions and assignments, among others: First, hate speech or slurs of any kind are not welcome in the classroom; Second, all questions asked or statements made in good faith are encouraged.
Once these rules have been established or revisited, the teacher should show the following list of words: USA, Syria, Islam, refugee, asylum, terrorism, immigrants, Kurdistan, and Islamophobia. Definitions, explanations, and reliable resources are included in the lesson plan to assure that teachers are providing their students with accurate and appropriate information. This list can change, based on the comfort of the teacher with the subject matter and access to reliable sources for the students. In addition, students should be asked to address one of the following prompts in relation to these words. Teachers can choose to display words and prompts in whatever form is appropriate for the classroom. The prompts listed below are designed with the tenets of CRP in mind. They ask students to reflect on their own knowledge and where it comes from, as well as consider the position of an asylum seeker, whose voice is often lost in the resettlement process. This activity requires teachers to facilitate students’ work through the process provided by the Model for Meaning Making with the goal of opening the room to discussions about the production of knowledge. 34
1. Explain your understanding of the relationship between any two of the eight words on the board/handout. 2. Where have you encountered information about Syria or Islam? Who was responsible for creating and sharing that information? 3. What do you know about the asylum process? How is it different to be a refugee than an immigrant? 4. What situations or events would make you consider seeking asylum in another country? What country would you apply for? Why? 5. Explain how the Syrian civil war and subsequent refugee crisis affects you, today. You can also consider other refugee crises.
Figure 2. Pre-Reading Opening Discussion Questions. These questions can be adapted if teachers feel comfortable with the material. Guides for teachers and a list of sources are linked to each lesson plan and detailed in Appendix B.
Ten minutes should be enough time for students to express their thoughts before the sheets should be collected and read by the teacher. The discussion that follows should dominate the class time and provide the needed foundation for reading the text. In the time the teacher is reading and sorting responses, (s)he can ask the students to read “A Brief History of the Syrian
Refugee Crisis”5 (Appendix C) to assure that they have some information when the discussion begins. Responses that do not adhere to the rules of discussion should be the only papers that are discarded. Teachers should expect a wide range of responses and varying levels of understanding. It is important to give time and consideration to all the responses and to ask that students do the same, rather than suggesting that some are better or more well-informed than others by selecting only some of the responses or by asserting one’s own opinion about a response. Gregory warns that because a teacher’s social authority is inherently coercive – the ability to assign grades encourages students to agree – it is necessary that the same scrutiny be applied to all materials provided by the teacher and the students. Doing so encourages students to
5 This portion of the activity can be altered based on available classroom technology. If teachers have computers available, students could read the history in pdf form or it can be printed and handed out. 35 actively interrogate the information that they encounter regardless of from whom or where it came.
Using the Model of Meaning Making to organize this teacher-led discussion, I suggest beginning with the evaluating step of the model6. In this phase, students are asked to break down arguments, beliefs, and sources into smaller pieces, which they will analyze throughout the course of the activity. The handout provided in Appendix A details the goal of each step of the process and when to start with it. Evaluating is explained as breaking a statement/argument down into its component parts to make sure the whole idea is comprehensible. Students are told that they should begin with the evaluating step when they already have knowledge or beliefs about a topic, regardless of the level or complexity of those. For example, if a student is reading
Nujeen’s story, they may begin on this step if they firmly believe that refugees should only be accepted in a receiving country if they go through the UNHCR. That student would be asked by the teacher to break down the statement into parts and evaluate where each bit of information comes from and how the student came to believe it. For example, I would break this belief down into the following parts: First, what is the definition of a refugee and a receiving country?
Second, what does the UNHCR do and how does it work? Third, where would refugees go if not accepted into a country? Fourth, who is responsible for such decisions? Some teachers may suggest students break statements down into more pieces, but these four questions get the student to interrogate the impact of the belief and suggests how to find more information, which will either support what he believes or encourage him to change his mind. Being open to students grappling with such thoughts and ideas if necessary for the CRP-led classroom. Breaking down
6 For students with no working knowledge or preconceived notions about the Syrian refugee crisis (which I believe is an unlikely reality), one may choose to start with the critique and question why they have no knowledge, instead of where it came from. 36 the statement into parts may be necessary as it allows students to handle complex ideas in small segments so they can develop a fuller and more nuanced meaning. It also supports the belief that students should be taught to identify and use solid reasoning when arguing for or against any belief (Gregory 632). If the student knows nothing about the topic or has no personal stances on it, he or she should start on the critique step and work from there.
Though it is not possible for the teacher to address every response individually in a single class period, the goal is to model the thinking process for the students and have them engage in it later, on their own. I suggest breaking the class into groups and having each group work with two or three responses that revolve around similar topics, depending on the number of students in a given class. Have students take notes on the type of questions used to lead the first group so they can use similar questions in their own exploration. This way the class can engage with several of the responses simultaneously. Below is an example of a conversation that might ensue from the first step of this activity, which other student groups can use as a model. 37
TEACHER: After reading your responses, I have decided that I am going to start with the following response to prompt one. Group A, this will be the prompt you work on for the remainder of class. One student wrote that “they saw a relationship between Syria and Islam,” because everyone in that part of the world believes in Islam. First, where can we find information on religious demographics?
STUDENT A: Online.
STUDENT B: In a textbook or encyclopedia.
TEACHER: All of those are great places to start. Let’s continue to dissect this response. Another part of this person’s response is about geography. Where is Syria located on the map? Can anyone show me?
STUDENT C: (points to Syria on map)
TEACHER: Great! What region of the world is Syria in?
STUDENT D: The Middle East? TEACHER: Correct. So, now we need to find some basic information on the Middle East. Finally, raise your hands if you are familiar with Islam at all?
STUDENTS: (raise hands)
TEACHER: (respond accordingly) Now, Group A is going to investigate each of these elements of the response. Do a simple Google search about each of the elements: religious demographics of Syria, the Middle East, and Islam. Consider what search terms would be best and how you can sort through all the results. You can use the sources I provided earlier as a jumping off point too. Other groups, you will do the same with the response you will analyze.
Figure 3. Pre-Reading Second Discussion. Modeling each step is necessary to teach students how to engage with this thought process automatically in school and outside of it. 38
After walking Group A through the thinking process, the teacher should check that each of the other groups understands what was done and how to apply it to their questions before moving forward. The teacher should circulate and help students on this first attempt to use the process without coercing agreement or suggesting correctness. The second step, in this case, involves students critiquing their personal understandings through a facilitated questioning activity. Their critique applies to the questions the teacher asks of the students and as the students attempt to interrogate their own understanding individually. This questioning comes directly from Gregory’s explanation of Procedurally Directive Teaching, which suggests that students should be asked how and where knowledge was developed, then break down the system behind it (632). It is also supported by postcolonial theory, which suggests that undermining systems of colonial power begins by questioning existing structures. Questions may include any number of the following depending on the individual student’s entrance point to the topic and their responses during the activity: Do you know others who understand the situation the same way? Do you know anyone who understands the situation differently? Do you know anyone who has ever been a refugee? Have you met any Syrians? Do you know what processes a person goes through to become a refugee? Students should engage with these questions in their group and individually, in their journals or notebooks. Though the introductory activity is not content heavy, it does address the first Standard for ninth through twelfth graders which requires that students be able to “cite strong textual evidence for a claim and build a supportable position, using both implicit and explicit text from the story” (CCSS). In this step, asking students to consider where their facts came from is intended to show students that knowledge production is a product of power relations and has stakeholders. While this step could easily take the entire class 39 period, this step should be kept to around fifteen minutes because students are asked to answer the questions briefly now and revisit them later for more in-depth consideration.
The following step, collaboration, is crucial to assure that all students are exposed to various ideas and styles of thinking (Gregory 632). Collaboration can occur in many formats and should be encouraged across many mediums. For this activity, students are asked to collaborate online, via Google Docs if it is available to them, to make more connections than one might on his or her own. The Google Doc should be available to all students and designed to help students organize the information they accrue. After students have worked to compile sources, they are to collaboratively investigate the questions the teacher posed in the last step, as well as interrogate the reliability of the sources. Maribeth Smith explains that the CRAAP test is a simple process that students can use to assess the reliability of a source. The CRAAP acronym stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose (Smith 57). A handout with CRAAP questions to guide students is provided with the full lesson plan (Appendix A). This step is designed as a collaborative one as it gives students a chance to hear from their peers and defend their reasoning if there is a disagreement about a source. Collaboration is an important element in
CRP because it fosters students’ abilities to evaluate evidence, interact with various points of view, “respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline,” and develop their content knowledge, which supports the CCSS goal of preparing students for an interconnected world (CCSS).
After collaboration, students are asked to engage in action, which could mean different things for different classes. This step is likely also a collaborative one. On the first day, I suggest making this an immediate follow-up rather than a long-term project, though suggestions for a long- term process are included as they may be relevant for later engagement with the text. For 40 this assignment, I suggest asking the students to have a conversation with a person who was not in their group about the sources they found, what they deemed reliable or not, and why they came to that conclusion. For a long-term project, students may choose to engage in a debate, hold a discussion forum, develop creative works or do a service project, among other options.
Pinochet advocates for student-driven projects and this step in the meaning making process may provide the perfect environment for such student autonomy (209). If a final project were designed with the tenets of this step in mind – doing something with the knowledge for the benefit of others – the project could be designed so that they would put small amounts of work into the greater project while working through the literature.
After action, students should be instructed to reflect on the experience by using directed prompts. Unlike the two previous steps, reflection is a personal activity. Freire’s pedagogical framework relies on constant reflective actions, because he believed that men must be cognizant of their position in the larger world in order to act on it for change (69). It is crucial that students are honest in this portion of the process, so it is necessary that teachers stress that responses are private – only the individual and the teacher need read it – and the content will not affect grades
– students are free to disagree with others without fear of penalty – as only completion should be considered numerically. Teachers should interact with these responses as often as possible so the activity feels worthwhile to the students and teachers can assess understanding. Launching
Lessons also affirms the necessity of reflection and the method suggests having students do reflexivity exercises often, in-class and beyond (Lillge and Dominguez 39). Because the process is an iterative one, students should find themselves back to evaluating after they have actively reflected on the experience and understanding. Theoretically, they could continue to move through the process with the new information they have to consider. Teaching students that 41 learning does not have a definitive beginning and ending point helps to encourage them to be lifelong learners.
Depending on such factors as the length of a class period, the number of students, or the available technology, teachers may choose to extend this activity over more than one class period. If this is the case, it is recommended that students stop between the collaboration and action steps, because they can think more about their group work before discussing it with the class. This assignment is crucial to begin shaping a classroom space with CRP because it sets the stage for the type of inquiry and conversations that will occur throughout the reading of Nujeen:
One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. It also introduces several of the overarching goals of the method, including increasing non-European centered knowledge, improving critical thinking and questioning, and synthesizing multiple sources. By preparing the students to think about themselves in reference to those who are different from themselves, the teacher fosters a more inclusive environment.
The full lesson plan for this activity and three others that showcase the methods of CRP and are intended for teaching Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a
Wheelchair are included in Appendix A. The four activities do not constitute an entire literature unit, but suggestions about when to use the activities while reading the text are included in the plans. Though these plans are written specifically for this memoir, they can be altered and applied to other works of literature. In order to assure that changes still work toward the goals of
CRP, explanations of the choices and their purposes are included with the lesson plans.
When introducing sensitive topics, especially one so politically charged, it is essential that students are given the space to negotiate their own beliefs and research (Gregory 630). If students are presented with information about the Syrian refugee crisis in the classroom as a non- 42 negotiable fact without the room to question the situations and systems that have created the crisis, they are less likely to critically engage with the topic of Syrian refugees outside the classroom. When the teacher asks questions about the text and its implications in the “real world,” (s)he creates the opportunity for students to build connections and engage multiple perspectives (Lillge and Dominguez 36). To achieve this, it is necessary that the teacher and students engage with the text, as well as other sources. As such, it is imperative that sources used in the classroom come from various perspectives and cover a wide range of academic disciplines, so students can see the impact on numerous individuals and industries. Consider a classroom that is discussing the five prompts on the first day of this literature unit. After going through some of the responses, a teacher may follow up by asking about U.S. refugee policies. Such a conversation may start like the following discussion7:
7 This activity is based on the assumption of access to technology. For classes which do not have the chance to use the internet during the class period, a teacher could have previously compiled sources to hand out. 43
TEACHER: What evidence have you seen or heard presented for the opening or closing of U.S. borders to refugees?
STUDENT A: I think the borders should be closed because crime increased 70% in Germany after the refugees arrived.
TEACHER: Those are shocking statistics. I haven’t seen those before. Can you find them again and share them with me in a few minutes after we talk about this a bit? What kinds of crimes increased, according to the source you are referencing?
STUDENT A: All types.
TEACHER: Okay. So, what are some reasons for dramatic crime spikes? STUDENT A: What do you mean reasons?
TEACHERS: In areas where instances of crime dramatically increase in a short period of time, what have researchers found to be a common thread that can explain or clarify the criminal activity?
STUDENTS: (Various responses possible).
TEACHER: I want everyone to take ten to fifteen minutes to research that question. And student A, if you can find the source you mentioned, please send it to me, so I can also read over it.
Figure 4. Possible Classroom Dialogue. This dialogue offers students a chance to expand on the first activity and consider the implications in their own lives. These questions follow the CRP model for discussion and empathy. 44
In the conversation8 on which this imagined dialogue is based, the young man walked away after I asked him about the causes of spikes in crime, so we could not engage in a deeper discussion about the matter or exchange sources. In the contrived dialogue included here that extra step in the exchange is achieved and can lead to a deeper understanding of one’s own perspective and the sources one uses to support it. It may also be of great benefit to remind the students that the teacher is not an expert either and is learning along with the class.
This classroom interchange achieves several of the goals of Procedurally Directive
Teaching. First, it affirms that students should be engaging with sources outside of class and discussing it inside of class. Students are expected to use their education beyond the classroom, but also to bring information they encounter in their daily lives into the classroom. Second, it holds students accountable for their reasoning, without suggesting that they are wrong. The main goals of this method are to use questions to uncover where ideas come from and to teach sound reasoning skills through inquiry (Gregory 628). Last, it does not discredit the student, the source, or the belief. The teacher asks questions that get to the core of the issue – in this case, something that may not be common knowledge to high school students – without coercing their agreement.
This non-coercive measure, asking students to be responsible for their opinions and sources, is crucial to the relationship and environment needed to foster beneficial classroom discussions about politics and current events. It also fosters a classroom environment in which the students co-construct the knowledge they are learning (Goldstein 214). This dialogue would result in additional conversation after students have had the chance to engage with sources. The continued
8 This conversation is an extended version of one I had with a young man at a forum about Syrian refugees, in which he walked away mid-conversation. He was neither open to dialogue, nor willing to listen to me, but I was unaware of methods to engage a resistant student at that time. Critically Reflective Pedagogy is designed to encourage open- mindedness rather than persuade students to agree with the teacher, by giving all students the chance to delve into various sources and discuss their ideas openly. The hope is that just teaching students to see multiple perspectives and consider them equally will help students engage with discussions of difference in the future. 45 discussion should follow in a similar fashion, framed by questions (Goldstein 219). Teachers should also encourage their students to continue discussions outside the classroom.
In educating young people to be open to narratives that they are unfamiliar with, teachers are effectively creating a society in which people from all social categories – religion, sexual orientation, nationality, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and education level just to name a few
– can gain and use cultural capital. Robinson suggests that teaching her students “to recognize and respect individual’s interpretations of their own experiences” is a primary goal in her classes and I embrace a similar ambition in this project (148). The goal, then, of incorporating works like Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair is not to dismantle the system, but rather to offer students tools that they can use to improve the system.
However, it is not quite enough to present books like Nujeen Mustafa’s to students; these texts must be taught in a culturally-sensitive environment which affords students the latitude to negotiate their understandings (Freire 57).
The critical attention needed to understand such information and navigate its implications in their own lives is a necessary skill in the classroom and beyond. Because these discussions can create feelings of discomfort and fear in the students, it is necessary to teach them with these realities in mind (Zembylas and Papamichael 6). My argument is that these topics need not be uncomfortable or fear-inducing; with a flexible, culturally-responsive methodology and teachers comfortable with the CRP model, the discussion can be central to discussions of both literature and social justice. That is not to say that CRP is not without its limits, but it seeks to address specific areas of weakness in a pedagogy that encourages the type of social interaction at its center. By filling gaps in Critical Pedagogy through the inclusion of applicable teaching practices, technology in the classroom, attentiveness to the students’ psychological selves, and 46 applying it to contemporary works, CRP helps to bridge the divide between educational theory and praxis. A classroom developed on such a model of discussion allows students to engage in productive dialogues which Freire defines as the “encounter between [humans], mediated by the world, in order to make the world” (80).
In order to teach students the skills that CRP is built upon – critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global thinking – Robinson, Zembylas and Papamichael argue that the teacher must model them (Robinson 147; Zembylas and Papamichael 6). Robinson explains that treating her students with the empathy that she hopes to see them use helps her develop a caring space, in which students are encouraged to grow and learn (147). Likewise, when teaching with CRP teachers must model empathy in the classroom by treating their students with compassion and being engaged with the knowledge and questions they bring to the classroom. Often this just means listening to the students fully and offering them tools to continue exploring the topics discussed in class. Some of the skills that students need to discuss contemporary, controversial topics include: media literacy, source gathering, critical empathy, critical thinking, and cultural competency. CRP further develops those skills and puts a heavy focus on critical empathy and global engagement in order to encourage students to learn for social justice aims. Robinson explains that her classrooms “reverberate with [her] determination to make lessons of social justice intellectual, visceral, and irrevocable;” a goal which CRP users could also adopt (145).
Using this pedagogical method in the classroom requires a wealth of teacher investment and an open-minded administration, but can be used to set positive changes in motion. Freire asserts that “to affirm that men are persons and all persons should be free, and yet to do nothing 47 tangible to make this affirmation a reality, is a farce,” to remind teachers and students alike that simply learning material about the Other or the oppressed is not enough (35). It must be brought into conversation with intention and action, in order to promote actual change. In 2017, the
Syrian civil war and subsequent refugee crisis is just one of many current events that could and should be taught in schools. Though the lessons presented in this thesis are designed in relation to Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, they are flexible and can be adapted for different texts or topics. By using the methods and discussion techniques provided, teachers can adapt the lesson plans to other works that they would like to address critically or to other social issues that they feel are crucial for students to learn. Robinson attests to the value of such methodology, explaining the growth she watched occur in matters of collaboration, empathy, mastery of oneself, and critical skills. Using CRP can bring about a generation that values differences rather than fears them and holds conversation in higher regard than confrontation. 48
CHAPTER III. “I HATE THE WORD REFUGEE”: CHALLENGING DOMINANT
DISCOURSES ABOUT DISPLACEMENT
On May 3, 2018, Syrian rebels surrendered one of their last strongholds, Homs, to the
Syrian regime in response to increased bombings on the region and in Ghouta. Because of this,
5,000 individuals were forcibly “evacuated” from their homes and relocated, adding to the ever- growing population of Syrian refugees displaced internally and externally (Al-Jazeera n.p.). As the number of displaced persons continues to grow, the number of literary texts which address their situation increases as well. These stories exist in several genres and each highlight individual experiences of displacement and resettlement around the world. Despite the increase in refugees, the English language arts Common Core State Standards (ELA CCSS) have not adopted any refugee narratives into their suggested texts for secondary students. Aline Lo highlights the impact that refugees have played in the political landscape of the United States, but notes that the individual stories of refugees are often ignored or forgotten in curricula (2).
