Looking for a meaningful Shiloh novel study for your 4th, 5th, or 6th grade students?
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a wonderful choice for teaching reading comprehension while encouraging students to think about responsibility, honesty, compassion, courage, and difficult choices.
As students follow Marty Preston’s relationship with Shiloh, they encounter questions that go far beyond the events of the story:
What is the right thing to do when the right choice isn’t easy?
Can you break a rule for the right reason?
What responsibilities do we have toward others?
How do our choices affect the people—and animals—around us?
These questions make Shiloh an engaging novel for upper-elementary readers and provide plenty of opportunities for meaningful discussion, writing, and literary analysis.
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Why Teach Shiloh?
One of the reasons Shiloh works so well as a classroom novel is that students can connect with Marty while watching his understanding of right and wrong develop throughout the story.
Marty doesn’t simply face an easy problem with an obvious solution. He has to make difficult decisions, deal with consequences, and consider how his actions affect others.
That makes the novel an excellent springboard for discussions about:
Honesty
Responsibility
Compassion
Empathy
Courage
Friendship
Trust
Animal welfare
Moral decision-making
Consequences
Character development
Rather than asking students only to remember what happened in the story, you can use Shiloh to encourage them to think critically about why characters make the choices they do.
Shiloh Reading Comprehension Activities
A strong novel study should do more than give students a list of questions to answer after each chapter.
With Shiloh, students can practice important reading skills while exploring the story and its characters.
Consider having students:
Make inferences about characters’ motivations
Identify character traits
Support ideas with text evidence
Analyze conflict
Identify important events
Make predictions
Summarize sections of the novel
Identify themes
Explain cause and effect
Make personal connections
Analyze how characters change
Respond to the author’s ideas
These skills help students become stronger readers while keeping their attention focused on the actual story.
Teaching Character Development Through Shiloh
Character development is one of the strongest areas to explore in Shiloh.
Marty’s experiences give students opportunities to examine how a character’s thoughts, feelings, choices, and experiences influence his development.
Ask students questions such as:
How does Marty change throughout the novel?
What motivates Marty’s decisions?
What does Marty learn from his experiences?
Which characters influence Marty?
How do Marty’s choices create new problems or solutions?
What evidence shows that Marty has changed?
Students can then support their responses with specific evidence from the text.
This turns character analysis into an authentic reading activity rather than an isolated worksheet.
Exploring Theme in Shiloh
Shiloh also provides opportunities to introduce students to theme in a way that feels meaningful.
Possible themes to explore include:
Doing what is right
Taking responsibility for your choices
Compassion and empathy
Honesty and trust
Standing up for others
The consequences of our decisions
Learning from mistakes
Rather than simply asking students to identify the theme, encourage them to explain how the author develops that theme throughout the novel.
For example: What does Marty learn about responsibility, and which events help him learn that lesson?
Questions like this encourage students to move from simple comprehension toward deeper literary analysis.
Vocabulary and Grammar Activities
Shiloh also provides an excellent opportunity to incorporate vocabulary and language instruction into your novel study.
Students can work with vocabulary words from the text while practicing skills such as:
Determining meaning from context
Using new words in sentences
Identifying parts of speech
Practicing spelling
Exploring synonyms and related words
Applying vocabulary through writing
When vocabulary is connected to the novel students are already reading, the words have a meaningful context rather than feeling like a separate assignment.
Make Shiloh More Than Just a Read-Aloud
A whole-class read-aloud can be a wonderful way to introduce students to a novel, but you can take the experience further by incorporating activities that require students to respond, discuss, analyze, and write.
A complete Shiloh novel study can help you organize those activities so that students are practicing reading skills throughout the entire book.
And, importantly, you don’t have to spend hours creating everything yourself.
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Shiloh for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format, for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
Shiloh Novel Study for Grades 4–6
I’ve created a complete Shiloh Novel Study designed for approximately three weeks of instruction and written for the 4th–6th grade reading level.
The unit can be used for whole-class instruction, small groups, literature circles, independent study, or homeschool. It includes both printable and Google Drive formats, making it flexible for traditional and digital classrooms.
What’s Included in the Shiloh Novel Unit?
This isn’t just a packet of comprehension questions. The complete unit provides a structured framework for teaching the novel from beginning to end.
