Paired Texts > The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup

by NPR Staff

2016

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

9th Grade Informational Text 1070L
‘Chasing Memories’ In Their Refugee Camp 40 Years After Fleeing Vietnam
  • Hansi Lo Wang
  • 2015

Vietnamese American refugees who fled communist rule in their home country in the late 20th century reunite at a former processing center.

Pair “‘Chasing Memories’ in Their Refugee Camp 40 Years After Fleeing Vietnam” with “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup” to provide students with another example of a refugee’s experiences in a camp. How do the experiences of Somali refugees in Dadaab compare to the experiences of refugees during the Vietnam War? To what extent has the treatment of refugees changed over time?

9th Grade Speech 960L
Elie Wiesel’s “The Perils of Indifference” Speech
  • Elie Wiesel
  • 1999

In “Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Perils of Indifference’ Speech,” the Holocaust survivor discusses the consequences of acting indifferently towards the suffering of others.

Pair “Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Perils of Indifference’ Speech” with “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup” and ask students to discuss the indifference and animosity that people sometimes show to refugees seeking safety. How does the treatment of Somali refugees compare to the treatment of Jewish people seeking refuge during the Holocaust? How does Elie Wiesel’s speech serve as a warning to countries that ignore conflict and suffering abroad?
10th Grade Interview 1150L
Nearly 1 Million South Sudanese Refugees In Uganda
  • NPR
  • 2017

In the text “Nearly 1 Million South Sudanese Refugees In Uganda,” Scott Simon interviews Noah Gottschalk about the experiences of South Sudanese refugees at settlements in Uganda. 

Pair “Nearly 1 Million South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda” with “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup” and ask students to compare the experiences of refugees in Kenya and Uganda. How do the expectations of refugees discussed in the two texts compare to the reality of their situations? What similar obstacles do refugees experience in their respective host countries?
10th Grade Non-Fiction 1040L
Can You Still Have Hope When Life Seems Hopeless?
  • Ashley Westerman
  • 2017

In “Can You Still Have Hope When Life Seems Hopeless?” Ashley Westerman reflects on the hopes of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Pair “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup” with “Can You Still Have Hope When Life Seems Hopeless?” and ask students to discuss how the two camps discussed in the texts compare. Why might refugees feel hopeless in refugee camps in Kenya and Bangladesh? How do both texts explore the future of the refugees in these camps?
8th Grade News 1040L
5 Surprising Facts about the Refugee Crisis
  • Jason Beaubien
  • 2017

In the informational text “5 Surprising Facts about the Refugee Crisis,” Jason Beaubien discusses refugee crises around the world and how countries are responding to them.

Pair “5 Surprising Facts about the Refugee Crisis” with “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup” to provide students with additional information about the global refugee crisis. Ask students to discuss how the experiences of Syrian refugees compare to those of Somali refugees. Which countries are responding to the refugee crisis? Why do students think some other countries have been reluctant to offer assistance to refugees?
8th Grade Interview 960L
Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History
  • Juliet Linderman for Voice of Witness
  • 2015

 In the interview “Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History,” Juliet Linderman interviews a Sudanese refugee about his experience relocating to America.

Pair “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like a Slum/Star Wars Mashup” with “Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History” to provide students with additional information about one of the refugee camps Felix Lohitai and his family stayed at. How does Ben Rawlence’s discussion of Dadaab compare to Lohitai’s experiences in the refugee camp?