Given how recently the Syrian refugee crisis started to unfold, it is not shocking that limited attention has been paid to refugee narratives in scholarship. However, Melissa Fleming suggests that as the population of refugees increases it becomes more pressing that students are exposed to the narratives of refugees and taught how to critically engage with them, as well as practice empathy (263).
Agnes Wooley argues that those narratives with which American readers are familiar often adhere to guidelines of the “good refugee,” which relies largely on sustained performances of trauma (379). In the process of seeking asylum, one person is likely interviewed three to four times over the course of 18-24 months (Government of the United States of America n.p.).
Woolley explains that the consistency of the narrative told by the refugee across those interviews 49 is important to his or her acceptance in a receiving country (380). The good refugee is one who has experienced and can document his or her extreme persecution while following the “proper” channels to escape it and exhibiting the expected emotions, like anxiety and fear (Woolley 378).
The proper channel for refugees is to evacuate his or her homeland, carrying all the proof that he or she will need, living in a refugee camp, enduring the one to three year process of interviews, exams, and background checks, then being admitted to a receiving country – possibly not of one’s choosing – or being send home. According to Mimi Nguyen, another crucial characteristic of the good refugee is gratitude to the receiving country in the form of repayment of the debt associated with being given a gift (7). As this idealized narrative becomes the dominant and expected version of refugeehood, other narratives are ignored or silenced (Woolley 382). Stories of migrants who cross borders illegally or those that do not express gratitude for their safety are among those that often get ignored or, worse, vilified. Moreover, Andrea Lobb notes that individuals that are stigmatized based on an “inferiorized identity ascribed to them” are considered illegitimate knowers and their stories are often ignored or questioned by those in positions of power (601). The story Nujeen Mustafa presents in Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible
Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair does not meet the expectations of the good refugee story, but demands acknowledgment regardless. She implores readers to make fewer distinctions between people when deciding who deserves a safe and happy life. Her story asks readers to reject simple, preconceived notions of refugees, Syrians, Kurds, Muslims, and many other categories of people, in favor of critical and compassionate thinking. Mustafa unapologetically opposes such epistemic injustices just by telling her story.
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair chronicles the flight of Nujeen Mustafa from Aleppo, Syria, to Wesseling, Germany, a trip which took 15 50 months and cost a total of €5,045 (approximately $6,042) for Nujeen and her sister Nasrine. The two girls must make the journey alone, because their “parents were staying behind to look after the house” (Mustafa and Lamb 104). Mustafa tells the reader that even though that was what she had been told, she knew their reason for staying was that they did not want to leave Syria. She details the traumas that she encounters and their impacts on her, her conception of the world, and her uncertain future. Despite the hopeful framing of the book and her overall attitude about the situation, she notes that “there isn’t a good side in this story” (Mustafa and Lamb 119). Even after settling in Germany, she is disheartened by the continued separation of her family and the plight of refugees, and she grapples with the realization that she may never return to Syria. She struggles with feelings associated with refugee narratives, like displacement and purposelessness, all of which she notes are not exclusive to refugees.
Throughout her memoir, she challenges institutions, individuals, and the knowledge that has created or fueled the crisis. In doing so, her text can serve as a model for the skills that
Critically Reflective Pedagogy (CRP) considers central to a successful education, including critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global engagement. One of the goals of this pedagogy is to prepare students for the emotional and intellectual work they will engage in throughout their lives and the four skills highlighted aim to equip students for those challenges.
Reading this memoir offers students and teachers an opportunity to critically engage with the contemporary and controversial topic, and later apply the knowledge and skills beyond the classroom.
Nujeen explains that she hates the term “refugee” because of the psychological and physical impacts it has on the person bearing the title and anyone with whom he or she interacts.
It is important to note that despite her discomfort with the word and its use, she does not theorize 51 a more appropriate term or suggest that it stop being used. Rather, she asks the reader to examine the limitations of its definition and the stereotypes associated with the word in time with her own exploration. She counters the Orientalist categorization of peoples which serves to “polarize the distinctions” and “limit the human encounter between different cultures, traditions, and societies” by suggesting that differences can be a site for interaction rather than a reason for avoidance (Said 46). She tells the reader that all refugees are people and all have stories, just
like individuals who do not find themselves separated from their homelands (Mustafa and Lamb
12).
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair shows the interconnection of people all over the world through history, politics, mass media, and most importantly, emotions and the experiences that precede them. In doing this, the text challenges the term and literary construct of the refugee by granting the reader access to Mustafa’s interior life through her first-person, stream-of-consciousness narration. This style of narration, which does not allow the reader any emotional distance from the narrator’s experiences, requires readers to examine their knowledge, question the power structures behind it, and build empathy and global engagement skills. The text works against what Sara Ahmed calls the “affective politics of fear” which politicians and others use to inflate anxieties about certain groups (71).
Building on Said’s concept of us versus them, Ahmed explains how that which is considered
“outside” is deemed unsafe, while reifying that what is considered “inside” is safe (70).
In place of the “refugee” tale, Mustafa offers the audience a “human” tale about the desire to belong and the fear of loss, which encompass the feelings associated with all of themes highlighted by Lo, including displacement and separation. Mustafa reaffirms her right to dignity, safety, and opportunity by reminding readers as they experience the text that she and her fellow 52 refugees are people first. Her entire text encourages empathy and global citizenship by relating the feelings associated with refugeehood to all individuals. By acknowledging that all people hunger to belong and seek to avoid loss, for various reasons and at differing levels, she attempts to break down cultural barriers which account for intercultural miscommunications that can become obstructions for the inclusion of refugees.
Though I focus on the text Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, there are several memoirs and novels which chronicle similar journeys to Europe, that are also age-appropriate and can help to promote the development of critical thinking, empathy, source synthesis, and global engagement. A list of possible texts and short descriptions are included in this thesis (Appendix D). Teachers should choose the text which best supports the goals and objectives of their specific classroom. One possible alternative text is A Hope More
Powerful than the Sea: One Refugee’s Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival, which is written about Doaa al-Zamel, who has since settled in Sweden. Al-Zamel is a young woman who actively participated in anti-government rallies until she and her family had no choice but to leave Syria. Al-Zamel fled with her fiancée on a ship with 500 other refugees longing for a better life, but was one of only a dozen survivors after the ship was intentionally sunk by a group of men identified only as having spoken in “an Egyptian dialect” in the Mediterranean (Fleming
200). Her story ends after she has settled in Sweden and has been recently reunited with her family.
These refugee texts have a great number of similarities, but also display many differences that help to highlight that Syrians do not share one monolithic culture, as it is sometimes depicted in news media. The stories are as different as the young women in them; they came from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, grew up in cities on opposite ends of the 53 country, and held dissimilar roles in their families. Despite the similarities in their situations and the trajectory of their stories, they are also told in different manners. Al-Zamel’s narrative displays many more of the “good refugee” characteristics, but does not adhere entirely to this model. It is also told from a different point of view, having been written based on interviews with al-Zamel, whereas Mustafa is directly involved in the drafting of her text. This difference in point of view offers several different discussions – about authorial ownership, the representation of trauma, the impact of narration style, among other literary features – to classrooms discussing the Syrian refugee crisis. Also, having been written by an American woman, rather than by a high-proficiency English language learner and a British woman, the language of the text is more familiar to students. Some of the topics that are absent in A Hope More Powerful than the Sea are disabled characters and discussions of Kurdistan. Topics that appear in al-Zamel’s story but not Mustafa’s include specific discussions of Middle Eastern politics and the dangers of being a female refugee.
Throughout the rest of this chapter, I will demonstrate the engagement with the text
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair that educators could expect of their students in terms of critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global citizenship. I include an example lesson plan in this chapter and four full-length lesson plans (Appendix A) that can be used to help teachers manage classroom discussions of this text or similar works. Included in the lesson plans are several suggestions for passages from A Hope
More Powerful than the Sea that can act as compliments to sections from Nujeen in specific lessons. The lessons can also be reversed, so that teachers can use A Hope More Powerful than the Sea as the primary text, supplemented with Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War- torn Syria in a Wheelchair. An example of the suggested supplementing would be comparing the 54 scenes in each book where the girls begin their over-water journeys to Europe to identify different themes, literary devices, and focuses. I will also highlight how to use the actions and thoughts of the narrator as a teaching model for students, in regard to this text and beyond.
Nujeen offers a model of growth in regards to critical thinking, source synthesis, critical empathy, and global citizenship in the text. She works to improve each of her skills and offers students a strong example of how to use new information and experiences to inform new stances.
Focus on Critical Thinking
There is no single definition of critical thinking among education or English scholars, but most definitions share a focus on questioning information and using logical reasoning. For the purposes of this analysis, I will employ Sibela Pinochet’s definition: critical thinking is the ability “to understand, analyze, pose questions, and affect and effect the sociopolitical and economic realities” of day to day life (5). I chose this definition, because of its focus on thinking critically in order to act on societal problems. This definition also supports the goals of CRP, which includes teaching students about asking critical questions and using evidence to support the most reasonable positions, which is the goal of Maughn Gregory’s method – Procedurally
Directive Teaching (632). Gregory explains that positions should only be accepted “if they are supported by the strongest arguments and evidence available” and all people must be willing to change their minds, if more well-supported information appears. The CCSS also foregrounds the importance of critical thinking and its place in the Standards:
The Common Core asks students to read stories and literature, as well as more
complex texts9 that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as
9 For the purposes of this research, I will not be offering comment, at length, on the language of the Common Core Standards. The introduction to the ELA standards, seemingly locates literature beneath informational texts on a scale of complexity, but this thesis focuses on the skills that can be gained through critical attention to literature and the value of such attention at the secondary level. Teaching students to engage with works of literature that demand 55
science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that
push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses critical-thinking,
problem-solving, and analytical skills that are required for success in college,
career, and life. (CCSS)
The CCSS defines informational text as literary nonfiction and foundational U.S. documents and literature as stories, dramas, and poems (CCSS). The Standards for secondary students that actively engage critical thinking techniques include ELA Standards one, two, three, and eight, which ask students to return to the text to support analysis of central themes, understand plot developments, and identify “fallacious reasoning” (CCSS). The goal of teaching this skill is to produce critically minded adults, who can make informed decisions. Harvey
Siegel, Ken Winograd, and Carol Jago are amongst education scholars who believe that students need to be exposed to the techniques and applications of critical thinking with more humanistic goals in mind, such as civic engagement and global engagement (Siegel 5; Winograd 8; Jago vii). Dale Weiss highlights the importance of increasing students’ interactions with texts and activities that engage with the current historical and political moment (191). Making the material relevant and modeling the use of the skill in their daily lives increases chances of transfer to other classes and beyond (Weiss 199). Maria Glaus also argues that giving students contemporary literature increases student motivation and interest (408). While the CCSS suggest a context-free reading of classroom texts, they miss an opportunity to teach students how to use the skills gained in secondary school in “college, career, and life” as intended (CCSS). Weiss,
Barbara Comber, Pat Thompson, and Marg Wells offer detailed suggestions for teaching young students about social justice which can be redesigned for an older audience, including making
critical thinking about contemporary issues gives students tools that can be applied to informational and literary texts, alike. 56 cartoons and writing letters to administrators (Weiss 194; Comber, Thompson, and Wells 148).
These activities affirm Freire’s educational model – that knowledge must be taken beyond the classroom to act against oppression of all forms (67). Doing this requires a text which challenges students to think and discuss topics of import which they can affect.
According to Glaus, there are three components considered when assigning a text complexity score: qualitative dimensions, quantitative dimensions, and reader and task considerations (CCSS). Qualitative measures include “levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands” (CCSS). Word length, sentence length, and word frequency are among the considerations used in the quantitative algorithms of text and result in a Lexile score (see Fig. 5). Thousands of texts have been measured and are available on the Lexile framework website, but those that are not currently assigned a score can be scored through the Lexile analyzer, by licensed teachers with a subscription to the site. The Lexile analyzer compares the qualitative measures of the text to other works and to the expectations for each grade level. Books are then suggested for specific grades based on the numeric value assigned to it. The analyzer cannot make assertions about the qualitative measures that are important to the ranking of such works, which is why teachers are asked to consider the class and the individual students when assigning or suggesting literature for their students. 57
Text Complexity Grade Band in the Old Lexile Ranges Lexile Ranges Aligned to CCR Standards expectations K-1 N/A N/A
2-3 450-725 450-790
4-5 645-845 770-980
6-8 860-1010 955-1155
9-10 960-1115 1080-1305
11-CCR 1070-1220 1215-1355
Figure 5. The CCSS Lexile Standards. Teachers are advised to choose texts based on these Lexile levels for their classrooms. Students are expected to increase in level over the course of a school year.
Reader considerations are those that teachers make based on the performance and understanding of individual students. Since these are different for every person, there is no general yardstick by which to measure a text. Teachers are told to take these elements of a reader’s ability into consideration when assigning and discussing texts. The CCSS states that:
The reader brings to the act of reading his or her cognitive capabilities (attention,
memory, critical analytic ability, inferencing, visualization); motivation (a
purpose for reading, interest in the content, self-efficacy as a reader); knowledge
(vocabulary and topic knowledge, linguistic and discourse knowledge, knowledge
of Common Core State (of comprehension strategies); and experiences. (CCSS)
The Lexile range is a quantitative measure of text complexity, which teachers are encouraged to use for book selection. While the Lexile analyzer, a range assigning tool, is available online, it is only available through subscription. This tool is valuable for school districts who can make repeated use of it. Though I was unable to check the Lexile range of the 58 text, the syntax of Nujeen’s text was comparable to other literature texts on the secondary text exemplar list and the knowledge expectation was slightly higher. Additionally, the British terminology and spellings offer teachers a chance to engage with discussions of language ownership. The writers, being Syrian and British, use some unconventional language for
American English speakers.
Despite the unfamiliarity of some of the terminology, the text is clear and the story is easy to follow. In addition, the book is filled with foreign language words, like shahiba10 and yaba11, which require the reader to slow down and use context clues to decipher meanings.
Finally, this text likely exceeds the expectation in regard to knowledge demands. The main character and narrator Nujeen Mustafa is obsessed with facts and she includes extensive examples in the book. However, she does not offer much explanation for some of the information, which requires the reader to have or develop the contextual understanding of the topic or event she is explaining.
Since the CCSS chooses texts based on these measurements, it is crucial to note that
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair meets expectations for the qualitative measures. Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a
Wheelchair provides ample opportunities for students to gain a deeper knowledge of literary style, learn about a contemporary world issue, and develop critical thinking and analytical skills.
In addition to critically reading a text, students can see the main character engage in critical thinking exercises throughout her journey, in reference to her situation. Though she does engage in critical thought, she is as prone to biases and mistakes as anyone. It is crucial that students
10 Shahiba is Arabic for ghost and is used in Syria for members of a paramilitary group associated with the Assad regime that carried out surveillance and attacks on dissidents. 11 Yaba is the Kurmanji (Kurdish language) word for father. 59 understand that no person is above reproach and all can work to develop deeper understandings of different topics. Gregory encourages students that their understandings can and should evolve as they encounter new information (632). As Nujeen grows, she displays more engagement with topics she would have previously accepted without questioning and she becomes more confident expressing her questions about various institutions. Central to the use of CRP is the acceptance of mistakes, so one can make room for growth in his or her personal understanding of the world.
This makes Nujeen a model of these critical behaviors, such as self-reflection and a willingness to grow.
Nujeen opens her text with a quote from Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, that reads
“I see Earth! It is so beautiful” (Mustafa n.p.). Before reading the text, this quote has a distinctly optimistic tone. As a reader goes through the text, it takes on drastically different tone and meaning: one of distance and loss. Gagarin made this exclamation after he entered space and became completely separated from the Earth and its people. As Nujeen and her sister Nasrine trek across Europe, they see large expanses of the Earth but never get to be a part of it. Even when they are safely inside Germany, she is afraid that her actions will “give the wrong impression” because she is still unfamiliar with the world she now lives in (Mustafa and Lamb
234). She chronicles her lack of belonging throughout the text, from being the youngest child to being a disabled person to being a refugee. Though she does believe that the world she lives in is beautiful, she also expresses extreme sadness at her inability to fit into it.
The opportunities for students to develop and practice skills associated with critical thinking, like self-reflection, critical questioning, and a willingness to learn, are immense with a text like Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. Using the character as a model and building on the questions that she poses, but does not always answer, 60 are just two of the ways for students to engage with the text. Nujeen asks that the readers begin to see her and her fellow refugees as people first, which can begin with a critical approach to the term refugee, its limitations, its implications, and one’s own relationship to the concept.
The prologue, titled “The Crossing,” highlights Nujeen’s desire to be labeled a person first, rather than a “refugee” and the constant denial of that desire. She draws attention to moments when she and her family were treated as subhuman by those who simply wanted to profit from the situation. The first-person narrative immediately draws the reader into the text, insinuating them in the mind of the narrator, making the reader more likely to identify with the speaker. She tells the story mostly chronologically, but injects thoughts and memories as they arise, giving the story a feeling of fragmentation which mirrors actual thought processes.
People have always looked at me differently. My sisters are so pretty, particularly
Nasrine, with her long glossy mahogany hair and fair skin that freckles a little in
the sunshine. But me – well, I look more Arab, my front teeth are big and goofy,
my eyes roll around and go cross-eyed and my glasses are always falling off my
nose. And that’s not all. Maybe because Ayee12 was a bit old when she has me,
forty-four, I was born too soon – forty days which is the amount of time
Christians say their prophet Jesus fasted in the wilderness before his crucifixion.
(Mustafa and Lamb 23)
In this scene, Mustafa is explaining how her disability affects her appearance and she makes a mental connection – and relays it on the page – between how prematurely she was born and the number of days Jesus fasted before his death. Though this seems like an odd connection to make, especially for a young Muslim woman, but the topical jump is realistic and relatable. It
12 Ayee means mother in Kurmanji. 61 is common and even beneficial for students to make mental connections between information they have learned in classrooms – in Nujeen’s case, as home – and their own lives. Nujeen connects the information about Jesus, which she has learned while learning about Islam and
Christianity, from her mother and the books she is given.
Within this narration, she is able to highlight the tensions between what she experiences and how she processes it, later writing these down so others can also analyze the situations. Her narrative provides an uncommon viewpoint of the conflict – that of a young, disabled woman – that students can use to expand on their knowledge of the conflict and its sociopolitical impacts.
Edward Said explains that “the growth of knowledge” about the Middle East “is a very slow process,” which involves “accumulation, displacement, deletion” and reorganization of that which is deemed appropriate (176). Inserting her story into the knowledge production process complicates the stories told by people other than refugees. It also counters the collective feelings of hate and fear that Orientalist rhetorics create (Ahmed 43).