Teacher Resources
You’ll receive:
Detailed daily lesson plans
Pacing and Standards Guide
Vocabulary Word Wall Cards
Answer Keys
Parent Letter
Student Resources
The student packet includes:
Spelling List
Vocabulary and Grammar Activities for 20 Words
Chapter-by-Chapter Comprehension Questions
Short-answer questions designed to encourage deeper thinking
Book-related extension activities
End-of-the-book activities
Story Elements Interactive Notebook Activities
The extension activities are only included in the complete novel study, making the full unit a particularly valuable option if you want more than the individual components.
Assessment Resources
The assessment packet includes:
End-of-the-book vocabulary quiz
Reading comprehension quiz
Short-answer assessment
Multiple-choice assessment
End-of-the-book writing assessment
Google Drive digital assessment options
The Google Drive self-grading quizzes are available in the multiple-choice format.
Print + Digital Shiloh Activities
Today’s classrooms don’t always look the same from one day to the next.
That’s why the Shiloh novel study includes both printable PDF materials and Google Drive resources.
Before purchasing the complete unit, be sure to download the free preview.
The preview lets you see examples of the different components included in the novel study so you can decide whether the format and activities are a good fit for your classroom.
Ready to Teach Shiloh?
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Shiloh this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Looking for a meaningful way to combine ELA and social studies while teaching Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone?
This historical fiction novel gives students an opportunity to step into the world of Jamestown in 1607 while developing important reading, writing, vocabulary, and critical-thinking skills.
If you’re planning a Blood on the River novel study for 4th, 5th, or 6th grade, this guide will give you ideas for using the novel to bring early American history to life—and show you how a complete novel study can save you hours of planning.
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Historical fiction has the ability to transport students to a different time and place, immersing them in the world of the past. Blood on the River tells the real-life story of Samuel Collier who voyages to the New World along with Captain John Smith to colonize Jamestown in 1607, during the early years of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia. By reading this novel, students can step into the shoes of the young characters and experience the challenges and adventures of that era.
Why Teach Blood on the River?
Historical fiction can make history feel much more immediate to students.
Instead of simply reading facts about Jamestown, students experience the story through the perspective of Samuel Collier, a young page who travels with Captain John Smith to the New World.
As students read, they encounter the challenges of establishing the Jamestown settlement and are introduced to the people, places, conflicts, and decisions that shaped this important period in American history.
That makes Blood on the River an excellent choice for connecting literature and history.
Students can explore:
The founding of Jamestown
The Virginia Colony
Early English colonization
The journey from England to the New World
The Powhatan people
Relationships between Indigenous Peoples and English settlers
Survival and leadership
Historical perspective
Character development
Conflict and cooperation
Decision-making
Historical fiction versus historical fact
Blood on the River and Jamestown History
One of the biggest advantages of using Blood on the River in the classroom is the opportunity to connect the novel directly to your Jamestown and Colonial America curriculum.
As students read, they can investigate questions such as:
Why did the English establish Jamestown?
What challenges did the colonists face?
How did geography affect the settlement?
What role did leadership play in the survival of the colony?
How did the English settlers interact with the Powhatan people?
How might historical events look different from different perspectives?
How does the novel compare with what we know about the historical Jamestown?
These questions encourage students to think about history as more than a collection of dates and facts.
They begin to see history as a series of experiences, decisions, relationships, and consequences.
Use Historical Fiction to Build Empathy
Blood on the River also provides opportunities for students to think about history from multiple perspectives.
The characters encounter fear, uncertainty, conflict, cultural differences, and difficult decisions. Students can consider what it might have been like to experience these events as a young person living during this period.
This creates opportunities to discuss:
Empathy
Perspective
Cultural differences
Cooperation
Conflict
Leadership
Fairness
Survival
The impact of colonization
These conversations can help students recognize that historical events affected real people with different experiences and perspectives.
Blood on the River Reading Comprehension
Of course, reading a historical fiction novel isn’t just about learning history.
It is also an excellent opportunity to strengthen students’ reading comprehension and literary analysis skills.
