Paired Texts > Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History

by Juliet Linderman for Voice of Witness

2015

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.

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 “Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History” to provide students with additional information about the South Sudanese refugees crisis. How does Noah Gottschalk’s depiction of the refugee crisis compare to Felix Lohitai’s description of his experiences? How do Gottschalk and Lohitai describe the refugee camps in Uganda?

8th Grade Interview 970L
The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup
  • NPR Staff
  • 2016

In the interview “The World’s Largest Refugee Camp Looks Like A Slum/Star Wars Mashup,” Ari Shapiro talks to human rights worker and author Ben Rawlence about the experiences of Somali refugees in a camp in Kenya.

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?

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 “Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History” to provide students with additional information about the refugee crisis. Ask students to discuss how Syria’s refugee crisis compares to South Sudan’s. How does the text “5 Surprising Facts about the Refugee” help students better understand why refugees struggle to resettle in new countries?

8th Grade Informational Text 1020L
War in Sudan
  • Jessica McBirney
  • 2017

In this informational text, Jessica McBirney discusses the causes and effects of armed conflicts that have gone on for decades in Sudan and South Sudan.

Pair “War in Sudan” with “Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History” to provide students with additional information about the civil wars in Sudan and South Sudan. What additional information does the text “War in Sudan” provide students about the conflict that displaced Felix Lohitai? What ongoing conflicts in South Sudan prevent Lohitai from returning to his home country?

7th Grade Memoir 720L
Door to Freedom
  • Jacalyn McNamara
  • 1982

In the memoir “Door to Freedom,” Jacalyn Pauer describes her husband Pal’s experiences after the war in Hungary and how he got his immigration papers for America.

Pair “Voice of Witness: A Sudanese Refugee’s Oral History” with “Door to Freedom” to provide students with another example of a refugee’s story. Ask students to discuss Felix Lohitai’s experiences coming to the United States. How did the challenges he faced compare to Pal’s? What do students think of the process through which refugees have to go to enter the United States? Why do they think those things?