As knowledge about refugees is accumulated, more refugee voices should be heard and considered. Porter Anderson says that Nujeen wanted the book to make the world a better place
(3). Despite the presence of her voice, her agency is tempered by the presence of a co- author who also claims ownership of the product. Nujeen thanks Christina Lamb for “giving words to her story” (Mustafa and Lamb n.p.) in the acknowledgements, but the co-author is never mentioned in the text and she does not offer any comment on the work. Anderson writes that
“Lamb is also the co-author of I Am Malala with Malala Yousafszai and her fluency in portraying the resilience and determination of these young survivors is clearly on view again in this new book” (2). Lamb’s notoriety for such texts provides an opportunity for teachers to ask questions about 62 the author’s purposes. While Nujeen certainly paints a hopeful picture, she does not posit herself as a symbol of hope or resilience, which the title and description of the text do.
Instead, she paints an image of a young girl who is extremely vulnerable and naïve, especially as she describes the trip from Turkey to Greece. Nujeen explains that standing on the beach looking at Lesbos, across the Mediterranean is the first time she has seen the sea, followed in quick succession by other firsts of this journey. “It was the first time I had seen the sea. The first time for everything – travelling on a plane, in a train, leaving my parents, staying in a hotel and now going in a boat” she exclaims (Mustafa and Lamb 1). In these moments, she claims her individual experiences and makes connections with the audience’s nostalgia for the firsts in their lives. She communicates a child-like joy in moments like this, but rapidly follows them with chilling information about the realities of her situation. She explained that the smugglers weighed down the boats with “as many lives as” they could, but showed no concerns for those lives (Mustafa and Lamb 1). Realizations like this come throughout the text and become the core of her analysis of what it means to be a refugee, which she relates to being disabled several times in the book. She sums up this feeling best when she explains that “sometimes [she] felt [she] was just an extra member of the world’s population” (Mustafa and Lamb 33).
Mustafa begins the core of her story by telling the reader that she collects facts: historical, scientific, geographic, popular culture (Mustafa and Lamb 11). Initially, she explains her accumulation of facts happened without critically analyzing the information; she simply absorbed it and shared it with others later. She recalls learning conflicting information about
Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin – one of her role models – and notes that the media is deceiving her. Though she acknowledges that the contrasting information means one party is presenting false information, she does not analyze it carefully and address possible reasons or 63 implications. She accepts the deception and moves on, assuming the more positive report about him to be the correct one as it supports her beliefs (Mustafa and Lamb 40). Here, Nujeen demonstrates a lack of critical thinking by simply accepting the information she hopes to be true.
Teaching students that new information should alter their view is crucial to the objectives of
Procedurally Directive Teaching and the goals of CRP (Gregory 638). The ability to question information and seek out other sources to confirm or deny what one has learned is an essential step for developing strong critical thinking skills, which the CCSS notes are necessary for success after high school (CCSS).
It is not until she is nearly a teenager that she begins to ask questions of the information she is gathering, from the news media, the government, her television shows, and her own phenomenological experiences. She cites a moment when she realized that situations and people were more complicated than the stereotypes associated with them, from when she was a child.
Sitting on the balcony of her family’s apartment, she watched life bustling below and noticed a mass of images of the president Bashar al-Assad and his father, smiling and offering their support to the people (Mustafa and Lamb 29). Though she was an infant when he came to power, she recalls the hearing others bemoan the beliefs that they had about the Western-educated ophthalmologist and his wife. Syrians had hoped that he would “be more open-minded and change things” because of his Western education, but their reprieve from the violence of the
Assad regime was short-lived13. Nujeen suggests that the changes did not last, because of older military personnel who preferred his father’s leadership style (Mustafa and Lamb 30). She sadly
13 After Bashar al-Assad assumed power, following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, there were massive changes regarding the rights of the people. He initially freed political prisoners, lowered the military retirement age, and authorized the first independent newspaper in decades. This period was called the “Damascus Spring” and lasted for only two years. Bashar al-Assad soon began to employ his father’s violent, repressive tactics to address unrest and relied on the secret police to inform him of actions with which he did not approve (Mustafa and Lamb 30). 64 relates that “the West kept supporting Saddam for years, even giving him weapons but she does not question the actions of Western governments until later in her story, when she sees the
Western response to the refugee crisis ” (Mustafa and Lamb 36). It is then that she begins to wonder if is her understanding of the West that is flawed.
It’s actually illegal to lock up asylum seekers. The UN Convention on Refugees
allows a person fleeing conflict to enter a country without paperwork – only once
he or she has been refused asylum can they be locked up. But lots of EU countries
had been doing it for years – Malta, Italy and Greece – and nobody did anything.
(Mustafa and Lamb 122)
Nujeen struggles with the disconnect between her view of the West, which has been informed by democratic Western rhetoric, and the actions taken against refugees while she makes her trek to
Germany. Beliefs that the West is the world’s best source of democracy come from orientalist thinking which came to the height of popularity in the age of exploration. “Orientalism was ultimately a political vision of reality whose structure promoted the difference between the familiar (Europe, the West, ‘us’) and the strange (the Orient, the East, ‘them’)” (Said 43). Ahmed explains that the visceral response to subjects that are others can be explained by fear of what might be lost, when it is invaded by the other (43). Though Mustafa has no interaction with the
West except television until she arrives in Greece, she espouses the belief that Western nations are superior in regard to democracy. She critiques her own government for a lack of attention to democratic ideals, but does not suggest that the reason for this is the majority faith of the nation or the racial background of the people, as many Orientalists do. She provides an example of critical thinking when she engages with critiques of her government and those of the receiving countries, by localizing her understanding as she moves through the story. 65
When discussing this topic with students, starting small and working outward can help them to process the information. For example, if students were practicing critical thinking by questioning the actions of their local government, it may be helpful to start with a smaller system, like their school. Discussing how money is used, students are treated, or classrooms are organized can offer an opportunity for students to interrogate a local system critically before moving onto a larger system.
Asking students to identify unsupportable generalizations in reading and avoid them in their own work is an important element of critical thinking (Maughn 632). Maribeth Smith offers the CRAAP test to help students evaluate sources and their arguments (57). CRAAP stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose and each letter in the acronym is accompanied by a series of questions that help students determine if a source sufficiently meets each requirement (Smith 56). This tool can help them notice and learn how to question faulty reasoning, when they come across it in a text or their daily lives. In the text, teachers could ask the students to apply the CRAAP test to the sources that Mustafa uses in her learning process.
Another situation that would allow students to practice this credibility test is finding sources that explain the resettlement process in Germany in order to better understand Mustafa’s experience.
If comparing the UNHCR Country Chapter Germany and The European Resettlement Network
Welcome to Europe Germany Country Guide, students can determine that the UNHCR document was updated more recently, comes from a reputable source, and clearly explains the intention of the document. The Germany Country Guide, by contrast does not reflect new data, but was produced by the European Union and communicates its purpose well.
Once Nujeen arrives in Germany, more than a year after leaving her home, she more fully develops her understanding of refugeehood and her role on the world stage. Reflecting on her 66 journey, she explains her understanding of the word refugee and the problems with how the world perceives them.
I hate the word refugee more than any word in the English language. In German it
is Flüchtling, which is just as harsh. What it really means is second-class citizen
with a number scrawled on your hand or printed on a wristband, who everyone
wishes would somehow go away. The year 2015 was when I became a fact, a
statistic, a number. Much as I like facts, we are not numbers, we are human
beings and we all have stories. (Mustafa and Lamb 12)
In Germany, Flüchtling is the word used for refugee, escapee, and fugitive
(Langenscheidt German-English Dictionary). Using the same word for a refugee – a person who has fled from a dangerous situation – and a fugitive – a person who is fleeing from the legal system after committing a crime – highlights people’s discomfort with anyone who is different.
Using the same term for a criminal and a refugee labels refugees as dangerous and unwanted.
After interrogating the rhetoric of refugeehood and its relation to the treatment of refugees, she finds fault in the discrepancies between how refugees are discussed and how they are treated.
Though a refugee is a protected class of people in the United States and elsewhere, she sees individuals and governments ignore or intentionally harm those seeking asylum. As she notes, refugees are often relegated to second-class citizen status, when they are accepted, but many nation-states and governments have attempted to ignore them into silence. Nujeen’s story speaks out against such silencing, by relating the very stories of peoples’ exclusion and maltreatment, like one instance in which she and her family are harassed by a neighbor for seemingly no reason. 67
I guess she has a problem with refugees, not with us in particular. I hadn’t really
thought about what it meant to be a refugee, that you have no rights, and that
people might be intimidated and look at you as aliens or as people with no lives
who kill each other, not realizing that we do the same as them – get up in the
morning, brush our teeth and go to school or work. (Mustafa and Lamb 235)
Nguyen argues that in giving the gift of freedom to refugees, that is laden with expectations, receiving countries give both life and death (8). Refugees are often constricted in their receiving countries because of laws restricting residence or work and they feel the burden of being the “good refugee” in order to keep people on their side. Nujeen explains this need to be good after learning that her neighbors do not like them: “We were scared that maybe we would be taken away, so we try to be very quiet and stop the children from making any noise so she won’t complain” (Mustafa and Lamb 234). Refugees are bound by a sense of reciprocity and a desire to live a “normal” life (Nguyen 8). Reciprocity is the sense that one owes another for the gift they have been given. In the case of refugees, freedom is given with the expectation that the refugee will contribute to the receiving society in a positive way with limited support from the government. While Nujeen does not move beyond her basic questioning of the impact of this gift on the identity of the person, students can build on her foundational questions.
The central tenets of CRP include teaching students to be more empathetic toward
Others, through exposure to literature by an othered group. In service of this goal, students must be taught to use critical thinking skills so they can employ “rational thought and action” as adults
(Maughn 628). By teaching students to question the situations that texts like Nujeen: One Girl’s
Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair present and the power structures at play in them, ELA teachers give students a chance to engage with a contemporary issue in real time. 68
Focus on Source Synthesis
Another skill that is critical to the CCSS for reading, writing, and social studies is the ability to synthesize sources and explain their meanings and relationships. Source synthesis refers to using common themes from multiple sources to support an argument. The CCSS suggests that when reading literature this comes in the form of comparison activities – students are asked to assess the similarities and differences between a story in two mediums, before writing critical papers on those elements – and synthesizing a literary and factual version of an event (CCSS). This skill is one that is considered essential in college courses and the work place, so it is of importance for teachers at the secondary level. Having texts which both offer a model of this process and a chance to engage in synthesis activities can improve students’ synthesizing ability. As CRP also considers source synthesis to be a crucial skill for students, several activities are focused on synthesizing sources or discussing how Nujeen does so in the text.
After living in Manbij for several years, Nujeen’s family moved to Aleppo so she could receive better treatment for her cerebral palsy and severe asthma. The only housing available was a fifth floor apartment with no elevator, which made it impossible for her parents to move her and her wheelchair up and down the stairs with ease. Her location and the inaccessibility of the city made it impossible for Nujeen to attend school, like her other siblings (Mustafa and Lamb
28). Her third sister Nahra “didn’t think [her] disability should be an excuse not to learn” so she taught her to read and write in Arabic and Nasrine would beg for books from local schools
(Mustafa and Lamb 28). Mustafa’s unconventional education offers an interesting take on the accumulation of knowledge. In a traditional school setting, students are presented with information, asked to find and share information, and are required to make use of that knowledge through tests and projects. Paulo Freire argued that many school systems relied on this banking 69 method of education which he likened to a teacher depositing information into passive students
(65). Freire and Ahmed explain that such methods can facilitate national attachments to oppressive rhetoric, which relies on the notions of us and Other (Freire 67; Ahmed 73). Creating an environment where students can pose problems and investigate solutions is necessary for liberating educational experiences. In order to teach students to critically assess their surroundings, students must not be persuaded by the teacher (Gregory 628). The Georg Eckert
Institut, a German educational organization, designed a curriculum for German schools to directly address the refugee crisis which highlights the goal of allowing “students to voice their own opinions in a self-reflective and critical manner” (Georg Eckert Institut 3). This curriculum relies on students’ ability to synthesize several sources about the refugee crisis to get a more complete view. The curriculum created by the Georg Eckert Institut offers several solid examples for American curriculum relating to refugees, such as creating safe discussion spaces, acting on classroom lessons by encouraging students to talk with teachers and administrators about the issue, and highlighting the best ways to help refugee students integrate. Despite the usefulness of the curriculum, it offers only two lessons in English and is largely designed for elementary students.
Nujeen gives an example of an Othered population being ignored in the school system in
Syria, because of limited sources about the population. She highlights the way that the Kurds are
ignored in the curriculum for Syrian children, noting that they are called ajanib14 in their home country (Mustafa and Lamb 16). The state-run curriculum seeks to undermine discussions of an independent Kurdistan by outlawing the traditions and history of the people.
14 Ajanib is the Arabic word for foreigner and it is considered an insult, in most cases. Many Kurds who reside in Syria don’t have ID cards, which label them citizens who can buy property, vote, and go to school. 70
The funny thing is many of the famous ‘Arab’ heroes are Kurds and no one
admits it. Like Saladin, who fought off Crusaders and kicked Europeans out of
Jerusalem, or Yusuf al-Azma, who led the Syrian forces fighting the French
occupation in 1920 and died in battle. There is a huge painting of Saladin and his
Arab armies in the reception hall of Assad’s palace and we have so many squares
and statues named after Yusuf al-Azma, but no one says they are Kurds. (Mustafa
and Lamb 16)
Nujeen, who is proud of her Kurdish heritage, shares several Kurdish folktales and bits of history throughout the book that she learned through oral tradition and storybooks. While she is hostile to those who are responsible for outlawing the practice of her family’s traditions, she does not wish for her history to replace the Syrian curriculum. She only hopes that more people have access to information about Kurds (Mustafa and Lamb 15). Passages like this one offer excellent opportunities for students to engage in discussions about such practices in their own schooling. A source synthesis activity could involve synthesizing information about Middle Eastern populations from several history textbooks to discuss how Othered groups are talked about in the
United States education system.
Also, in a traditional school setting, students also have teachers to guide them through materials, help them make connections, and develop their understanding. Because Nujeen did not have teachers, her experience with learning was self-directed, meaning she focused on the things that interested her, rather than those expected by a school. After realizing that she understood an
English word on a television show, she began to look for other programs to improve her language skills. 71
I started being more targeted. I watched Dr Oz, a programme about health, for
medical words, thinking maybe one day I would go to a hospital outside for
treatment; Masterchef for food and culinary terms; America’s Got Talent for
cultural references; wildlife programmes for names of animals; documentaries for
historical and scientific thought which could be useful if I ever went to college
(even if I had never been to school!). But general conversation was of course from
Days. (Mustafa and Lamb 99)
By piecing together language information, she developed a reasonable English repertoire, which proved useful when she arrived in Greece, where she interpreted for her group.
She also cobbles together a detailed world history from many sources including documentaries, textbooks, biographies, and historical fiction stories. One of the themes that she notices is a fascination with the “bad people” (Mustafa and Lamb 59). She notes that she doesn’t know much about Nelson Mandela or Gandhi, but she knows more than she would like to about
Stalin and Hitler because these are the people who are written about. She challenges the way the knowledge that is considered important and the names that become history, asking: “In fifty years, is it going to be the same with Assad?” (Mustafa and Lamb 60). She dreads the thought that “people will remember all about him and not the good people of Syria” (Mustafa and Lamb
60) and makes it a cause of hers to learn more about the good people in the future. Her instinct to focus on the oppressed group, rather than the oppressor directly relates to Critical Pedagogy.
Freire explains that liberating education is that which seeks to humanize the oppressed group, rather than regard them as statistics (34). In this vein, Nujeen makes it a point to avoid giving credit to or focusing on the persons in power throughout her text. 72
Until Nujeen is forced to flee Syria with her family, she uses her skill at synthesizing sources for her education. After she leaves Syria, it becomes a matter of survival. Refugees passed information through various official and non-official channels that others had to decode and make use of. In order to make the safest decisions and to keep track of loved ones, refugees needed to follow Facebook pages, watch several different newscasts, and check YouTube for travel tips. Nujeen recounts the closing of several of the borders in the Balkans, shortly before she and Nasrine reached them, which she learned about through Facebook and YouTube. “We were watching it on YouTube, everyone queuing up at the border fence with desperate faces like in war movies and their belongings in bags and bundles. We were also on the phone with people there who said it felt like Doomsday” (Mustafa and Lamb 118). By finding information about their route on a combination of Facebook, YouTube, and over the phone, Nujeen and her sister are able to navigate several roadblocks along their route.
However, these channels are often incorrect, causing added stress to an already difficult journey. While Nujeen only mentions Facebook sharing false or incorrect information, In A
Hope More Powerful Than the Sea, Melissa Fleming recounts the al-Zamel family trying to use
Facebook to find Doaa and her fiancé, Bassem. One such Facebook page called “Fleeing from
Death to Death,” publishes announcements of boat arrivals (Fleming 239). Several conflicting stories shared through social media led the family first to believe that Doaa and Bassem were alive, then that both were dead, then that one was dead. Nujeen and other refugees are constantly synthesizing sources to find the best paths to and information about loved ones. Despite Nujeen’s distaste for bad news, she constantly must read about the deaths of neighbors and the mistreatment of refugees on the trail. “I was trying to overcome my aversion to watching news as we needed to know what was happening on the migrant trail” (Mustafa and Lamb 164). Nujeen 73 demonstrates several important skills here including source synthesis, critical thinking, and a willingness to grow as a learner. She actively synthesizes sources when she seeks out various reports about the migrant trail and combines the information for a more full and strong picture.
Then, she critically assesses the information, contending with contrasting coverage and deciding on the reliability of the source materials as she goes. Finally, despite disliking the news because of the constant stream of sad stories, she continues to engage with it, in order to learn. Even when the stories she hears do not agree with her beliefs or do not match with her experiences, she listens and uses the information to make informed choices.
Though students in American classrooms are not likely to use source synthesis to this end, her experiences offer a chance to ask questions about curating knowledge and the practical applications of source synthesis. Teachers can reinforce using the CRAAP test to analyze the credibility of sources, either those used by Nujeen or sources about the Syrian crisis that are used in the classroom. Looking for similarities and differences in the themes and information in the sources can be the start of synthesizing activities related to the text. Using the sources that
Nujeen and her sister checked during their trip offers an opportunity to discuss the use of synthesis in daily life, with nonacademic sources.
Focus on Critical Empathy
Ahmed writes that emotion is often considered inferior to reason and some emotions, including compassion are associated with softness in the individual that employs it (2). The same is true of hard emotions as well. In the same way that emotions are often used to label individuals, Ahmed explains that they are also associated with whole nations (Ahmed 2). Soft nations are those that are penetrated by people seen as Other, such as refugees (Ahmed 42). Said writes that by developing a rhetoric of national identity based on the division of peoples, 74
Orientalists could justify negative treatment of the Others (40). The same rhetoric served to spread false information and stereotypes about groups in the Middle East. Now that refugees from the Middle East are fleeing to Europe, hate groups are using the rhetoric of “softness” to encourage fear of penetration by Others (Ahmed 43). Rather than framing this empathy as a positive quality, Ahmed explains that it is used as a symbol of vulnerability. CRP relies on critical empathy as defined by Andrea Lobb (602). She explains that this type of empathy is enacted from dissolving the point of privilege, meaning that the person engaging in empathetic actions would give up their position of authority (Lobb 603). This form of empathy requires actions that support the autonomy of the person in the liminal position. Critically Reflective
Pedagogy highlights the value of empathy as both an individual and a national quality. Teaching students to use empathetic thinking in combination with critical reasoning serves the goals of the pedagogy and the needs of the students. The CCSS aims to prepare students for college and the workforce, both of which require soft and hard skills.