Throughout a Blood on the River novel study, students can practice:
Making inferences
Finding text evidence
Summarizing
Making predictions
Identifying character traits
Analyzing character development
Identifying conflict
Determining theme
Understanding cause and effect
Comparing perspectives
Making connections
Determining meaning from context
Supporting written responses with evidence
The best comprehension questions encourage students to explain their thinking rather than simply recall what happened.
For example: How does Samuel’s perspective change as he experiences life in Jamestown?
Or: What evidence from the novel shows how difficult life was for the settlers?
Questions like these allow students to practice reading skills while staying connected to the historical content.
A Complete Blood on the River Novel Study
If you’re looking for a ready-to-use Blood on the River novel unit, I’ve created a comprehensive resource designed for approximately one month of instruction for Grades 4–6.
The complete unit combines reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, writing, critical thinking, assessments, historical activities, and digital resources.
It can be used for:
Whole-class instruction
Small-group reading
Literature circles
Independent reading
Homeschool
ELA
Social studies
Cross-curricular instruction
What’s Included?
The complete Blood on the River Novel Study includes 259 printable PDF pages plus Google Drive Slides and Forms.
Teacher Resources
You’ll receive:
Detailed daily lesson plans
Pacing and Standards Guide
Vocabulary Word Wall Cards
Answer keys
Parent letter
Printable and digital teacher resources
Student Resources
The unit includes:
Spelling list
Vocabulary and grammar activities for 81 words
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Short-answer questions
Critical-thinking activities
Writing activities
Story elements activities
End-of-book activities
Mapping activity following the colonists’ journey from England to the New World
The mapping activity is a particularly useful way to connect the novel to geography and the historical journey to Jamestown.
Assessments for Blood on the River
You don’t have to create your own assessments, either.
The complete novel study includes:
Assessment after Chapter 9
Assessment after Chapter 18
End-of-book assessment
Vocabulary questions
Reading comprehension questions
Critical-thinking writing questions
Multiple-choice assessments
Digital Google Forms assessments
This gives you multiple opportunities to check students’ understanding throughout the unit.
Connect ELA and Social Studies
This is where Blood on the River really shines.
Instead of teaching your reading and social studies lessons completely separately, you can use the novel as a bridge between the two subjects.
Before purchasing the complete unit, take a look at the FREE Blood on the River Novel Study sample.
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
Looking for More Jamestown Resources?
If you’re building a larger unit around early American history, explore the related Eastern Woodlands, Powhatan Empire, and Virginia Colonies/Jamestown resources from The Teaching Bank.
Pairing social studies lessons with historical fiction can give students multiple ways to understand the people, places, and events they’re studying—and make history much more memorable.
Blood on the River can be so much more than a novel students read for ELA.
It can become a bridge between literature, history, geography, culture, critical thinking, and empathy.
Let your students step into the world of Jamestown—and discover history through the power of a story.
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Blood on the River this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Looking for a historical fiction novel that will grab your students’ attention while giving you plenty of opportunities to teach reading skills and history?
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin is an excellent choice for a middle school or upper elementary novel study. With mystery, secret codes, World War II history, family secrets, and plenty of suspense, this novel gives students a reason to keep turning the pages.
Even better, The Bletchley Riddle provides natural opportunities to teach reading comprehension, vocabulary, inference, critical thinking, nonfiction reading, writing, and historical connections.
If you’re looking for a book that combines ELA and social studies, this one deserves a place on your reading list!
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What Is The Bletchley Riddle About?
The Bletchley Riddle takes readers into the world of Bletchley Park, the top-secret British site where codebreakers worked during World War II to decipher enemy communications.
The story follows siblings Lizzie and Jakob, who become caught up in a mystery involving their family, secrets from the past, and the world of wartime codebreaking.
The combination of historical fiction and mystery makes the novel especially appealing to students who might not automatically reach for a traditional historical novel.
Instead of simply reading about World War II, students get to experience history through a suspenseful story filled with clues, puzzles, secrets, and questions.
And that makes this book particularly useful in the classroom.
Why The Bletchley Riddle Works So Well as a Classroom Novel
1. The Mystery Hooks Readers
One of the biggest challenges when choosing a class novel is finding something that students actually want to read.
The Bletchley Riddle has an advantage right from the beginning: students have questions they want answered.
What is really happening?
Who can be trusted?
What do the clues mean?
How are the characters connected to the secrets of the past?
