Display the poster "How Does it Feel?"At first, cover up the text under the image. Tell the students that the woman in blue stripes is a refugee. Say, "Now that you have experienced a bit of what it is like to be a refugee, I want you to try to imagine how this woman feels. Write one thought on how you think the woman in blue stripes feels." After reflecting and sharing responses, the teacher should reveal the text that corresponds with the poster. Discuss.

Students will participate in three 10-minute rotations that will allow them to experience things as a refugee might experience them. The teacher should explain the activities for each rotation before beginning the rotation activities.

Rotation 1 -- Learning to Read a New Language: In this rotation students follow the directions on Handout One: "Learning to Read a New Language" to experience the difficulty refugees face in learning a new language. Extension activity for this rotation: Students may reflect on what they would bring if they had to flee their home. They may record their list on the back of their worksheet.

Rotation 2 --Learning to Write a New Language: In this rotation students follow the directions on Handout Two: "Writing a New Language"to experience what it is like to write an unfamiliar language in school. Extension activity for this rotation: Students may write the name of a group member using the new alphabet.

Rotation 3 -- Creating Your Own Fun: In this rotation students use the materials provided to create a toy that can be used for fun by the children in the refugee camp. The teacher should write the directions for the activity on the paper bag of materials or on an index card inside the bag. NOTE: To add a little fun/competition, the teacher may inform students that the class will vote on the toy they would be most likely to play with and that group will win a prize.

For the closing assessment, students will reflect on their experiences as a refugee. Ask students to complete one of the following sentence : ―Respond to ONE of the following prompts: 1. When I was learning to read as a refugee I felt… 2. When I was learning to write as a refugee I felt… 3. When I was creating a toy as a refugee I felt…

Day Two

Anticipatory Set:

Ask students to respond to the following prompt: "Envision a classroom with new rules. Describe what that would look like: What would the teacher be doing? What would the students be doing? and What would the classroom look like?" Students may share their visions. Then, discuss what would help the new classroom to have order. The responses should include "rules." If students do not state this idea, the teacher may bring up the topic and encourage a discussion of the importance of rules.

Tell the class that one reason to have rules is to protect the rights of all students. Work as a class to form a working definition of the word rights. Once a definition is composed, students should reflect on the rights they have as students. Make a list of students' rights; the right to learn, the right to safety, the right to share opinions without fear of being put down. With those rights in mind, discuss the responsibilities students have to the community.How are rights and responsibilities directly related?

After students brainstorm a list of rights, they will work in small groups to devise a list of classroom rules (related to rights and responsibilities) that will help maintain order in the classroom, while also respecting the rights of students.

After student groups determine their rules, they may share them with the class. Ask the students whether their rules would be appropriate in a refugee camp. Why or why not?

Lead a brief discussion about the rights of refugees. "What rights and responsibilities do you think refugees have?"

Display "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (both the full version and abbreviated versions are available for this). Tell the students that the United Nations developed this list of rights of all humans in order to promote peace, justice,and freedom for all. Read highlights from the preamble (in the full version) and then have students read through all the rights, thinking about refugees as they read them. Discuss what rights have been denied to refugees. Ask, "Why is good for everyone (the common good) to make sure all people have these rights?"