In addition to English, Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a
Wheelchair was also printed in German, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Italian, French, Dutch,
Spanish, and Portuguese (Anderson 2). The languages correspond with several Western receiving countries. By providing this text in these languages, Nujeen and Lamb are trying to bridge cultural gaps between refugees and people in receiving countries. Some of these cultural gaps include clothing, religion, food, and lifestyle. This text asks readers to look beyond outward appearances at the traits and emotions that make people similar. Nujeen addresses the feelings of belonging, fear, loss, betrayal, confusion, and shock, among others throughout her journey. For example, in the section titled, “To Lose a Country,” Nujeen tells the story of the day she left
Syria. “Tears ran down my face” she writes, as she describes crossing the border with her family 75 members while knowing that her Aleppo was only two hours away (Mustafa and Lamb 107). She begs her country for forgiveness as she leaves it behind for a chance to be free. Nguyen questions the reality of freedom for refugees, who give up power in the process of being gifted with freedom (7). While few students in American classrooms are likely to have this particular experience, most are familiar with the feelings associated with moving to a new place, meeting new people, and learning the customs of a new home. Using these empathetic feelings to compel positive actions can have important results; students get experience with noticing, critiquing, and using pathos in arguments. Ahmed argues that love can be used to create a new national ideal, which can be taught through multicultural, contemporary works of literature (16).
Though the CCSS does not include any standards related to soft skills, other countries have set precedents for including skills such as empathy in their educational standards. The
Finnish educational standards include a requirement for historical empathy for secondary students according to Jukka Rantala, Marika Manninen, and Marko van der Berg (323). The historical empathy standard asks that students interact with historical figures, the choices they made, and the context in which the decisions were made to encourage students to feel more compassionate towards people they have never met (Rantala, Manninen, and Berg 324). This standard supports the goals of CRP and its component methods. Additionally, Evie Blad explains that many American elementary and secondary schools have started including soft skills, such as cooperation and social cohesiveness, on report cards in order to show parents how their children are developing socially, as well as academically (1). The implementation of these measures highlights the interest, on the part of schools, to teach students skills that make them successful learners and compassionate individuals. Anne Lopez discusses the role that English classrooms have in the development of compassionate individuals, saying that it is a crucial place for 76 learning “critical approaches to the consumption and production of language” (75). Freire suggests that empathy is a valuable skill because it allows people to see the humanity of Othered subjects, which Choo argues is necessary for student growth (Freire 39; Choo 336).
Nujeen’s text provides an excellent opportunity for students to develop an understanding of empathy and improve their ability to use empathy in the classroom and beyond. Readers must grapple with the concept of empathy as a theoretical exercise, in which they unpack their feelings about the topic at hand, and a physical act, meaning they do something with their understanding of another. As Lobb defines, critical empathy requires action and reading, both of which Nujeen provides (604). This definition of empathy supports the educational model Freire envisioned and is central to CRP. Giving students the chance to read a contemporary novel which addresses controversial issues that still need to be remedied allows them to practice empathy in several scenarios.
Despite developing an empathetic tone in the text, Nujeen displays a complex relationship with empathy throughout her story. Though her character is an easy person to “feel bad for,” she is also stubborn, rude, and critical at times when the reader does not expect it.
Woolley notes that silence and passivity are often expected of refugees (388), but Nujeen’s narrative highlights that these are not the only responses refugees have to trauma because their responses are as varied as the people themselves. Nujeen recounts that after landing in Greece,
“[her] aunt Shereen kissed the shore and started praying. Others hugged each other or the volunteers. Nahda was crying” (Mustafa and Lamb 149). Nujeen admits to a reporter that she actually enjoyed the trip because she “didn’t think [she] will have the chance again” (Mustafa 77 and Lamb 150). Since she and her relatives did not go through the normal channels, they did not have to endure multiple interviews, in which they would tell their stories. However, when given the chance, Nujeen reacts actively rather than passively, telling her story in a public manner.
As Nujeen reminds us in her story, refugees are just like everyone else and her moments of fear, annoyance, and discontent are examples of this. Nujeen is affected by her situations just like other persons would be, but it is her position as a refugee that makes the reader expect different behavior. It is at these moments that students are likely to be able to relate to Nujeen the most: when she is simply behaving like an ordinary teenager. Rather than simply being thankful, as Nguyen suggests is expected of refugees, Nujeen is also highly critical of the situation she is in. In a chapter titled “Thank You Mama Merkle” she writes about waiting to be processed once arriving in Germany. “This wasn’t quite as welcoming as we had imagined” but she felt that she could not complain, because at least she was allowed into Germany (Mustafa and Lamb 216). In a classroom, teachers can ask students to discuss their expectations and how Nujeen measures up to them, in regard to her critical treatment of receiving countries.
Throughout the story, Nujeen intentionally contrasts beautiful descriptions of her home with graphic representations of the violence occurring there. Doing so is jarring for the reader and adds to the book’s overall tone of disorientation. In one such scene, she graphically contrasts the beauty of a souk15 with the violence that is now occurring there.
The souk and covered bazaar had become a front line. My sisters used to love
going there and had told me about its miles and miles of magical lanes where you
could buy anything from its famous soap to the finest silks, linger in its baths or
15 Souk means market in Arabic and they are usually open-air markets, where people can move between stalls to buy various products. 78
sip tea and swap stories in its tiled caravanserai. Once I gave Nasrine all the
money I had saved from several Eid festivals and birthdays and she bought me a
gold chain there which was the most precious thing I owned. Now it had become
a place where rival snipers trained their rifles and shells almost every afternoon.
In September we saw in TV that the ancient souk had been set on fire. Hundreds
of years of history burnt down. (Mustafa and Lamb 73)
Her matter-of-factness highlights the stark contrast between “miles and miles of magical lanes” and “rival snipers trained their rifles and shells fell almost every afternoon” (Mustafa and
Lamb 72-73). In this scene, the reader is granted access to a positive memory of a life before war but then is jolted back into the present by the sudden realization of the differences between then and now. Her long, flowing sentences at the beginning of this selection changes to abrupt, short statements when she starts to describe the violence. The striking juxtapositions force the reader into the story and ask readers to imagine the feelings that one would experience in this situation.
Using these emotions to remind readers that refugees are people just like them, who experience pain and joy, she highlights the inhumanity of their situation.
The book contains dozens of scenes of similar uncomfortable juxtapositions, of various magnitudes, which offer students a chance to engage with the reasons for such authorial choices and the impact these choices have, a primary goal of two of the English Language Arts (ELA) standards for 9th – 10th grade and 11th – 12th grade (CCSS). They can also have a critical discussion about what information she chooses to include. For example, why focus on the souk rather than hospitals or schools16, which were also targets of extreme aggression by regime
16 The bombing of hospitals and schools is the primary focus of the text Dear World: A Syrian Girl’s Story of War and Plea for Peace, written by eight-year-old Bana al-Abed. The text is written at a lower reading level than most secondary students, but also contains information that could supplement Nujeen in a classroom. 79 forces? How does the way she presents the information highlight biases on the part of the author?
What feelings does the author hope to elicit from the reader and what actions can happen because of them? She also narrates what she expects of her freedom, which is simply to have opportunities not available to her in her home for various reasons. Nguyen notes that the
“individual is understood to be ‘free’ on the condition that he or she act autonomously,” which is negated by the expectation of gratitude on the part of refugees (10).
A critical reading of these scenes would require students to engage with the power dynamics involved in reading about the situation of a person of lower status, in addition to the significance of animal imagery and the history of dehumanization of non-Western bodies.
Nujeen questions the cause of situations like this which give one human the power over another’s life and how the liminal position of the refugee affects their identity. In many instances throughout the story, people are forced to wear identifying marks typically associated with livestock, stripping them of their agency and identity. They are assimilated into the larger group of refugees which is viewed as monolithic and granted limited rights. The stories in which she relates being turned into just another statistic or an object are some of the most effective use of her narration style. She calls on a Holocaust image: numbers printed on skin as identifiers, rather than names, which immediately invokes feelings of revulsion for many. The reader is put into her shoes, being treated sometimes slightly better because of her wheelchair – but also sometimes worse – and must experience her thoughts as this occurs. She experiences people being given colored ribbon to tie on their wrist for identification, moved with cattle prods if they did not move fast enough, and drowned because of the negligence of those who promised to secure them passage to “safer” homes. 80
[The people smugglers] were taking the money of people who had already lost
almost everything and were leaving them begging. Then there were ones who sent
people, even children, to sea in substandard boats. I don’t like to judge someone,
but what kind of man sends someone to die and makes money from it? (Mustafa
and Lamb 136)
Nujeen calculates the money a person likely makes per crossing to be about $30,000 and at the time of writing, there had been 300,000 crossings. Students can discuss the differences in power that Nujeen explores through her characters by asking who has autonomy and who does not, as well as questioning why that is the case. In this scene, Nujeen and her sister have no option to return to their family and no one to ask for help except the smugglers, who care little for their well-being. The goal of such a discussion is to highlight the differences in power and encourage students to “operate in the service of the Other’s autonomy” through empathetic acts
(Lobb 603). All of these experiences lead her to reassess the meaning of refugee and work to encourage readers to do the same.
Without engaging in a critical reading of these scenes, readers are likely to “feel sad about their suffering, an ‘aboutness’ that ensures that they remain the object of ‘our feeling’”
(Ahmed 21). When empathy is approached from this position, students are not relinquishing their privilege and according to Freire, cannot truly work for changes (34). Teaching students to use critical empathy, which eliminates the power differential between the subject and object of an emotion, gives readers the tools to make social changes outside of the classroom (Lobb 603).
Nujeen does not include a physical call to action as other Syrian refugee memoirs do. Instead, she asks readers to change their mindset, making her call to action a mental exercise rather than a 81 physical response. She does not ask readers to make donations or welcome refugees at train stations, though she expresses happiness at seeing those actions. Instead, she asks readers
to be more open to her story and those of other othered subjects. By asking readers to empathize with refugees this way, she asks them to engage in the critical empathy described by Lobb.
Nujeen’s text encourages the reader to use that empathy to disengage from the rhetoric that the
Other - in this case, persons seeking asylum – “endanger what is ours” in favor of a position that is open to the inclusion of such persons.
Focus on Global Citizenship
The CCSS explains that students must be prepared to enter “twenty-first-century classroom and workplace[s]… in which people from often widely divergent cultures” must work together (CCSS). Despite this goal, the CCSS does not provide many opportunities for students to engage with works from other cultures (Glaus 410). Additionally, the only “contemporary” text suggested for high school students was printed in 2001 and represents few of the modern conflicts with which students must learn to contend. Suzanne Choo argues that the globalization of American education – which gives students access to more diverse ways of thinking and points of view – is required for the development of global citizens (336-337). Aoileann Ní
Mhurchú argues that global citizenship reverses typical citizenship rhetoric, which relies on the insider/outsider dichotomy (7). Teaching students to reject this dichotomy is central to CRP because such a perspective is necessary for encouraging action for social causes. Ali Abdi and
Lynette Shultz explain that proclaiming oneself as a global citizen includes two inherent assumptions: there are universal norms that should be recognized and that people have transboundary responsibilities (41). For the purposes of classroom use, I suggest teaching these as two different skills: awareness – gain knowledge about other cultures and people – and 82 engagement – using the knowledge obtained for social justice purposes. Students can work on these skills individually and simultaneously in the classroom, where assignments can be tailored to address these to differing levels.
Again, using Nujeen’s text offers a valuable opportunity to have discussions about global citizenship, for several reasons. First, the question of citizenship is at the forefront of the Syrian refugee crisis. Whether one is addressing the violation of the rights of Syrians in their own country or their right to enter another country, their citizenship is in question. Abdi and Shultz write that citizenship is accompanied by rights and responsibilities and these are denied to
Othered subjects (4). Nujeen is denied rights and responsibilities throughout the text. She deals with the complicated politics of citizenship repeatedly in her story, as she is a disabled, female, and Kurd, whose rights are limited because of her status.
We decided to leave because life had stopped in Gaziantep. The Turks might have
let us into their country, but they didn’t like us. Once we had been proud Syrians
from an ancient culture. Now we were refugees – nothing. Bland couldn’t work,
Nasrine couldn’t study. On the plus side there were no wild cats and dogs and no
bombs or shelling, though is anyone dropped anything or if a car exhaust
backfired we jumped. But truly it was pretty miserable for us Syrians in Turkey.
On top of that, we were Kurds. The only way to work was illegally, and then you
were at the mercy of Turkish bosses who took advantage by paying rotten salaries
and sometimes nothing. (Mustafa and Lamb 115)
She personally questions the system that limits her rights in her own country and beyond.
When Nujeen used the word “nothing” to describe refugees, she is referring to the lack of rights she has, the loss of possessions, and the loss of history. Though refugees in several countries are 83 given aid – money, housing, or health care – as a part of the gift of freedom, they “cannot hope to acquit [their] debt, they are often left with little” (Nguyen 5). Nujeen knows, at this point, that she has fewer rights than Turkish citizens, as well as other Syrians. Her siblings are unable to earn a living to support their family and their Kurdish traditions are even less accepted in their new country than in their home country.
Second, she also expresses her desire to see a greater global response to the refugee crisis. She notes throughout the text that she feels betrayed by people in power, from Assad to
Mr. Obama, because their actions or inaction caused harm to common people. After having lived in fear of the Assad regime and the Daesh forces for several years, she is angered by the limited response of foreign governments, who are not as involved as she feels they should be.
Just after we left Manbij in August 2014, [Daesh] besieged Mount Sinjar17 where
thousands of Yazidis18 had fled after Daesh massacred hundreds of their people in
surrounding villages, including children telling them to convert or lose their
heads, and seized hundreds of women to rape and enslave. Seeing those
desperate people trapped on the mountain with no food or water finally made the
world do something. The US and British helped Iraqi forces airlift the Yazidis off
the mountain, and the following month the US and a few Arab countries like
Jordan, UAE and Bahrain began airstrikes in Syria. A bit late, Mr. Obama.
(Mustafa and Lamb 117, emphasis added)
17 Mount Sinjar is a peak in the Sinjar mountains, located in northwestern Iraq. It became the scene of a chaotic rescue during an ISIS siege on a Yazidi village in August 2014. 18 Yazidis are a small religious sect of Kurdish descent, whose beliefs – a combination of Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism – have long made them the target of violent attacks. They are considered a pre-Islam religion and ISIS has targeted them as devil worshippers, killing men and boys and enslaving women and girls. 84
Her biting sarcasm in the final line of this passage demonstrates her dissatisfaction with the actions of a country, who claims to be a champion for human rights. What can be read as ungratefulness is unexpected of refugees, because their debt is so great that it can never truly be repaid (Nguyen 5). Rather than showing her gratitude for their actions, she criticizes their delayed response which put the lives of thousands more people in danger. In singling out the
United States for criticism, she briefly revisits her critique of the West. She holds “Mr. Obama” and therefore the country he represents responsible for their inaction. She also mentions that only a few Arab countries have come to the aid of Syrians during this conflict, despite their intertwined cultures, religions, and histories. She continues in her critique of the Western response to the crisis when she is traveling Europe with Nasrine, most pointedly when they arrive at the Hungarian border to find that the country has closed its doors to refugees. “You’d think a country like Hungary, which had been cut off from western Europe behind the Iron
Curtain for twenty-five years, would be the last one to build a fence” (Mustafa and Lamb 179).
Her exasperation at the treatment of refugees fleeing war can be heard in statements like this throughout her text. Having learned about the Iron Curtain during her self-education in Aleppo,
Nujeen is surprised by the inhospitable response to others fleeing oppression. Ahmed explains that many countries prefer to be viewed as hard rather than soft and penetrateable, which leads them to close borders and reject foreigners in various situations (2). Nujeen and Nasrine experience this first hand when they arrive at the Hungarian border just as it is permanently closed to migrants.
In the chapter titled “Widen Your World,” Nujeen recounts leaving Gaziantep, Turkey, where she and her family have lived in exile for a year. Though she is frightened to leave her parents and one brother behind, she is excited by the prospect of seeing places she has learned 85 about, learning new things, and experiencing European cultures which she has dreamed about for many years. What she experiences does not live up to her expectations. However, her knowledge of the world and her constant questioning of the situations around her allow her to safely traverse
Europe with her sister. One of the situations that offers a good discussion of global citizenship is when Nujeen explains to her brother Bland’s trip across Europe before her. After being detained in Bulgaria, Bland needs to make a difficult choice – to use some of his limited money to bribe a guard to release him or remain in Bulgaria indefinitely – to continue toward his brother Shiar in
Germany.
Conditions in the Bulgarian jail were terrible, but Bland’s biggest fear was that he
would be fingerprinted. All migrants know about the Dublin regulation, which
says a person should request refugee status in the first EU country they arrive in.
Once you’ve touched the inkpad with your fingers and pressed them on paper,
you are trapped in that country as it means you have registered a claim there, even
unwittingly, and must stay there until authorities of that country either approve
the asylum request or send you home. We’d heard of plenty of people stuck in a
country they didn’t want to be in and which didn’t want them either, waiting for
the wheels of bureaucracy to turn slowly. Bland knew he must avoid this, so he
paid a bribe not to be fingerprinted and was released. (Mustafa and Lamb 123)
This scene highlights the transactional nature of the gift of freedom that assure the dominance of the giver over the receiver (Nguyen 7). Nguyen argues that this system reinforces colonial power structures in which Western powers “give” and “take” from Eastern subjects, limited the ability of the subject to move or grow (8). In a classroom, the teacher can lead a discussion about this concept of giving a gift, asking questions such as those that follow: (1) how 86 do you feel when you receive a gift? (2) does that feeling change if the gift is extremely generous? (3) how much is too much to receive as a gift? (4) when you receive a gift that is too generous, what do you do? (5) Can countries or governments give gifts? Like what? How so? (6)
How do these feelings relate to the “gift of freedom” which is explained as an empire granting freedom to a refugee? Though such a discussion may seem out of place in a secondary classroom, it can and should be scaled appropriately to the level of a given class.
Asking students to consider this complex topic on a localized level gives them the chance to connect with the characters in a personal way. They also interact with a world issue, encouraging them to participate in global society by learning about it and acting on that knowledge. This situation also raises the question: can anyone truly be a global citizen while the nation-state system exists, which claims citizens as its own? Mhurchú suggests that to do this, one must redefine citizen, using the self as the point of reference, rather than the nation (164-
165).
Nujeen’s work encourages readers to participate in global affairs on two fronts: learning about them and engaging them in whatever ways possible. In the case of Syrian refugees, that may mean learning about the history of Syria and talking to a refugee to better understand their position. Like the other skills of CRP, Nujeen reports increasing her global awareness and engagement as her story proceeds. She gains awareness of other cultures and their definitions of citizenship as well as the confining definition of refugee and its effects on her rights. She also engages with other cultures and ways of life on her trip. At the start of the memoir, Nujeen admits that she refused to watch the news because she did not want to see the sad stories.
Confined to her fifth floor apartment, Nujeen effectively avoids the outside world. Though she knows scores about world history, she is uninformed about the world she lives in because she 87 feels that she cannot fully participate it in. When she begins her journey from Aleppo, she tries to change avoidance behaviors so she can be informed for her own sake and that of others. “I was trying to overcome my aversion to watching news as we needed to know what was happening on the migrant trail” (Mustafa and Lamb 164). Teachers should encourage students to continue to grow in their involvement of world affairs, without needing to experience the trauma that Nujeen did. Asking them to increase their knowledge through the literature and other sources, such as newspapers and documentaries is a gateway to having students feeling responsible for Othered persons and working toward social changes.