As students work their way through the story, they are constantly encouraged to make predictions, look for clues, and revise their thinking.
That makes the novel a natural fit for teaching inference, prediction, drawing conclusions, and using textual evidence.
Instead of asking students to read closely simply because the teacher told them to, you can give them a mystery to solve.
2. It Brings World War II History to Life
World War II can sometimes feel distant to young readers.
Dates, battles, political events, and historical figures can be difficult for students to connect with.
The Bletchley Riddle offers a different approach.
Students encounter the secret world of Bletchley Park and the people who worked there to break enemy codes through a fictional story.
This creates opportunities to investigate topics such as:
Bletchley Park
The Enigma code
World War II codebreaking
Alan Turing
The Polish mathematicians who helped lay the groundwork for breaking Enigma
The role of women at Bletchley Park
Intelligence and espionage during WWII
The impact of technology on warfare
These topics can easily become research projects, nonfiction reading lessons, discussion topics, or cross-curricular activities.
Most importantly, students begin to see that history isn’t simply a collection of facts to memorize.
History is made up of real people facing difficult choices and extraordinary circumstances.
3. It’s Perfect for Teaching Inference and Critical Thinking
Mysteries are wonderful vehicles for teaching critical thinking because readers can’t simply wait for someone to explain everything.
They have to figure things out.
As students read The Bletchley Riddle, they can practice:
Making predictions
Drawing inferences
Identifying clues
Using text evidence
Recognizing foreshadowing
Making connections
Drawing conclusions
Analyzing character motivations
Revising predictions when new information is revealed
You can even turn students into codebreakers themselves.
Have students create their own secret messages, investigate simple ciphers, or develop a series of clues for their classmates to solve.
Suddenly, reading comprehension becomes part of a mystery-solving experience.
4. The Historical Connections Create Great Discussion
Another strength of The Bletchley Riddle is the number of topics it can bring into classroom conversations.
Students can explore questions such as:
What does it mean to be brave?
When is it acceptable to break a rule?
Can keeping a secret ever be the right thing to do?
How does the past affect the present?
How much should we trust the information we are given?
What sacrifices were people willing to make during wartime?
These questions encourage students to move beyond simple recall and engage in meaningful discussion about character, choices, courage, loyalty, trust, family, and truth.
5. It Offers Excellent Cross-Curricular Opportunities
Although The Bletchley Riddle works beautifully as an ELA novel study, don’t limit it to reading class.
This novel can connect naturally to several subject areas.
Social Studies
Use the novel as a springboard for studying:
World War II
The British home front
Intelligence operations
Bletchley Park
Women in World War II
The Enigma machine
Codebreaking
STEM and Technology
Students can explore:
Cryptography
Codes and ciphers
Encryption
Early computing
Problem-solving
The development of technology during wartime
Writing
Students can write:
Historical responses
Character analyses
Opinion pieces
Text-based responses
Creative stories
Research reports
Reflections about the novel’s themes
This makes The Bletchley Riddle a great choice for teachers looking for a novel that can support learning across the curriculum.
6. It Can Engage Reluctant Readers
Not every student loves historical fiction.
Some students see a book set during World War II and immediately assume it will be difficult or boring.
The mystery changes that equation.
The combination of adventure, secrets, puzzles, codes, family relationships, and historical events gives students multiple entry points into the story.
Students who enjoy mysteries have the mystery.
Students interested in history have the historical setting.
Students who enjoy puzzles have the codes and clues.
And students who enjoy character-driven stories have the relationships and family connections.
That’s one reason The Bletchley Riddle can work so well with a diverse group of readers.
Make The Bletchley Riddle Easier to Teach
If you’re planning to use The Bletchley Riddle as a class novel, you don’t have to spend hours creating chapter questions, vocabulary activities, writing prompts, nonfiction passages, and assessments.
I’ve created a complete The Bletchley Riddle Novel Study for Grades 5–8 designed to make teaching the novel as easy as possible.
The resource includes 285+ pages of printable materials, along with digital resources for a paperless classroom.
Students can work on:
Chapter-by-chapter reading comprehension
Vocabulary
Grammar
Writing
Critical thinking
Text evidence
Nonfiction reading
Historical connections
End-of-book activities
Story elements
The unit also includes Common Core standards alignment, teacher resources, answer keys, assessments, and digital Google Drive™ materials.
Explore the History Behind the Story
One of my favorite parts of this novel study is the collection of nonfiction reading passages that allow students to dig deeper into the real history behind the novel.
Students learn about:
Black Saturday
The Bletchley Park Code and Cipher School
The Men of Bletchley Park
The Women of Bletchley Park
Tyler Kent
The Polish Codebreakers
These passages give you an easy way to incorporate informational text and historical research into your novel study while helping students understand the real-world events that inspired the story.
A No-Prep Bletchley Riddle Novel Study for Grades 5–8
If you’re ready to bring mystery, history, and codebreaking into your classroom, The Bletchley Riddle is a fantastic novel to consider.
It’s an engaging choice for:
Upper elementary ELA
Middle school ELA
World War II units
Historical fiction units
Literature circles
Whole-class novel studies
Small-group reading
Independent reading
Homeschool
Cross-curricular ELA and social studies instruction
And with a ready-to-use novel study, you can spend less time creating materials and more time helping your students read, question, investigate, and think deeply about the story.
Ready to turn your students into codebreakers?
Try a free sample of the novel study for The Bletchley Riddle
Bring the mystery of Bletchley Park into your classroom and give your students a historical fiction experience they’ll want to keep reading.
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching The Bletchley Riddle this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Looking for a powerful middle school novel that builds empathy, encourages critical thinking, and connects literature to real-world history? Refugee by Alan Gratz is an excellent choice for grades 5-8.
This compelling historical fiction novel follows three young people from three different time periods and countries as they flee dangerous circumstances in search of safety. Through the stories of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud, students encounter themes of refugees, immigration, displacement, courage, resilience, family, freedom, and hope.
For teachers, Refugee offers far more than an engaging story. It provides countless opportunities for reading comprehension, character analysis, historical research, writing, discussion, geography, and perspective-taking.
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Why Teach Refugee by Alan Gratz?
One of the greatest strengths of Refugee is the way Alan Gratz helps young readers understand an enormous global issue through the experiences of individual children.
Rather than simply learning about refugees from a textbook or article, students follow Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud as they experience fear, uncertainty, loss, and hope firsthand.
That makes Refugee an especially effective empathy-building novel for middle school students.
1. Refugee Encourages Empathy and Perspective-Taking
The novel allows students to see the world from perspectives that may be very different from their own.
Josef is a Jewish boy fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939. Isabel is a Cuban girl whose family attempts to escape Cuba in 1994. Mahmoud is a Syrian boy forced to flee his home during the Syrian Civil War in 2015.
Although their circumstances are different, the three stories share universal themes of family, fear, courage, survival, and the search for a safe place to call home.
As students read, they can consider questions such as:
How would you feel if you had to leave your home?
What would you be willing to risk to protect your family?
How does fear influence the characters’ decisions?
What does it mean to be brave?
How can our experiences influence the way we understand other people?
These discussions can help students develop empathy while also strengthening their ability to analyze character motivations and perspectives.
2. Refugee Connects ELA and Social Studies
One of the biggest advantages of using Refugee as a classroom novel is its cross-curricular potential.
Each of the three storylines gives students an opportunity to explore a different historical and geographical setting.
Josef – Nazi Germany
Josef’s story introduces students to the persecution of Jewish people during Nazi Germany and provides opportunities to explore topics such as Hitler Youth, the Sturmabteilung (SA), Kristallnacht, and the MS St. Louis.
Isabel – Cuba
Isabel’s story takes place during the Cuban refugee crisis and allows students to learn more about Fidel Castro, Cuba, and the political and economic circumstances that led families to leave the country.
Mahmoud – Syria
Mahmoud’s story introduces students to the Syrian Civil War and the refugee crisis of the 21st century.
These historical connections make Refugee an excellent choice for an ELA and social studies cross-curricular unit.
Students aren’t simply reading a story—they’re examining the historical circumstances that shaped the characters’ lives.
3. Refugee Provides Excellent Reading Comprehension Practice
Because the novel switches between three protagonists and three different time periods, students must pay close attention to the details.