As the Syrian civil war continues into its seventh year, texts written by refugees still in the country and those who have found asylum outside of it are increasing in availability, offering students and teachers more of a chance to critically engage with the conflict in text. Texts like
Nujeen’s deserve room in the curriculum because they provide the chance for teachers to meet and exceed CCSS requirements for critical thinking and source synthesis in the classroom, while also teaching students to engage compassionately. The goal of teaching Nujeen: One Girl’s
Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair with CRP is to encourage students to carry the skills learned in the classroom into their everyday interactions to promote the development of a more empathetic and globally focused generation of individuals. Students need to be taught to use critical thinking and source synthesis to arrive at reasonable decisions, but they must also learn to leverage empathy and global citizenship in the service of others (Gregory
630). Using Said, Ahmed, and Nguyen to analyze Nujeen’s experiences and the story she tells, I argue that Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair asks readers to engage on an emotional level with refugees, because at that level all people are the same. Nujeen explores the politics of fear and belonging in her journey and calls people reading 88 her story to reconsider their understandings of refugees as people rather than statistics or burdens.
The main character and narrator, Nujeen Mustafa, offers an excellent model of the aforementioned critical skills, as her narrative is a critical exploration of what it truly means to be a refugee. Through critical analysis of her situation and several different sources, she finds a disconnect between the rhetoric of refugeehood and the reality of a refugee, which she challenges readers to engage. She synthesizes various forms of media to develop a more complete image of being an othered body. Additionally, she struggles with the distinction between sympathy and empathy, asking readers to choose empathy because of its implication for action. Finally, she details her journey to becoming a global citizen, both in the physical sense, as she traverses several countries and the mental sense, as she develops a more nuanced appreciation for the wider world. Through a combination of her experiences and her self- education, she reaches a conclusion about the role and status of the refugee in the modern world: he or she is a nationless individual who is treated like a problem to be solved by much of the world (Mustafa and Lamb 12). Her uses of words like “nothing,” “extra,” and “problem” to describe how she felt as a refugee highlight the ways she was made to feel because of her status as an othered character. She asks the reader to challenge this rhetoric by first opening their minds and hearts to her story and those of other refugees. She posits instead that specific experiences associated with refugees are undergirded by emotional and physical responses to similar stimuli.
Ahmed writes that emotions are often devalued when compared to logic in the West and I suggest that Nujeen’s narration provides a foil to that approach (3). Using emotions, including several that do not fit the “good refugee” model, as the base of her story reminds readers that all individuals have sought belonging on some level, and most people have survived a loss, despite 89 the differing nature of those losses. She does not measure her suffering against that of others or request special treatment; instead, she asks to be accepted as fully human and fully free.
“Since leaving Aleppo, we had travelled more than 3,500 miles across nine countries from war to peace – a journey to a new life, like my name [Nujeen]19” (Mustafa and Lamb 215).
Nujeen is aware that her new life does not come without stipulations, but she is cautiously optimistic about her future and that of her family in Germany. She notes that Germany is a place called home, rather than home itself, and that she is grateful for the opportunities she has there, but that the journey has changed her. She is no longer the little girl that left Aleppo and she fears that after all the changes she and her country has undergone that they may not recognize each other, if she gets the chance to return. Like Nguyen, Nujeen is suspicious of her ability to be truly free given her status as a refugee, but she ends the memoir by acknowledging that “there are lots of good things in this society and [she’d] like to put them with good things from [her] society and make a Nujeen cocktail20” (Mustafa and Lamb 268).
19 Nujeen means “new life” in Kurmanji. 20 Mustafa explains her Nujeen “cocktails” in the beginning of the book as her way of making the best of bad situations. In this case, she is trying to reconcile missing her home with being happy and safe, so she says she will make a Nujeen cocktail from the best things about both societies. 90
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are designed to assure that students graduating from high school are college or career ready, but the Standards fall short in preparing students to think both critically and compassionately about literature. In addition, they do not address multicultural or contemporary literature, though preparing students for a globalized and diverse world are two of the primary guidelines for the English Language Arts (ELA) Standards.
It is my priority to highlight the importance of literature in teaching children how to contend with difficult topics in their everyday lives and how teachers can encourage students to be judicious readers and considerate individuals. If the goals of the Standards are to prepare students to participate in U.S. public life, they must attend to the emotional and academic development of the students, in tandem. Wayne Au and Barbara Waxman argue that the CCSS fails to encourage critical thinking by focusing on the four corners approach to reading and there are no mentions of emotional development in the Standards (26).
Doing so requires adding more contemporary texts that address complex and controversial issues that expect that students consider both intellectual and emotional responses.
Danielle Lillge and Diana Dominguez argue that texts that explore topics of social justice “invite us to consider the perspectives of those whose viewpoints and experiences differ from our own”
(33). I chose the Syrian refugee crisis as a model because the topic is currently of national concern, literature about the crisis is becoming more widely available, and a personal interest in the representation of Muslims in Western media. Given the continuing conflict in Syria and the widely-accepted detrimental perception of refugees, I felt that this thesis offered me a chance to counter that perception and provide teachers the tools to help students better understand their roles in the current political and social climate. According to Maughn Gregory, controversial 91 topics give students a chance to navigate their understandings of a contemporary world issue in a space where teachers act as guides to disciplinary approaches, rather than topical authorities
(633). Critical Pedagogy is commonly used with multicultural texts, like those suggested in this thesis, but an inattention practical instructions, technology’s role in the crisis, the students’ emotions, and current literature means that this method also needs updating.
Teaching students to engage critically with various sources about the crisis, as well as consider the humanity of the individuals affected requires a new teaching method that addresses the gaps in Critical Pedagogy and expands upon CCSS goals. In this thesis, I set out to provide a method for teachers to do just that, by providing both a new pedagogical model – Critically
Reflective Pedagogy (CRP) – and an example of close reading for Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible
Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. CRP is developed from four other teaching methods, including Critical Pedagogy, Procedurally Directive Teaching, Launching Lessons, and
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. By combining elements of each – the social justice focus of
Critical Pedagogy, the inquiry method of Procedurally Directive Teaching, the classroom organization and several activities from Launching Lessons, and the responsiveness to student needs from Culturally Relevant Pedagogy – CRP addresses the shortcomings of Critical
Pedagogy and the CCSS. Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a
Wheelchair is only one text from the growing refugee genre and could be replaced with other similar works, at the discretion of the teacher.
All the lesson plans and pedagogical instructions can be used for discussing contemporary social justice issues or humanitarian concerns other than the Syrian refugee crisis.
Suzanne Choo suggests that globalizing literature can help to “cultivate students’ responsibility toward the Other” (345). By focusing on a book that addresses humanitarian issues, students can 92 engage in empathy and global citizenship activities in addition to critical thinking and source synthesis assignments. Paulo Freire wrote that “solidarity requires that one enter into the situation of those with whom one is solidary” (34) and this sentiment became the cornerstone of
Critical Pedagogy. The “radical posture” (Freire 34) that he explains requires those in power to give up the privileges associated with their position in order to create change. By focusing CRP on developing empathy for the service of others, the method follows the model of Critical
Pedagogy. Using the discussion tools suggested by CRP and focusing on contemporary literature gives students the chance to use the empathy skills they are developing in service of encouraging taking their learning to their nonacademic lives. I argue that CRP is one solution to the shortcomings of Critical Pedagogy and can act a supplement to the expectations already included in the CCSS.
Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair tells Nujeen
Mustafa’s refugee story, which she frames as a human story. The text does this to engage the reader’s empathy and encourage people to view refugees as average people who share feelings and experiences with the reader. Though the losses that Nujeen experiences are likely different from those suffered by a given reader, the memoir offers the reader a chance to relate based on the emotions that are connected with loss. By inviting the readers into Nujeen’s shoes, through first-person, stream of consciousness narration, the text provides a close-up of the conflict, as well as the struggles and successes of those living through it. Asking students to interrogate the rhetoric about refugees in the text and their everyday lives gives them a chance to use the knowledge outside of the classroom, which is an essential element of CRP.
Throughout this research, there were several limitations that I would hope to eliminate in a continued study of Syrian refugee literature and pedagogy. The two major limitations include a 93 lack of input from current secondary teachers and an inability to assess the Lexile range of the text. While these two limiting factors impacted my research, I plan to revisit them in later research, in hopes of updating the project.
In the original design, I had planned to interview teachers to better understand their choices in the classroom. Questions about the ELA Standards, the texts they use, how they teach them, and what they found beneficial or disadvantageous about several pedagogical methods were going to help me to develop CRP. Doing so would highlight the needs of the educators and their comfort with controversial, contemporary texts. I also intended to send a survey to the same teachers after creating the pedagogical approach, asking questions about the details of the pedagogy and their comfort in adopting it, with or without the specific text. The data collected from these surveys would help me tailor the pedagogical approach. Without these interviews, I relied on current classroom research about controversial topics, the CCSS, and empathy as a teachable skill.
In future iterations of this project or further research, there are four areas that could be expanded upon in order to strengthen the case for Critically Reflective Pedagogy and contemporary literature in the secondary classroom. First, detailed interviews with secondary teachers on all the aforementioned topics will help to orient and direct future research. Second, it would be beneficial to calculate the Lexile range of several Syrian refugee narratives to decide what level learners would benefit most from them. In addition, the Lexile range can also highlight the text complexity that the CCSS feels is representative of informational texts, but not literary texts. Additionally, a quantitative measure of CRP in classrooms will help researchers and teachers develop the method to suit different classrooms and texts. This test may take the form of pre- and post-reading unconscious bias tests for the students or a questionnaire focused 94 on students’ understanding of the materials. While there are several other formative and summative evaluations that could be used to measure the success of the method, these two offer a wealth of data that can be used to improve the method. Comments made by teachers about the method or changes in the classroom should also be considered. Finally, I would like to create close reading guides for several different contemporary texts to be used in a literature unit together. Using the tenets of CRP, I would design materials for teachers to use and adapt in their classrooms to focus soft skills and global citizenship in schools. 95
WORKS CITED Abdi, Ali. A., and Lynette Shultz. Educating for Human Rights and Global Citizenship. State University of New York Press, 2008.
Ahmed, Sara. The Cultural Politics of Emotion. Edinburgh University Press, 2004.
Anderson, Porter. “Nujeen Mustafa’s Journey from Syria to Literary Stage.” Publishing Perspectives. 21 October 2016. https://publishing perspectives.com/2016/10/Nujeen- mustafas-journey-syria-literary-stage/. Accessed 31 May 2018.
Alsup, Janet. “Teaching Literature in an Age of Text Complexity.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, vol. 57, no. 3, 2013, pp. 181 – 184.
Al-Jazeera. “Syria’s Civil War Explained from the Beginning.” Al-Jazeera. 14 April 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/syria-civil-war-explained- 160505084119966.html. Accessed 1 May 2018.
Asher-Shapiro, Avi. “The Young Men Who Started Syria’s Revolution Speak About Daraa, Where it All Began.” Vice News. 15 March 2016. https://news.vice.com/article/the- young-men-who-started-syrias-revolution-speak-about-daraa-where-it-all-began. Accessed 20 September 2017.
Au, Wayne, and Barbara Waxman. “The Four Corners Not Enough: Critical Literacy, Education Reform, and the Shifting Instructional Sands of the Common Core State Standards.” Critical Literacies and Young Learners: Connecting Classroom Practice to the Common Core, edited by Ken Winograd. Routledge, 2015.
Blad, Evie. “Is Your Child Showing Grit? School Report Cards Rate Students’ Soft Skills.” Education Week, vol. 36, no. 33, 2012, p. 1.
Choo, Suzanne S. “Globalizing Literature Pedagogy: Applying Cosmopolitan Ethical Criticism to the Teaching of Literature.” Harvard Educational Review, vol. 87, no. 3, 2017, pp. 335 – 356.
Common Core, Inc. Grade 10: Unit 3 – World Literature: Africa and the Middle East. Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts: Grades 9-12. Jossey-Bass, 2012.
Fleming, Melissa. A Hope More Powerful than the Sea: The Journey of Doaa Al Zamel. Flatiron Books, 2017.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The Continuum Publishing Corporation, 1968.
Glaus, Marci. “Text Complexity and Young Adult Literacy: Establishing its Place.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, vol. 57, no. 5, 2014, pp. 407 – 416. 96
Goldstein, Rebecca A. “It is a Conceptual Thing: Learning to Live Critical Pedagogy.” Useful Theory: Making Critical Education Practical, edited by Rebecca A. Goldstein, Peter Lang, 2009, pp. 216-235.
Gregory, Maughn Rollins. “The Procedurally Directive Approach to Teaching Controversial Issues.” Educational Theory, vol. 64, no. 6, 2014, pp. 627-648.
Government of the United States of America. “Country Chapter USA.” UNHCR Resettlement Handbook. March 2017. http://www.unhcr.org/en- us/protection/resettlement/3c5e5a764/unhcr-resettlement-handbook-country-chapter- united-states-america.html. Accessed 10 December 2017.
Hussein, Haisam. “Mapping the Flight of Syrian Refugees.” VQR: A National Journal of Literature and Discussion, vol. 90, no. 4, 2014, pp. 1-2.
Hedley, Mark, and Linda Markowitz. “Avoiding Moral Dichotomies: Teaching Controversial Topics to Resistant Students.” Teaching Sociology, vol. 29, 2001, pp. 195-208.
Jago, Carol. Foreword. Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts: Grades 9- 12, by Common Core, Inc. Jossey-Bass, 2012, pp. vii – ix.
Kingsley, Patrick. “Balkan countries shut down border as attention turns to new refugee routes.” The Guardian, 9 March 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/09/balkans- refugee-route-closed-day-european-leaders. Accessed 11 October 2017.
Lillge, Danielle, and Diana Dominguez. “Launching Lessons : Framing Our Approach to Multicultural, Multivoiced YA Literature.” English Journal, vol. 107, no. 1, 2017, pp. 33 – 40.
Lo, Aline. Manifested Destinies: Refugee Narratives in Contemporary American Literature. Dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2013.
Lobb, Andrea. “Critical Empathy.” Wiley Constellations, vol. 24, no. 4, 2017, pp. 594 – 607.
Lopez, Anne. “Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Critical Literacy in Diverse English Classrooms: A Case Study of a Secondary Teacher’s Activism and Agency.” English Teaching: Practice and Critique, vol. 10, no. 4, 2011, pp. 75-93.
Malo-Juvera, Victor. “A Postcolonial Primer with Multicultural YA Literature.” English Journal, vol. 107, no. 1, 2017, pp. 41 – 47.
Mapping Germany: Migration Politics and Integration Courses. Georg Eckert Institut, 2016.
McHugo, John. Syria: A Recent History. Saqi Books, 2014.
McKnight, Katherine S. Common Core Literacy for ELA, History/Social Studies, and the 97
Humanities: Strategies to Deepen Content Knowledge. Jossey-Bass, 2014.
McLaren, Peter. “Critical Pedagogy.” In Knowledge and Power in the Global Economy: Politics and the Rhetoric of School Reform, edited by D.A. Gabbard. pp. 345-352. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Miller, Howard M. “Teaching and Learning About Cultural Diversity: A dose of empathy.” The Reading Teacher, vol. 54, no. 4, 2000 – 2001, pp. 380 – 381.
Ma’oz, Moshe, and Avner Yaniv. Syria Under Assad: Domestic Constraints and Regional Risks. Routledge, 1986.
Murnen, Timothy. Active Learning Lesson Plan Template. Unpublished. 2017.
Mustafa, Nujeen, and Christina Lamb. Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. William Collins, 2016.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. “English Language Arts Common Core State Standards.” National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010.
Newkirk, Thomas. “Unbalanced Literacy: Reflections on the Common Core.” Language Arts, vol. 93, no. 4, 2016, pp. 304-311.
Ní Mhurchú, Aoileann. Ambiguous Citizenship in an Age of Global Migration. Edinburg University Press, 2014.
Nguyen, Mimi. The Gift of Freedom: War, Debt, and Other Refugee Passages. Duke University Press, 2012.
Noack, Rick. “Germany Said It Took in More than 1 Million Refugees Last Year. But It Didn’t.” Washington Post. 30 September 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/09/30/germany-said-it- took-in-more-than-1-million-refugees-last-year-but-it-didnt/?utm_term=.8dd166dbdf63. Accessed 4 September 2016.
Pew Research Center. “7. Opinions on U.S. international involvement, free trade, ISIS and Syria, Russia and China.” As Election Nears, Voters Divided Over Democracy and ‘Respect.’ 27 October 2016, http://www.people-press.org/2016/10/27/7-opinions-on-u-s- international-involvement-free-trade-isis-and-syria-russia-and-china/. Accessed 1 September 2017.
Pinochet, Sibela. Critical Pedagogy Practice Specifics with Adolescents. Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2017.
Pucher, Laurel. “Disruptions of the Self-Narrative: Musings on Teaching Social Justice Topics in 98
a Research Methods Course.” Promising Practices, 2014, pp. 51-55.
Ramarajan, Dhaya, and Marcella Runell. “Confronting Islamophobia in Education.” Intercultural Education, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 87-97.
Rantala, Jukka, Marika Manninen, and Marko van der Berg. “Stepping into other people’s shoes proves to be a difficult task for high schools students: assessing historical empathy through simulation education.” Journal of Curriculum Studies, vol. 48, no. 3, 2016, pp. 323 – 345.
Reiner, Joseph. “‘Teach Me How to Work and Keep Me Kind” A Mediation on Literature in High School.” American Educator, 2016, pp. 29 – 31, 44.
Rizvi, Fazal. “Representations of Islam and Education for Justice.” Race, Identity, and Representation in Education, edited by Cameron McCarthy, Warren Crichlow, Greg Dimitriadis, and Nadine Dolby. Taylor & Francis Group, 2005, pp. 167 – 178.
Robinson, Robin A. “The Whole Person in Front of Me: Toward a Pedagogy of Empathy and Compassion.” Transforming Classroom Culture, edited by Dallalfar, Arlene, Esther Kingston-Mann, & Tim Sieber. Palgrave Macmillian, 2011, pp. 143-163.
Rybakova, Katie, and Rikki Roccanti. “Connecting the Canon to Current Young Adult Literature.” American Secondary Education, vol. 44, no. 2, 2016, pp. 31 – 45.
Said, Edward. Orientalism. Vintage Books Edition, 1979.
Shannon, Patrick. “Developing Critical Consciousness: Children and Teachers Reading Wide Awake.” Critical Literacies and Young Learners: Connecting Classroom Practice to the Common Core, edited by Ken Winograd Routledge, 2015.
Siegel, Harvey. Educating Reason: Rationality, Critical Thinking, and Education. Routledge, 1988.
Smith, Maribeth D. “Arming Students Against Bad Information.” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 99, no. 3, 2017, pp. 56-58.
Tarlau, Rebecca. “From a Language to a Theory of Resistance: Critical Pedagogy, the Limits of “Framing,” and Social Change.” Educational Theory, vol. 64, no. 2, 2014, pp. 369-392.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. 28 July 1951. www.cms.emergency.unhcr.org/documents. Accessed 2 August 2017.