A Refugee novel study can help students practice:
Reading comprehension
Making inferences
Identifying themes
Analyzing character development
Comparing and contrasting characters
Determining cause and effect
Summarizing
Analyzing setting
Examining conflict
Supporting ideas with text evidence
Making connections between historical events and literature
The structure of the novel also gives teachers an opportunity to have students compare the experiences of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud and identify the similarities and differences among their journeys.
Few topics generate more thoughtful discussion than questions about what people are willing to do to protect themselves and their families.
As students read Refugee, they can discuss topics such as:
What does it mean to be a refugee?
Why do people leave their homes?
What makes someone courageous?
How do governments and historical events affect individuals?
What responsibilities do countries have toward refugees?
How does perspective affect the way we understand an event?
What similarities exist between the three protagonists?
How does the author use three different stories to communicate a larger message?
These conversations provide natural opportunities for speaking and listening practice, argumentative writing, evidence-based responses, and critical thinking.
5. Refugee Makes History Personal
History can sometimes feel distant to students.
Reading dates, names, and events in a textbook is one thing. Experiencing those events through the eyes of a young person is something entirely different.
Refugee brings history to life by allowing students to experience major historical events through the perspectives of children and families.
Students can connect literature with historical research as they learn about:
Nazi Germany
Kristallnacht
Hitler Youth
The MS St. Louis
Cuba under Fidel Castro
The Cuban refugee experience
The Syrian Civil War
The modern refugee crisis
This makes Refugee an excellent historical fiction novel for middle school ELA and social studies instruction.
6. The Novel Encourages Strong Writing
Refugee also provides numerous opportunities for meaningful writing assignments.
Students can write about:
Character development
Theme
Conflict
Historical context
Personal reactions
Perspective
Courage and resilience
Similarities and differences among the protagonists
The choices characters make throughout the novel
The novel’s complex themes make it particularly useful for moving students beyond simple recall questions and toward text-based analysis and deeper written responses.
Looking for Refugee Novel Study Activities and Lesson Plans?
While Refugee is an incredibly powerful novel, creating an entire unit from scratch can take hours.
That’s why I created a complete Refugee Novel Study for grades 5-8.
This ready-to-use resource provides the materials you need to teach the novel while incorporating reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, character analysis, writing, historical research, and assessment.
What’s Included in the Refugee Novel Study?
The complete unit includes:
Detailed lesson plans
Pacing and standards guide
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Vocabulary and grammar activities
65 vocabulary words
Character analysis activities
Mapping activities for all three stories
Writing activities
End-of-book activities
Story elements activities
Three-part assessments
Answer keys
Common Core alignment for grades 5-8
Historical nonfiction research WebQuests
Printable student materials
Google Drive digital materials
The included WebQuests allow students to dig deeper into the historical background of the novel, including the Sturmabteilung (SA), Kristallnacht, Hitler Youth, the MS St. Louis, Fidel Castro and Cuba, and the Syrian Civil War.
The resource is available in both printable and digital Google Drive formats, making it flexible for traditional classrooms, paperless classrooms, Google Classroom, small groups, or homeschool instruction.
Help Students Read Refugee With Greater Understanding
Refugee by Alan Gratz is more than a compelling middle school novel. It is an opportunity to help students explore history, empathy, resilience, perspective, courage, and the experiences of people forced to leave their homes.
By combining the novel with thoughtful discussion, historical research, reading comprehension activities, and writing assignments, teachers can create a meaningful learning experience that extends far beyond the pages of the book.
If you’re planning a Refugee novel unit for grades 5-8, having your lesson plans, activities, comprehension questions, vocabulary work, assessments, and historical research activities ready to go can save you hours of preparation.
Try a Free Sample
Want to see what’s included before you buy? Download the free sample of the Refugee novel study and take a look at the activities, lesson materials, and student resources.
Are you teaching Refugee this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
In an ideal world, every classroom would have an abundance of time and resources to dedicate to social studies instruction, enabling educators to engage their students in immersive, hands-on learning experiences. However, the reality for many teachers is quite different. Limited time and tight budgets can pose significant challenges when it comes to delivering effective social studies instruction. Nevertheless, with creativity, strategic planning, and a commitment to student engagement, educators can still provide meaningful learning experiences in this crucial subject area.