Weiss, Dale. “We Teach Who We Are: Reflections on Teaching for Social Justice With Young Children.” Critical Literacies and Young Learners: Connecting Classroom Practice to the Common Core, edited by Ken Winograd Routledge, 2015. 99
Winograd, Ken, editor. Critical Literacies and Young Learners: Connecting Classroom Practice to the Common Core. Routledge, 2015.
Woolley, Agnes. “Narrating the ‘Asylum Story’: Between Literary and Legal Storytelling.” Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, vol. 19, no. 3, 2017, pp. 376 – 394.
Zembylas, Michalinos, and Elena Papamichael. “Pedagogies of Discomfort and Empathy in Multicultural Teacher Education.” Intercultural Education, vol. 28, no. 1, 2017, pp. 1 – 19. 100
APPENDIX A. LESSON PLANS FOR NUJEEN: ONE GIRL’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY FROM WAR-TORN SYRIA IN A WHEELCHAIR
Origins of Knowledge - Abridged Pre-Reading Activity Grade Level - 11-12th Overview Common Core Standards This activity is used to start the discussion about Syria, the civil war, ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL and the refugee crisis, employing methods to encourage students to 11-12.1 and 6 interact with materials more critically. Taught before students have read the book, it is intended to prepare them for the material and emotions they will encounter. Rationale & Big Question Materials What are your preconceptions about Syria and refugees? Where do ● Questions these ideas come from? ● Container Learning Objectives ● Journals 1. To learn how and when to use the Model for Meaning-Making. ● Teacher prep articles 2. To promote dialogue and discussion. - https://www.cfr.org/backgro 3. To create the basis of knowledge for the literature unit. under/whos-who-syrias- Lesson Hook Word Association Time: 10 min. civil-war ● After the teacher has written the words USA, Syria, Islam,- refugee, asylum, terrorism, immigrants, Kurdistan, and - http://www.aljazeera.com/ne Islamophobia on the board, students will be given no more than ws/2016/05/syria-civil-war- 10 minutes to answer one of the questions provided to them explained- (suggestions provided on longer assignment). 160505084119966.html ● A student should collect the papers and give them to the teacher- to read. Students should read “A Brief History of the Syrian ● Suggested Student Refugee Crisis”, while the teacher sorts the responses. Only articles those responses that don’t adhere to classroom etiquette rules https://www.cfr.org/backgro should be discarded. under/whos-who-syrias- Central Learning Task Time: 30 min. civil-war ● Students will break into groups to address responses, after the https://wmich.edu/dialogues/ teacher models the thinking process necessary by asking texts/orientalism.htm questions and building on students’ answers. ● After students have been given the prompts, the teacher should https://www.thenation.com/a walk around and lead discussion in each group. Students should rticle/islam-through- work in their groups for about 15 minutes, using the internet or western-eyes/ available texts to assess the responses of their classmates. ● Students will have the chance to explain their groups’ thinking http://evelynalsultany.com/? and answer questions about the origins of their knowledge. page_id=9 Closure Time: 10 min. • The last five minutes should be dedicated to collectively adding https://www.brookings.edu/b the information a group learned to a Google Doc. They should log/markaz/2016/03/04/what also be assessing the validity of the source using the CRAAP -do-americans-really-think- model. They will likely need more than ten minutes, so this can about-syrian-refugees/ be continued as homework. Assessment http://www.pewresearch.org/ Students will be asked to reflect on this activity in a journal, which the fact-tank/2017/01/30/key- teacher will collect and read throughout the unit. facts-about-refugees-to-the- u-s/ 101
Origins of Knowledge – Expanded Pre-Reading Activity
Skill Focus: Critical Thinking
Activity Summary: Using a five-step process, which the developing teacher called a deconstruction web, but I refer to as the Model for Meaning-Making, teachers will lead students through a discussion about their knowledge of the Syrian refugee crisis and the origins of that knowledge. Taught before the students begin reading Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, this lesson is designed to serve as a model of the critical and empathetic thinking necessary for engagement with such texts.
To prepare, teachers should print “A Brief History of the Syrian Refugee Crisis” (Appendix C) or prepare a digital version for the students. They should also familiarize themselves with the CRAAP method, source list, and the definitions of the terms provided for the activity. A detailed list of definitions and their sources is included below. Sources have all been checked for validity, but students should be encouraged to find other sources, as well. It is crucial to CRP that students co-construct the knowledge in the classroom by contributing to it in various ways. Teachers can include the words on the handout with the questions or show both on the board. All of the definitions, except Islamophobia, are derived from Encyclopedia Britannica entries about the subject. Islamophobia is defined by Dhaya Ramarajan and Marcell Runnel.
- The United States of America (USA) is a federal republic of 50 states, 48 of which are contingent. The nation was declared independent from Britain in 1776 and the last state was admitted to the union in 1959. Located in North America, the country is situated between Canada and Mexico, and the capital is in Washington, D.C.
- Syria was declared independent from France in 1946 and has been ruled by the al-Assad family, first Hafez, then his son Bashar, since 1970. Syria is located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea and south of Turkey. The Syrian capital of Damascus is located in the southwest corner of the nation, near Lebanon. The Civil War broke out in 2011, after internal pressures and the Arab Spring encouraged citizens to rebel against the regime.
- Kurdistan is a “broadly defined geographic area traditionally inhabited mainly by Kurds” but is not a recognized nation. It covers an area in Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia, but the topic is highly controversial in all of these countries. Kurmanji is the official language of the Kurdish people and is spoken as a first language by most people who identify Kurdish heritage in the region of Kurdistan.
- Islam is a monotheistic religion started by Prophet Muhammad in Arabia in the 7th century CE in which the believer surrenders to the will of God (Allah in Arabic). Allah is considered “the sole God—creator, sustainer, and restorer of the world” and Muhammad is his messenger. In Islam, Muhammad is considered the last of a series of prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and Jesus. The holy book of this religion is called the Qur’an (often spelled Koran in English) and it is complemented by the hadith (the sayings of the prophets) and the fatwas (interpretations of the Qur’an).
- A refugee is an involuntary migrant, who has crossed a national border and so no longer has the protection of his or her former government. Prior to the 19th century, there were few laws regulating asylum, but nations now make legal decisions about asylum seekers that adhere to the United Nations refugee policies. In the United States, a person can be considered a refugee if 102
(s)he has a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, political beliefs, nationality, or membership in a particular social group, has left their country, and is currently residing, but not settled in a third country. Typically, the goal of a refugee is to return to his/her home country, after the threat to his/her safety is neutralized.
- Asylum is “the protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen against his own state. The person for whom asylum is established has no legal right to demand it, and the sheltering state has no obligation to grant it.” There are three forms of asylum available to persons fleeing persecution, according to international law: territorial, extraterritorial, and neutral. In ancient times, the word denoted a place of sanctuary and a person could not be removed from the location.
- The systematic use of violence to create fear in order to achieve a political aim is terrorism. The word was first used in 1790s in reference to Maximilien Robespierre’s carried out mass executions during the French Reign of Terror. Terrorism has been used by groups with political purposes on the left and the right, nationalistic and religious groups, and government institutions. A lack of consensus regarding the definition of terrorism and the use of “legitimate” force by a governmental body makes the regulation of terrorist activity difficult.
- Immigrants, unlike refugees, move voluntarily from one country to another. Whether they move in search of work, better conditions, or to stay with family, immigrants typically hope to resettle in the new country.
- Islamophobia is a bias or unfounded dislike of Muslims or Islam, especially as a political force. The term was coined in the 1970s to refer to words and actions taken against Muslims, because one believes that they are bad, dangerous, or undeserving of citizenship. The FBI formally classifies Islamophobia as a hate crime and incidences have increased greatly in the wake of violence committed by groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The suggested questions to start this activity are included below. The goal of having the words and questions available is that students at varying levels of knowledge can participate. Students should be instructed to answer one of the questions below. If answering questions other than number one, students may use the words list to help them answer.
1. Explain your understanding of the relationship between any two of the eight words on the board/handout. 2. Where have you encountered information about Syria or Islam? Who was responsible for creating and sharing that information? 3. What do you know about the asylum process? How is it different to be a refugee than an immigrant? 4. What situations or events would make you consider seeking asylum in another country? What country would you apply for? Why? 5. Explain how the Syrian civil war and subsequent refugee crisis affects you, today. You can also consider other refugee crises.
After students have worked on their responses for about 10 minutes, teachers should provide “A Brief History of the Syrian Refugee Crisis” for students to read, while the teacher sorts through responses. The discussion will be divided into groups, so that as many responses as possible are discussed in class. Once students are divided into groups, the teacher should model the next portion of the activity with the class. Imagine one response says: “there is relationship between Syria and Islam, because everyone in that part 103 of the world believes in Islam.” Teachers should begin by breaking the answer into its parts by asking questions like those provided in the example below.
TEACHER: First, where can we find information on religious demographics? STUDENT A: Online, in a textbook, or an encyclopedia. TEACHER: All of those are great places to start. Let’s continue to dissect this response. Another part of this person’s response is about geography. Where is Syria located on the map? STUDENT C: (points to Syria on map) TEACHER: Great! What region of the world is Syria in? STUDENT D: The Middle East? TEACHER: Correct. So, now we need to find some basic information on the Middle East. Finally, raise your hands if you are familiar with Islam at all?
From there, the teacher should ask the students to begin looking up those elements, either in a simple Google search or available books. The teacher should circulate around the room and help all of the groups break the response they are looking into up into parts. After completing the activity, each group should compile their information into a Google Doc (if students have access to the internet and computers) or handwritten notes that they can use for the assessment.
Assessment: Students are asked to reflect on the experience in their journals, because reflection is a central part of CRP. Reflecting allows students to think about the activity away from their peers and consider more closely how they felt during the activity. The list of questions below can serve as a starting point for this reflection, as it is the first that they will do while reading this book. Questions are phrased as “I” questions, so students are practicing asking themselves reflective questions while working. Students are not expected to answer all of the questions, but teachers can decide what elements are most important to the goals of the classroom.
1. Did I learn anything today that contradicted what I already knew? If yes, What was it? How do I feel about that and why do I feel that way? 2. How did using the Meaning-Making Web feel? What did I like or dislike about it? Why did I feel that way?
Lesson Goals: There are three main goals for this lesson, which focus on three of the four tenets of CRP: critical thinking, source synthesis, and critical empathy, respectively. After this lesson, students should:
1. Be familiar with the steps of the meaning-making web and how to use it when evaluating knowledge or information. 2. Know how to compare and contrast multiple sources (across several mediums) to gain a better understanding of a topic or situation. 3. Have a better understanding of the asylum process and what may cause a person to seek refuge in another country.
Handouts: Provided with this expanded lesson plan are the handouts that teachers will need for this activity. All students should have access to both the CRAAP and Model for Meaning-Making handouts. 104 105
MODEL FOR MEANING-MAKING Adapted from Anna Lopez
This tool is designed to be flexible, so that people with different starting positions can be involved in the same process of meaning-making. For this reason, they are not labeled by step. Depending on the goal of the activity and the knowledge threshold, one can start at any of the positions and work their way through the cycle.
Evaluating
Reflection Critique
Action Collaboration 106
Step Explanation When to Start With It
Evaluating Break a statement/argument down into its When you know something component parts to make sure that you about the topic or have a pre- understand the whole idea. held belief about it.
Critique Question where the information came from, When you do not know who benefits from it, who is involved in its something about the topic or creation and sharing, if it can be verified, and do not have a pre-held belief what opposing viewpoints exist. about it.
Collaboration Work with others to compile information When working in a group in about the statement, so as to gain the most which some members have complete understanding possible and fill in more extensive prior gaps in your knowledge. knowledge than others.
Action Make use of the information. In a school When you are being pre- setting, that may mean a presentation. In an evaluated on your knowledge extracurricular setting, it may mean having a or you are an expert on the conversation or writing to a politician. topic already.
Reflection Think back over what you learned, the When you have feelings process, and how it felt, so that you can about working on the topic, consider this when learning new information. but not on the topic itself. 107
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes – Abridged Mid-Reading Activity 1 Grade Level - 11-12th Overview Common Core Standards After having read 1/3 of the book (110 pages), students will engage in ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL an activity intended to develop empathy skills and encourage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 discussions about the emotions explicit and implicit in Nujeen’s story. ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI 5 and 6 Rationale & Big Question Materials What feelings does Nujeen Mustafa express explicitly and implicitly? • Yes/No card What evidence can you find to support that? How can you relate to the • Discussion Guide feelings she expresses? • Interview Guide Learning Objectives • Copy of Nujeen: One • To use textual evidence to support a claim about literature. Girl’s Incredible • To explain the significance of literary choices to the story, the Journey from War-torn emotions evoked, and the overall message. Syria in a Wheelchair • To draw connections between the text and oneself. Lesson Hook Time: 5 min. • Students should close their eyes and listen to the teacher read “Forgive me, Syria” in Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. This will be the section that is primarily discussed. Central Learning Task Time: 25 min. • Students will move from one side of the classroom to the other depending on their agreement with the questions voiced by the teacher. When the answer is yes, they should walk to the YES sign and when it is no, they should walk to the NO sign. A list of questions is provided in the extended lesson plan. o Have you ever moved to a new house? A new city? A new state or country? o Were you given a choice in the move? Did having a choice change your feelings about moving? • Based on the responses, teachers should ask students to explain how they feel and build the discussion from personal to about many people to about the book. A discussion guide is provided in the extended plan. o How did the move make you feel? Why did it make you feel like that? What would you do differently now? • Students should also be allowed – even encouraged – to respond to classmates by asking questions and developing the discussion. Closure Time: 15 min. For the final 15 minutes of class, students will write down five or more questions that focus on the emotional and mental state of one of the characters other than Nujeen, from the story, as if it were an interview. Students will be asked to complete – fill in the character’s responses – the contrived interview as homework. Assessment Students will use textual evidence from the story to complete the character’s side of the interview, which they started in class. The teacher will return the interview with questions and comments, which can be used to have another discussion about emotions and tone. 108
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes – Expanded Mid-Reading Activity 1
Skill Focus: Critical Empathy
Activity Summary: After students have read 110 pages of Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, the teacher will lead a discussion about the emotional impact of moving to a new place, starting with the students and cycling out to the book. This lesson is designed to demonstrate critical empathy, by showing students that they experience similar emotions to those expressed in the story, despite having different circumstances.
To prepare, teachers should reread the chapter “Forgive me, Syria” as it will be the primary section used at the start of the discussion. Teachers should also have printed, cut, and hung the YES/NO sign on either side of the classroom and prepared the handouts, digitally or physically for the students. They will need the two-page interview guide to do their assignment. It is crucial to CRP that students spend time developing their empathy skills, as well as their hard skills, like critical thinking. Even more importantly, it is necessary that they are engaging in critical empathy, which means that they forfeit their position of power, so that they can affect change from the level of the person with which they are empathizing. Additionally, the CCSS supports the preparation of students for the 21st century, globalized world, so practicing their empathy skills for someone who is entirely different from them also aligns with this goal.
When students have arrived in class, ask them to pull out a notebook and pencil, but nothing else. For the lesson hook, the teacher will ask the students to close their eyes and visualize what is being read. (S)he will read the chapter “Forgive me, Syria” to the students to remind them of what they have read and highlight the chapter that will serve as the focus of the discussion. It is important to read with expression and instruct students to try to picture the scene as best as possible.
After having read the section, ask students to open their eyes to begin the discussion. The goal of the discussion is to bring them into the thoughts of the character by localizing the feelings that she mentions. To begin, use the discussion guide to frame the discussion about emotions related to their own experiences first. Use the guide loosely, as it is more important to respond to the students than to follow the list of questions. Make sure to be modeling empathy as they are speaking, by listening intently and being as understanding as possible. Answers will vary drastically, so be prepared for students to share feelings as divergent as “I was ecstatic to move to a new place” and “I didn’t speak to my parents for a week after the move.”
When you arrive at question 5, you will be bringing the discussion back to the book, so that students can make connections between the book and their own lives. Students can sit down at this point, because the remainder of the discussion does not involve moving. Below I have listed some of the feelings that are explicit or implicit in the text, that students may suggest. - Lost - Sad - Disappointed/annoyed (with herself) - Disillusioned - Scared/terrified - Angry (with Daesh) - Exhaustion - Surprised - Hopeful - Aware 109
Since English is her third language, some of her choices of feeling words are limited, but students should be using stronger vocabulary to express their own emotions as well as hers. After the discussion has wrapped up, tell students that they should write down any unexpressed ideas in their reading journals, so that you can still hear what they have to say.
Close the lesson by handing out the interview guide sheets and explaining the expectations to students. Have them work on the questions while in class, so that you can help them. Remind them that they should be thinking about the discussion when crafting their questions and that they can use evidence from any part of the book that they have already read. Give the students about 15 minutes, if you are working on schedule with the lesson plan to do this part of the assignment. Explain that the rest of the interview – the answers – will be their homework.
Assessment: Students are asked use textual evidence to write the other half of the interview they started in class. The CCSS requires that students are able to “Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain” and “Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed)” when reading literature, and the activity requires them to practice empathy skills. Thinking like another person based on what one knows to be true about them Give them the amount of time you expect them to need to finish and hand in this assignment. Lesson Goals: There are three main goals for this lesson focus on improving a student’s ability to empathize with others. After this lesson, students should: 1. Be able to identify explicit and implicit emotions in a text, which contribute to the theme and tone of the work. 2. Discuss their emotions, compare and contrast them with the characters’, and express their understanding or lack thereof understanding for another person’s situation. 3. Relate their experiences with those of the characters in the book and show empathy for those experiences. Handouts: Provided with this expanded lesson plan are the handouts that teachers will need for this activity. All students should have access to the Interview Guide. 110
Discussion Guide
1. Have you ever moved to a new home? Was the new home in a different city? State? Country? a. If yes, how did you feel about the move? How important was the location or distance of the move to how you felt about it? b. In no, how would you feel if you were forced to leave your home tomorrow and move somewhere you have never been before? 2. Did you move with your family? a. If yes, what was the cause of the move? Did moving with your family make it easier or harder? b. If no, who did you move with (if you are comfortable explaining)? Did moving without your family make it easier or harder? 3. Did you get to choose to move or not? a. If yes, what difference did that make in how you felt? b. If no, what difference did that make in how you felt? 4. Was the move sudden or rushed? a. If yes, how did that change the way everyone felt? What was the effect of the time crunch on the move? b. If no, how do you think it would affect you had the move been sudden or rushed? How would the people you moved with have been different? 5. ** Students can sit now, as the rest of the discussion will not require moving. ** What emotions did Nujeen mention in the chapter titled “Forgive me, Syria?” What evidence do you have for those? 6. How does she express those emotions? Which does she name specifically? Which does she imply? How do you relate to those emotions? 7. Do you see any similarities between the move you made and the move Nujeen made in the book? a. If yes, what? Why? b. If no, why not? 8. Now consider that your circumstances for moving were the same as hers and think of four to five feelings that would describe how you think you’d feel in that position. 111
INTERVIEW GUIDE
An interview should go beyond the information you can read in the book, because a person would reveal more information about themselves when speaking than can be printed in a book. Because this interview is contrived, it is up to the writer to use the textual evidence to write responses that are true to the character. Though there are hundreds of people mentioned or discussed in the book, it is ideal to choose a central character, because of the quantity of information you will have to draw from. Nujeen Mustafa is the only character who cannot be chosen and questions should require deeper thought than “how did you feel when you left?” Example questions are provided below to guide you. Several links to interviews with Nujeen are also included below that you can reference for ideas.