Practical strategies to make the most of social studies instruction in a classroom with constraints on time and money:
Prioritize Key Concepts: To maximize social studies instruction in a time-constrained classroom, it’s essential to focus on the most critical concepts and skills. Start by identifying the key standards and learning objectives for your grade level or curriculum. By prioritizing these concepts, you can ensure that your students receive a solid foundation in social studies even with limited time. I have created units that touch on key concepts which you can find in my store HERE.
Integrate Social Studies Across Subjects: Consider integrating social studies into other subjects whenever possible. This cross-curricular approach not only saves time but also enriches students’ understanding by connecting social studies concepts to other areas of their education. For example, you can incorporate historical events into English language arts through literature, or explore geography through mathematics. I offer several novel studies that address historical themes such as Number the Stars, Esperanza Rising, Projekt 1065, One Crazy Summer, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Little House in the Big Woods, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, and Blood on the River.
Leverage Technology: Inexpensive or even free digital resources can provide students with access to a wealth of information and interactive learning experiences. Websites, apps, and online videos can supplement your classroom instruction, making it more engaging and informative. Look for resources aligned with your curriculum and objectives to make the most of your limited budget. I have created units that incorporate free resources which you can find in my store HERE.
Use Primary Sources: Primary sources, such as letters, diaries, photographs, and documents from historical periods, can provide valuable insights into social studies topics. These resources are often available online for free or at low cost. Incorporate primary sources into your lessons to give students a firsthand look at historical events and perspectives.
I have created units that link to primary sources which you can find in my store HERE.
Collaborate with Community Resources: Take advantage of local museums, historical societies, and community organizations that may offer educational programs or field trips at little to no cost. These experiences can enhance your curriculum and provide students with a deeper understanding of the world around them. Collaborate with these resources to make social studies come alive for your students.
Encourage Student Inquiry: Foster curiosity and critical thinking by incorporating inquiry-based learning into your social studies instruction. Pose open-ended questions and encourage students to explore topics independently. This approach can be particularly effective when time is limited, as it empowers students to take ownership of their learning.
I have created units that utilize these strategies which you can find in my store HERE.
Embrace Flexible Instructional Models: Adopt flexible instructional models. Each of my units provides an interactive notebook format, a Google Drive format, and a short-on-time IntelliNotes format which you can find in my store HERE.
Make the Most of Classroom Materials: Utilize the resources you already have in your classroom. Repurpose materials, textbooks, and educational tools to create engaging social studies activities. The units that I provide HERE can easily pair with textbooks that you may have available.
Each of my units contains an informational slideshow that goes along with the activities to help if you have limited resources. I also include links to free online resources that can be utilized while working through the units.
It is critical that you keep social studies instruction in your classroom to help students understand cultural identity, foster civic responsibility, recognize the impact of historical events, promote critical thinking, and encourage empathy and tolerance. Social studies instruction is a vital component of a well-rounded education. By providing students with a deep understanding of their nation’s history, we empower them to become responsible, informed, and engaged citizens.
My product line for the 4th-6th grade student contains units that take you from the early days of North America to the beginning of the 20th Century.
All of the units follow a similar format and contain both a printable and Google Drive format and include:
Contain a cover sheet in both color and black & white.
Informational slideshow presentation for instruction
Links to helpful online resources.
Guide with a link to a Google Drive file and instructions on how to use it.
IntelliNotes™ format to use when you are short on time.
A tutorial guide showing how to make all foldable activities.
Two different vocabulary activity versions (foldable or flash card). The file also contains blank editable pages so that you can add or change the vocabulary to best fit your needs. **This is the only editable portion of the products.
Interactive notebook activities to cover each topic within the section to help students pinpoint and highlight the main ideas and concepts.
An End of Unit Assessment.
Answer keys for all included activities
From the first unit, Early People of North America:
Teaching social studies in a classroom with limited time and money requires adaptability and creativity. By focusing on essential concepts, integrating subjects, leveraging technology, using primary sources, collaborating with community resources, encouraging student inquiry, embracing flexible instructional models, and making the most of existing materials, educators can provide meaningful social studies instruction that prepares students for a well-rounded understanding of the world around them. Despite the challenges, dedicated teachers can inspire a lifelong love of social studies and foster critical thinking skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