Example Questions for Nasrine 1. In the book, there is a scene in which you start to cry when you are getting on a boat for the first time since crossing the Mediterranean. You told Nujeen that it was stressful to be the one responsible for the trip. Can you explain how and why you felt this way? 2. What was the most difficult part of leaving Syria? Why was that the most difficult?
Interviews with Nujeen Mustafa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itlmubG4HbY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-2mJwFwoeA https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jun/19/what-nujeen-mustafa-did-next-as-a- refugee-i-feel-im-in-a-constant-test https://publishingperspectives.com/2016/10/nujeen-mustafas-journey-syria-literary-stage/
Instructions: Fill in the interview info below and the interview on the following page with questions and possible responses from a character in the book. If you need more space, add additional paper to the worksheet.
Interviewer’s Name: ______Date: ______Character’s Name: ______Character’s Demographic Info Language(s): ______Age: ______Nationality: ______Country of Residence: ______112
Questions Responses 113
YES
NO 114
Trace Her Trip - Abridged Mid-Reading Activity 2 Grade Level - 11-12th Overview Common Core Standards After having read 2/3 of the book (227 pages) students will identify, ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL mark, and explore the areas of the world in which the character set foot 2, 4, and 5 while on her trip. ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI 2, 4, 5, and 6 Rationale & Big Question Materials Where did Nujeen go on her journey to Germany? How are those • Push pins places similar and different from where I live? Why is it important to be • Map involved in the affairs of the world? • Index cards Learning Objectives • Use multiple sources to develop an understanding of a (likely) OR unfamiliar location. • Develop global awareness and engagement skills. • www.pinmaps.net • Practice finding and using credible sources for research. Lesson Hook Time: 10 min. • Assign students to one of the 34 locations on the map that Nujeen AND stopped at during her trip. If there are more than 34 students, double up. If there are less than 34, skip those that are in the same • Various world sections country as a more important stop. Students should use the map and of newspapers – can be the Appendix in the book to help them. old and new (local • Give out push pins or ask students to use www.pinmaps.com to pin libraries and sometimes their locations. If using the website, the teacher will need to make grocery stores have old an account and students will have to pin to the map created by the versions that you can teacher. Maps can then be printed. take) Central Learning Task Time: 30 min. • Online and physical • Students will make information cards, using index cards or encyclopedias www.pinmaps.net. Information cards should include: the name of • Atlases the city and country, when Nujeen was there, an event that • Assignment sheet happened there (from the text), one historical fact about the location, one contemporary fact about the location. Using newspapers and online resources for the historical and contemporary facts gives the students a chance to intermingle literature with informational texts. Closure Time: 10 min. ● Plan a 3 minute presentation on the location that you covered. Presentations should include all of the information on the card, as well as 2+ similarities and differences from your own community, an interesting fact, and something that is unique to the region. For example, for a student working on Manbij, the fact that many people practice Naqshbandi Sufism is unique to the region. The assignment sheet for the presentation is included with the expanded plan. Assessment ● Complete the location presentation. Make sure to have all elements on the Information card and in the presentation. Groups will be expected to have longer presentations. 115
Trace Her Trip – Expanded Mid-Reading Activity 2
Skill Focus: Global Citizenship
Activity Summary: After students have read 227 pages of Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, they will spend time tracing her trip from Syria to Germany and learning about the stops along the way. There is no formal discussion built into this activity, but it is expected that the teacher will circulate around the room and be discussing the story and the locations with the students. This lesson is designed to increase global awareness about cities around the world and their connection to the larger world. By asking the students to find historical and contemporary facts, as well as unique features of the areas, you are asking them to focus on how the city interfaces with the rest of the world. Teachers may change the expectations for information cards and presentations, but it is advised that the presentations do not include any questions like “why is it important to study this place,” because there is a perspective built into the question, meaning that students cannot decide for themselves that there is an importance to the study.
To prepare teachers should compile source materials and the map, pushpins, and index cards (if necessary) and have the list of locations available limited to the number of students. I suggest having several different colors of pins, but using the same color for all of the book locations that students will be exploring. The chart included in the extension section suggests ways to use the various colors for this activity and two extension activities.
When students arrive in class the teacher should ask students to choose a location from the book from a list – written on the board, printed out, or spoken – for today’s activity. Teachers may also choose to do it randomly, but avoid assigning locations to students. Explain that the goal of the class is to locate and explore the locations mentioned in Nujeen’s book. After students have found their city on the map, ask them to pin it so they can find it. This should take about five to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the class and the materials being used.
Next, show or hand out the information card assignment sheet and explain the instructions. Teachers may choose to change what information students include on the cards, but the assignment sheet includes the name of the city and country, the time that Nujeen was there, an event that happened while she was there, a historical fact, and a contemporary fact. CRP focuses heavily on increasing students’ interest in global citizenship using multicultural texts and connecting the texts to the outside world. By asking students to find information that goes beyond the scope of the book, they must practice researching and building bridges between in-class learning and everyday life. Below is a typed example of an information card. If teachers want the students to fill these out on the computer, creating a Google Doc or similar shared document is a good way to do this. If teachers are having students write their information on index cards, they are likely to need the whole card. This activity is slotted for 30 minutes, but depending on the classroom structure, some students could be working on their information cards while others are finding their cities on the map. 116
Manbij, Syria 1998 - 2003; again summer 2012 Funeral bombing, killing five and injuring dozens The area that is now Manbij used to be ruled by the Assyrians. YPG withdrew from Manbij in July 2018, after longstanding pressure from Turkey.
After students have completed their information cards and have pinned their location, they should begin working on the outline for their three minute presentation. In the assignment sheet provided, the following elements are required in the presentation: all of the information on the card, as well as 2+ similarities and differences from your own community, an interesting fact, and something that is unique to the region. It is important to note that students should be building on the one sentence or phrase listed on the card; they are not meant to be the only words said during the presentation. Teachers are welcome to change the requirements of the presentation as well, but are discouraged from adding qualitative requirements that keep students from making personal judgements.
Assessment: Students will be asked to give a presentation on the location that they wrote an information card on. The three minute presentation will give them a chance to practice their public speaking, research skills, and build in their global knowledge. The presentation will be an extension of that they included on their information cards during the class period, with the goal being increasing their awareness of other places and their connections to those places. I suggest making the presentations open to other teachers or students, so that they are sharing their information (and have the assignment sheet written to include that), but teachers may choose to change this.
Lesson Goals: There are three main goals for this lesson focus on improving students’ global awareness and global engagement, by getting them to explore locations that they may have never heard of prior to reading the story or that they wouldn’t have had another chance to. In this lesson, students should:
1. Be able to identify and give limited information about locations from the text, in Syria, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, and Germany. 2. Find the aforementioned countries on a map and explain their connection to the larger world. 3. Use the text and various other sources, including newspapers, encyclopedias, atlases, and websites to compile information about these locations.
Handouts: Provided with this expanded lesson plan are the handouts that teachers will need for this activity. All students should have access to the assignment sheet for this activity and the websites they need to use, if doing the project digitally.
Extension Activities: Included below are a chart for using the push pin colors (digital or physical) and two brief descriptions of extension activities that teachers may choose to use based on the reception to the larger activity. 117
Extension 1: Where have you been? Give students red pins to mark locations they have been on the map. If they share a location with a book location, they can place it next to the black or white pin used in the base activity. The teacher can also participate using blue pins and marking where (s)he has been.
Extension 2: Virtual Field Trips Using online resources like www.googlemaps.com, www.virtualtours.city, or www.airpano.com the class can visit locations around the world and tour the locations using the images. Then, using encyclopedias or websites, they can learn about the places they have been virtually. Adding green pins to the map in those places sets those locations apart from the rest. I encourage using Google Maps for Syria, because you can see photos of locations untouched by the war and locations that have been destroyed.
Push Pin Colors
Base or Extension Activity Color Purpose Base Black Book locations students will not explore Base White Book locations students will explore Extension 1 Red Locations students have visited Extension 1 Blue Locations teacher has visited Extension 2 Green Locations that class visits virtually using online resources, like www.googlemaps.com, www.virtualtours.city, or www.airpano.com 118
PART 1: TRACE HER TRIP INFORMATION CARD
Nujeen Mustafa and her sister traveled through 34 different cities on their way to Germany. As a class, we are going to trace that trip and learn about the sites and people she saw. Once you have selected your city, you will find it on the map and insert (physically or digitally) a pushpin to mark its location. Then you will create an information card about that city that contains the following information:
1. City, Country 2. When Nujeen was there 3. An event that happened in that city (in the book) 4. Historical fact about the city 5. Contemporary fact about the city
Use the map and Appendix in the book to help you with the first three elements. For the final two, use reference books or online resources to find the information. Remember to check your sources using the CRAAP system to assure that your information is reliable.
If you are using an index card, try to write neatly, as the materials will be displayed. If using www.pinmaps.net your description will go in the description box that becomes visible after you place and click on a pin.
PART 2: TRACE HER TRIP PRESENTATION
To build on the information provided by the cards, every student will do a three-minute presentation about the location they did preliminary research on for the information card. The oral presentation must be accompanied by a PowerPoint, Prezi, or other similar presentation. All presentations must include the following information:
1. all of the information on the card 2. 2+ similarities to your community 3. 2+ differences from your community 4. an interesting fact 5. Something that is unique to the region
You must expand upon the information on the card, by giving more detail, providing images, and/or sharing a passage from the book. It is not enough to simply read the card. Use the descriptions in the book, websites, and reference materials to find the other three elements.
Practice your presentation before giving it and if you plan to use any passages from the book, reread them prior to reading them aloud. You may use an outline or notecards to give the presentation, but you may not read from a script. These presentations will be open, meaning that other teachers or students can come to listen to them. They will take place over several class periods and each student should be prepared to answer brief questions after their presentation. 119
Critical Analysis Paper - Abridged Post-Reading Activity Grade Level - 11-12th Overview Common Core Standards After completing the book and spending several days compiling the ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL work from the whole unit, students will write analytical papers about a 1, 2, and 5 theme or stylistic choice of the book. An assignment sheet is provided ● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SI in the expanded lesson. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 Rationale & Big Question Materials What is the message of this story? How is it communicated? Why does ● Necessary technology it matter? for presentations Learning Objectives ● Thesis worksheet • To synthesize multiple sources to create a strong, analytical ● Source synthesis argument. worksheet • To practice using listening, notetaking, and reading strategies ● Self-evaluation during presentations, so as to ask questions of presenters. worksheet • To draw concrete connections between the text and real life. ● Assignment sheet Lesson Hook 15 minutes • After the teacher has handed out the source synthesis worksheet, the class should do numbers 1 and 2 together, before allowing students to try on their own. Central Learning Task • Students will spend class time compiling sources, planning outlines, and writing their thesis statements. They can also use class time to work on their works cited page or do peer editing sessions. After the first day of working on the papers in class, two to three additional class sessions should be devoted to this, so students have ample time to ask questions and work together. Closing • After finding a few possible sources, students should try using the synthesis sheet to decide which sources can be used together to help support their arguments. Assessment ● Students will fill out a self-evaluation survey at the end of the presentations, in which they will assess their perception of their performance and they attitudes about the topic. This self- evaluation will not factor into their grade, but rather allow the teacher to see how they have changed throughout the reading of the text. ● Students will also complete a final reading journal entry after they have given their presentation which answers this question: what did I learn during this literature unit? 120
Critical Analysis Paper – Expanded Post-Reading Activity
Skill focus: Source Synthesis
Activity Summary: Students will be asked to end the literature unit with a critical analysis paper of 3-4 pages in length. Students can analyze a theme, a literary device, or an authorial choice in the text. Several class periods should be devoted to working on the paper, so that students can compile sources, peer edit, ask questions, discuss ideas, and develop strong thesis statements.
Assessment: Students will fill out a self-evaluation survey at the end of the presentations, in which they will assess their perception of their performance and they attitudes about the topic. This self-evaluation will not factor into their grade, but rather allow the teacher to see how they have changed throughout the reading of the text. Students will also complete a final reading journal entry after they have given their presentation which answers this question: what did I learn during this literature unit? The goal of both halves of the assessment are to assure that the students have an understanding of the text, a handle on the skills taught, and a working knowledge of how to bring the lessons into their everyday lives.
Lesson Goals: There are three main goals for this lesson focus synthesizing multiple sources to create a sound argument about a theme or stylistic choice in the text. In this lesson, students should:
1. Choose and use various types of reliable sources, using the CRAAP method. 2. Write a well-organized essay with a thesis statement and supporting paragraphs, that clearly communicates the intended argument. 3. Avoid fallacious reasoning and logical fallacies when writing.
Handouts: Provided with this expanded lesson plan are the handouts that teachers will need for this activity. All students should have access to the assignment sheet, thesis statement worksheet, a self- evaluation, and a source synthesis worksheet. 121
ANALYTICAL PAPER
Due Date: Page/Word Length: 3-4 pages (600-800 words) Source Requirement: 5
Assignment: Write an essay analyzing a theme, literary device, or authorial choice from Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. The essay must include a strong thesis statement and at least five reliable sources. All papers should be well-argued, using textual evidence and information from secondary sources. Of the five sources, only two can be websites; the remaining three should be books, articles, or other printed works.
Students should cut on the dotted line and hand in the bottom half of this paper, with their topic, intended sources, and thesis statement to be approved by the teacher before beginning the writing process.
Ø ------
Name ______Date ______
Topic ______
Thesis Statement ______
Sources (please write in MLA format) 122
DEVELOPING A THESIS STATEMENT
Instructions: Work with your group to develop individual thesis statements to answer the three- part prompt below. You will use the thesis statement you create to guide your critical response paper, due one week from today.
A thesis statement has three important parts – argument/topic, proof, and importance – and can be one or more sentences, depending on the complexity of the idea being presented. An example is provided to help you write your own thesis statement. Read the prompt below and then use the chart to help develop a thesis statement that satisfies all three parts.
Argument Proof Importance
EXAMPLE: In Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, in the chapters “A War of Our Own” and “Days of Rage,” Nujeen uses vivid imagery of violence to evoke feelings of disgust and sadness in her readers. In doing this, she brings the reader into the story and makes it more urgent.
What are you arguing?
______
What is your proof?
______
Why is it important?
______123
SOURCE SYNTHESIS
Synthesizing sources is often the most difficult part of an essay, but it doesn’t need to be. To synthesize sources, you find the theme or message of each source and use the sources with similar themes to strengthen your argument.
Part 1: Synthesizing Movie Plots In this activity, there are two seemingly dissimilar movies listed. Find their similarities and synthesize them. Look to the example below to help you. You do not need to answer in full sentences. EXAMPLE: Finding Nemo and Forrest Gump Finding Nemo and Forrest Gump both have disabled main characters who go on an adventure and find happiness with their families. If you need additional space, add loose-leaf to the back.
1. A Cinderella Story and The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Ready Player One and Peter Pan
3. The Princess Diaries and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
4. Love, Simon and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Part 2: Synthesize Your Sources In this activity, choose two of the sources you plan to use that have a similar message. Answer the following questions. Then create a synthesis statement that you could use in your essay.
What is the main idea of each source? Source 1: ______Source 2: ______
What is the purpose of each source? Source 1: ______Source 2: ______
Do the sources share any citations? ______
Write a synthesis statement. ______124
SELF-EVALUATION SURVEY
Please answer the following questions honestly, to the best of your ability. Answers need not be in full sentences, but they must be clear and helpful. The answers provided on this survey will not be counted toward your grade; it will be marked for completion. I will use your responses to gauge how you felt about your work in this unit and how to better support you in future units, if necessary. If you need additional space, continue your answers on the back.
1. During this literature unit, what activities/lessons did you like most and why? ______
2. During this literature unit, what activities/lesson did you like least and why? ______
3. What activities/projects did you feel you did best at? ______
4. What activities/projects did you feel you needed improvement on? ______
5. In reference to the research project, please rate yourself on the following areas, with 1 being “I strongly disagree” and 5 being “I strongly agree”. Circle the number you’d assign to yourself.
strongly disagree Not agree strongly disagree sure/ agree neutral I conducted efficient research and used credible 1 2 3 4 5 sources to support my argument. I wrote and organized the paper so that it was easy to 1 2 3 4 5 understand and my argument was clear. I used quotations correctly effectively to support my 1 2 3 4 5 argument. I used solid textual evidence from the story to 1 2 3 4 5 support my argument. When crafting my argument, I looked at both sources 1 2 3 4 5 which agreed and disagreed with me. I edited and revised this argument to make sure that it 1 2 3 4 5 was well-organized, written, and supported. 125
ADDITIONAL READING JOURNAL TOPICS
Included with some of the lesson plans above are required reading journal entries. However, it is important that students are reflecting frequently as they read, to assure that they understand and are building mental connections between the material and their everyday lives. Provided below are additional reflections that could be assigned throughout the course of the unit.
1. Reflecting on what you have read so far, answer these three questions in full sentences. (a) What expectations did you have of Syrian refugees before reading this section of the book and where did they come from? (b) How did Nujeen compare to your expectations so far in the story? (c) How have your expectations and understandings changed? 2. Think about the idea of refugeehood as a gift of freedom and answer the following questions about your own experiences with gifts. a. How do you feel when you receive a gift? b. How do you feel when you receive a very generous gift? And how do you feel the need to respond? c. Have you ever received a gift that was too large and you felt that you could not “pay back” the giver? d. How might a refugee see “freedom” as a gift when they are accepted into a new country? e. How would you respond to that gift? How would you feel about it? Why? f. What if you gave that gift? How would you expect the receiver to respond? Why? 3. What was the most valuable thing you learned during the course of reading this book? Explain why it was the most valuable and what it means to you/how it affected you. 4. Watch Let Me In by Alicia Keyes at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-1hpZzJpmg and make connections between the video and Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. 126
APPENDIX B. COMPILED SOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
1. Historical Sources o “A Brief History of the Syrian Refugee Crisis” – Appendix C o Syria: A History of the Last Hundred Years
2. Postcolonial Theory Sources o Postcolonial Studies: The Key Concepts o The Postcolonial Studies Dictionary o Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction o https://wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/orientalism.htm o http://evelynalsultany.com/?page_id=9
3. News Sources o https://www.thenation.com/article/islam-through-western-eyes/ o https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/whos-who-syrias-civil-war o http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/syria-civil-war-explained- 160505084119966.html o https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/whos-who-syrias-civil-war
4. Reference Sources o https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2016/03/04/what-do-americans-really- think-about-syrian-refugees/ o http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/30/key-facts-about-refugees-to-the- u-s/ o Encyclopedia Britannica o The World Book Encyclopedia
5. Video and Web Sources o Let Me In: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-1hpZzJpmg o Pin Maps: https://www.pinmaps.net/mymaps/ o Google Maps https://googlemaps.com o AirPano www.airpano.com o UNHCR http://www.unhcr.org/afr/ o Source Synthesis http://mseffie.com/assignments/synthesis/synthesis_essay.html 127
APPENDIX C. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS
“Doctor, your turn” (Asher-Schapiro n.p.). These three words, which started as a prank, rapidly transformed into the justification for revolution in Syria. The taunt, written by a group of teenagers, was aimed at Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, in the wake of the toppling of the Tunisian, Egyptian, and
Libyan governments. In February 2011, the graffitied message on a school wall in Daraa, Syria, started an uprising like those to which it referred. The imprisonment and government-sponsored torture of 15 young boys, deemed responsible for the message, became the spark of the Syrian civil war (Fleming 9).
Figure 6. “Doctor, your turn.” This graffiti, reading “doctor, your turn,” which was intended as a teenage prank became the ignition point of the world’s most recent civil war. The teenage boys that graffitied the school wall stated that they were not planning any political action when they wrote this and other anti- Assad slogans around Daraa, Syria. Despite their lack of political intent, 15 children were arrested for the criminal activity.
Fueled by the momentum of the Arab Spring revolts in neighboring countries and growing disappointment in the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian people took to the streets to protest the arrests. Though the protests were initially peaceful, the police response was swift and violent. Hand- written banners and freedom chants were met with tear gas, live rounds, and unwarranted imprisonments
(Fleming 26). On March 18, 2011, three coordinated protests took place in Damascus, Homs, and Baniyas
(Fleming 25). The protestors each demanded the release of the Daraan children and were met with increasing violence. The government’s forceful response caused the death of hundreds in the first few days of protest and war that followed forced the displacement of millions over the last six years. 128
The reaction of the government was shocking to the international community, if not for Syrians.
In 2000, when the London-educated ophthalmologist, Bashar and his cosmopolitan wife came into power in Syria, pro-democratic advocates hoped that the oppressive past was behind them. Initially, he released hundreds of political prisoners, reduced the retirement age for the army, and approved the first independent newspaper in over forty years (Mustafa & Lamb 30). However, this reprieve was not to last.
After two years of the so-called Damascus Spring, Bashar resorted to his father’s tactics.
Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar al-Assad, rested power from the previous leadership in 1971 and remained president until his death in 2000. He initially worked to improve the living conditions of the poor in urban and rural areas and to bolster a failing economy, gaining him great support from the lower class of society. He encouraged the spread of literacy and electrified previously unreached areas of the country (McHugo 186). He also assured the population of his intent to be a faithful Muslim by attending religious ceremonies and strengthen connections to Arabism and Syrian patriotism (Ma’oz 30). In time, he developed a presidential system which gave him executive, legislative, and military power well beyond that of most presidents. He “adopted measures to emphasize the people’s participation in shaping his regime” and to “underline his legitimacy,” such as making the National Council an elected body in 1973
(Mo’az 29). In 1982, the façade of national unity was fractured when Assad order the Syrian army to suppress a revolt in Hama that led to the death of anywhere from 5,000 to 40,0001 men, women, and children (McHugo). The Hama Revolt came to represent Assad-style governing and stories were passed down to younger generations. Nujeen Mustafa, who traveled to Germany with her sister, wrote: “older people like [Yaba] knew the regime was dangerous because they had witnessed the 1908s in Hama when
Hafez al-Assad and his brother Rifat quelled protests from the Muslim Brotherhood by massacring 10,000 people and pulverizing the city. So, they knew what the Assads would do” (Mustafa 53).
After the Hama Revolt, the senior Assad quickly became known for his oppressive regime around the world. Secret police, called Mukhabarat, reported any and all transgressions against the regime and facilitated what became known as “disappearances.” During his time as president, it is estimated that 129 some ten thousand people disappeared (Amnesty International). Those who returned showed clear signs of torture and those who did not were buried in mass graves, unidentified and unremembered. Despite these human rights violations, neither international nor non-governmental organizations (NGOs) intervened in the management of the nation. As Assad aged and became wearier of anti-government sentiments, he employed ex-criminals as paramilitary forces known as shahiba, whose instructions were to stop people from protesting (Mustafa 63). Initially, under the senior Assad’s Ba’ath Party, Syria seemed to evolve from a vulnerable country to a Middle Eastern power. However, these developments came at a high human cost (Mo’az 11).
Those who had lived through the Hafez al-Assad era were unwilling to live under a dictator again and the stories the 15 boys told upon their release sparked willingness to oppose the government. The boys had sustained injuries from having been whipped with electrical cables, left naked outside, starved, and raped. More protests cropped up around the country after their releases and more violent reprisals followed. When one of the children died from injuries incurred during torture, Syrians again took up the cause and protested the government’s tactics and legitimacy. Several groups arose to oppose Bashar in the immediate aftermath of the boy’s death, but it was with the creation of the Free Syrian Army – a militia made of anti-government Syrians and volunteers from around the world – in July 2011 that the civil war truly began.
In the first few months of the war, land was seized by numerous rebel groups, government forces, and later Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – called Daesh in Arabic – forces, and then besieged by other groups, with little or no regard for civilian life. In Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from
War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair, the main character and author, Nujeen Mustafa writes that “every neighborhood became a fiefdom controlled by a different rebel group” and each impeded supplies from passing through areas controlled by other groups (73). In addition to starving civilians of food and medical supplies, snipers, barrel bombs, and inter-faction fighting threatened the lives of uninvolved 130 persons daily. Thousands of university students were forced to leave school, countless business owners closed shops, and millions suffered from starvation, untreated illnesses, and festering wounds.
In order to avoid the horrors of war, many Syrians moved between cities several times, before leaving Syria behind them. Mustafa recounts moving several times within Syria and feeling as though the violence was following them, before her family fled to Turkey. Today, an estimated 6.5 million Syrians have been internally displaced and another 5 million have become external refugees. The United Nations
High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) declared the conflict and the growing number of Syrian refugees a crisis that the international community needed to address in 2015. In March 2016, the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi said that “Syria is the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time, a continuing cause of suffering for millions which should be garnering a groundswell of support around the world” (UN). Germany and Austria responded to the growing number of refugees by opening their borders to more refugees than any other European states. Approximately 890,000 refugees have resettled within the borders of these two nations (Noack).
Mostly displaced from Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Damascus, the refugees initially fled to
Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan (Hussein). On September 29, 2017, Turkey reported having 3,208,131 refugees, Lebanon had 1,001,051 refugees, and Jordan had 654,582 refugees (UNHCR). Surrounding nations reached and exceeded refugee capacity quickly and feelings towards the population shifted drastically as their reach extended. Refugees spilled into Greece, Western Europe, and the United States, despite negative outcry from citizens in these receiving countries. While Germany and Austria welcomed refugees, others closed borders and debated the need for better security screenings. Macedonia, Croatia, and Slovenia are among the countries that lie between Greece and Germany or Austria, who have closed borders to refugees (Kingsley). In her book, Mustafa ironically notes that with over 250,000 individuals dead and another 11.5 million displaced, Bashar al-Assad would soon become the ruler to a “personless” nation (108). 131
The United States, which remains more separated from the crisis than European nations, has a sorted history with refugee resettlement. Currently, the admittance of refugees into the nation is monitored by the UNHCR, which is outlined in the United States of America country chapter of the
UNHCR handbook. The UNHCR handbook includes a chapter for every receiving nation that explains vetting standards, travel requirements, refugee accommodations, and historical acceptance rates, among other topics. Criteria for admission include adherence to the following: (1) Be among those refugees determined by the President to be of special humanitarian concern to the United States; (2) meet the definition of refugee located in section 101(a)(42) of the INA2; (3) not be firmly resettled in any third country; and (4) be otherwise admissible under U.S. law. Further details about reasons for refusal to enter the country, processing times, and domestic resettlement services are also included in the handbook.
During the 2016 presidential election, opinions about refugee policy fell sharply along party lines.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton proposed expanding the Obama era refugee program to help offset the refugee crises around the world, while retaining the current vetting processes. Then Republican candidate, Donald Trump, suggested increasing security measures and further limiting the number of refugees allowed into the nation. He also suggested a complete ban on Muslims entering the United
States, which later took shape as his contested travel ban from six Muslim-majority nations. While the election had already been largely fueled by contentious feelings about America, the topic of refugees became a national red button issue. 132
APPENDIX D. ALTERNATIVE TEXTS ABOUT SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS
Memoirs and Biographies
Fleming, Melissa. A Hope More Powerful than the Sea: The Journey of Doaa al-Zamel. Flatiron Books, 2017. al-Abed, Bana. Dear World: A Syrian Girl’s Story of War and Plea for Peace. Simon & Schuster, 2017.
Cupolo, Diego. Seven Syrians: War Accounts from Syrian Refugees. 8th House Publishing, 2013.
Pearlman, Wendy. We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria. HarperCollins, 2017.
Kurdi, Tima. The Boy on the Beach: My Family’s Escape from Syria and Hope for a New Home. Simon & Schuster, 2018.
Thornhill, Teresa. Hara Hotel: A Tale of Syrian Refugees in Greece. Verso, 2018.
Bauer, Wolfgang. Translated by Sarah Pybus. Crossing the Sea: With Syrians on Exodus to Europe. High Wycomb, 2016.
Hoover, Katrina. Voices of Syria: War-weary Refugees Tell their Stories. TGS International, 2016.
Al-Rabeeah, Abu Bakr. Homes: A Refugee Story. Freehand Books, 2018.
Holden, Ming. The Syria Dispatches: The Search for Syrian Refugees and their Stories. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.
Novels and Graphic Novels
Abawi, Atia. Land of Permanent Goodbyes. Philomel Books, 2018.
Gratz, Alan. Refugee. Scholastic Press, 2017.
Hamid, Mohsin. Exit West. Riverhead Books, 2017.
Kullab, Sayma. Escape from Syria. Firefly Books, 2017.
Senzai, N.H. Escape from Aleppo. Simon & Schuster, 2018.
Khan, Ausma Zehanat. A Dangerous Crossing. St. Martin’s Press, 2018.
Burge, Susanne. Without Borders: Syria. Matador, 2017. 133
Brown. Don. The Unwanted: Stories from Syrian Refugees. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018.
Nonfiction
Kingsley, Patrick. The New Odyssey: The Story of Europe’s Refugee Crisis. Penguin Random House, 2017.
Bauman, Stephen, Matthew Soerens, and Dr. Issam Smeir. Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis. Moddy Publishers, 2016.
Mason, Helen. A Refugee’s Journey from Syria. Crabtree Publishing Company, 2015. (Intended for young children, but helpful for explaining complex legal matters simply and providing easy to access facsts)
Von Welser, Maria. No Refuge for Women: The Tragic Fate of Syrian Refugees. Greystone Books, 2017.
Arbour, Louise, Simon Schama, Nigel Farage, and Mark Steyn. The Global Refugee Crisis: How Should We Respond?: The Munk Debates. Anansi, 2016.
Milliband, David. Rescue: Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time. TED Books, 2017.
Collier, Paul, and Alexander Betts. Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Ferris, Elizabeth G., and Kemal Kirişci. The Consequence of Chaos: Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis and the Failure to Protect. Brookings, 2016.
Polakow-Suransky, Sasha. Go Back to Where You Came From: The Backlash Against Immigration and the Fate of Western Democracy. Nation Books, 2017. 134
APPENDIX E. COMMON CORE STANDARDS AND TEXT EXEMPLARS ELA Common Core Standards for 9-12th Graders When Reading Literary Texts
9-10th Grade 11-12th Grade CCSS.ELA- Cite strong and thorough textual Cite strong and thorough textual evidence LITERACY.RL.1 evidence to support analysis of what to support analysis of what the text says the text says explicitly as well as explicitly as well as inferences drawn inferences drawn from the text. from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. CCSS.ELA- Determine a theme or central idea of Determine two or more themes or central LITERACY.RL.2 a text and analyze in detail its ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the development over the course of the text, text, including how it emerges and is including how they interact and build on shaped and refined by specific one another to produce a complex details; provide an objective account; provide an objective summary of summary of the text. the text. CCSS.ELA- Analyze how complex characters Analyze the impact of the author's choices LITERACY.RL.3 (e.g., those with multiple or regarding how to develop and relate conflicting motivations) develop elements of a story or drama (e.g., where over the course of a text, interact a story is set, how the action is ordered, with other characters, and advance how the characters are introduced and the plot or develop the theme. developed). CCSS.ELA- Determine the meaning of words Determine the meaning of words and LITERACY.RL 4 and phrases as they are used in the phrases as they are used in the text, text, including figurative and including figurative and connotative connotative meanings; analyze the meanings; analyze the impact of specific cumulative impact of specific word word choices on meaning and tone, choices on meaning and tone (e.g., including words with multiple meanings how the language evokes a sense of or language that is particularly fresh, time and place; how it sets a formal engaging, or beautiful. (Include or informal tone). Shakespeare as well as other authors.) CCSS.ELA- Analyze how an author's choices Analyze how an author's choices LITERACY.RL.5 concerning how to structure a text, concerning how to structure specific parts order events within it (e.g., parallel of a text (e.g., the choice of where to plots), and manipulate time (e.g., begin or end a story, the choice to provide pacing, flashbacks) create such a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute effects as mystery, tension, or to its overall structure and meaning as surprise. well as its aesthetic impact. CCSS.ELA- Analyze a particular point of view or Analyze a case in which grasping a point LITERACY.RL.6 cultural experience reflected in a of view requires distinguishing what is work of literature from outside the directly stated in a text from what is really United States, drawing on a wide meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or reading of world literature. understatement). CCSS.ELA- Analyze the representation of a Analyze multiple interpretations of a LITERACY.RL.7 subject or a key scene in two story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or different artistic mediums, including live production of a play or recorded what is emphasized or absent in each novel or poetry), evaluating how each treatment (e.g., Auden's "Musée des version interprets the source text. (Include 135
Beaux Arts" and Breughel's at least one play by Shakespeare and one Landscape with the Fall of Icarus). play by an American dramatist.) CCSS.ELA- (RL.9-10.8 not applicable to (RL.11-12.8 not applicable to literature) LITERACY.RL.8 literature) CCSS.ELA- Analyze how an author draws on Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, LITERACY.RL.9 and transforms source material in a nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century specific work (e.g., how foundational works of American Shakespeare treats a theme or topic literature, including how two or more from Ovid or the Bible or how a texts from the same period treat similar later author draws on a play by themes or topics. Shakespeare). CCSS.ELA- By the end of grade 9, read and By the end of grade 11, read and LITERACY.RL.10 comprehend literature, including comprehend literature, including stories, stories, dramas, and poems, in the dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR grades 9-10 text complexity band text complexity band proficiently, with proficiently, with scaffolding as scaffolding as needed at the high end of needed at the high end of the range. the range. By the end of grade 12, read By the end of grade 10, read and and comprehend literature, including comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high stories, dramas, and poems, at the end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity high end of the grades 9-10 text band independently and proficiently. complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELA Common Core Standards for 9-12th Graders When Reading Informational Texts
9-10th Grade 11-12th Grade CCSS.ELA- Cite strong and thorough textual Cite strong and thorough textual LITERACY.RI.1 evidence to support analysis of what evidence to support analysis of what the the text says explicitly as well as text says explicitly as well as inferences inferences drawn from the text. drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. CCSS.ELA- Determine a central idea of a text Determine two or more central ideas of a LITERACY.RI.2 and analyze its development over text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined they interact and build on one another to by specific details; provide an provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA- Analyze how the author unfolds an Analyze a complex set of ideas or LITERACY.RI.3 analysis or series of ideas or events, sequence of events and explain how including the order in which the specific individuals, ideas, or events points are made, how they are interact and develop over the course of introduced and developed, and the the text. connections that are drawn between them. CCSS.ELA- Determine the meaning of words Determine the meaning of words and LITERACY.RI.4 and phrases as they are used in a phrases as they are used in a text, text, including figurative, including figurative, connotative, and connotative, and technical meanings; technical meanings; analyze how an 136
analyze the cumulative impact of author uses and refines the meaning of a specific word choices on meaning key term or terms over the course of a and tone (e.g., how the language of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction court opinion differs from that of a in Federalist No. 10). newspaper). CCSS.ELA- Analyze in detail how an author's Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness LITERACY.RI.5 ideas or claims are developed and of the structure an author uses in his or refined by particular sentences, her exposition or argument, including paragraphs, or larger portions of a whether the structure makes points clear, text (e.g., a section or chapter). convincing, and engaging. CCSS.ELA- Determine an author's point of view Determine an author's point of view or LITERACY.RI.6 or purpose in a text and analyze how purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is an author uses rhetoric to advance particularly effective, analyzing how that point of view or purpose. style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. CCSS.ELA- Analyze various accounts of a Integrate and evaluate multiple sources LITERACY.RI.7 subject told in different mediums of information presented in different (e.g., a person's life story in both media or formats (e.g., visually, print and multimedia), determining quantitatively) as well as in words in which details are emphasized in order to address a question or solve a each account. problem. CCSS.ELA- Delineate and evaluate the argument Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in LITERACY.RI.8 and specific claims in a text, seminal U.S. texts, including the assessing whether the reasoning is application of constitutional principles valid and the evidence is relevant and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. and sufficient; identify false Supreme Court majority opinions and statements and fallacious reasoning. dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses). CCSS.ELA- Analyze seminal U.S. documents of Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and LITERACY.RI.9 historical and literary nineteenth-century foundational U.S. significance (e.g., Washington's documents of historical and literary Farewell Address, the Gettysburg significance (including The Declaration Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms of Independence, the Preamble to the speech, King's "Letter from Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Birmingham Jail"), including how Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address) for they address related themes and their themes, purposes, and rhetorical concepts. features. CCSS.ELA- By the end of grade 9, read and By the end of grade 11, read and LITERACY.RI.10 comprehend literary nonfiction in comprehend literary nonfiction in the the grades 9-10 text complexity grades 11-CCR text complexity band band proficiently, with scaffolding proficiently, with scaffolding as needed as needed at the high end of the at the high end of the range. By the end range. By the end of grade 10, read of grade 12, read and comprehend and comprehend literary nonfiction literary nonfiction at the high end of the at the high end of the grades 9-10 grades 11-CCR text complexity band text complexity band independently independently and proficiently. and proficiently.
137
CCSS Literature Text Exemplars
Grades 9–10 • Homer. The Odyssey (8th century Greece) • Ovid. Metamorphoses (8th century Greece) • Gogol, Nikolai. “The Nose.” (1836 Russia) • De Voltaire, F. A. M. Candide, Or The Optimist (1759 France) • Turgenev, Ivan. Fathers and Sons (1862 Russia) • Henry, O. “The Gift of the Magi.” (1905 USA) • Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis (1912 Austria-Hungary) • Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath (1938 USA) • Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451 (1953 USA) • Olsen, Tillie. “Here I Stand Ironing.” (1961 USA) • Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart (1958 Nigeria) • Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird (1960 USA) • Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels (1974 USA) • Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club (1989 USA) • Álvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies (1994 Dominican Republic) • Zusak, Marcus. The Book Thief (2004 USA)
Grade 11-12 • Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales (1392 England) • de Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote (1605 Spain) • Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice (1797 England) • Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” (1846 USA) • Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre (1847 England) • Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter (1850 USA) • Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment (1866 Russia) • Jewett, Sarah Orne. “A White Heron.” (1866 USA) • Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, Sailor (1924 England) • Chekhov, Anton. “Home.” (1887 Russia) • Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby (1924 USA) • Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying (1930 USA) • Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms (1928 USA) • Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1936 USA) • Borges, Jorge Luis. “The Garden of Forking Paths.” (1941 Argentina) • Bellow, Saul. The Adventures of Augie March (1953 USA) • Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye (1970 USA) • Garcia, Cristina. Dreaming in Cuban (1992 Cuba-USA) • Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake (2003 USA)