A Deadly Journey

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: What hardships do refugees face? What can be done to eliminate or reduce these hardships?

2. List Vocabulary

Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• human traffickers (p. 13)
• perilous (p. 13)
• haven (p. 14)
• humanitarian (p. 14)
• relocate (p. 15)
• displacement (p. 15)

3. Engage

Read aloud the article title and subtitle. Then ask: Based on the title and subtitle, what conclusions can you make about what life is like in the refugee camps in Bangladesh?

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: A Deadly Journey, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the facing page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.).

• What is the author’s main purpose in the first four paragraphs of the article? (Author’s purpose, text structure) 
  (The author’s main purpose is to describe the dangers people face in being ferried by human traffickers from the refugee camps in Bangladesh to Malaysia. The author does this through an anecdote about the experiences of one refugee, Haresa. She recalls that many people died on the journey and their bodies were thrown overboard. Starting this way helps convey a central idea of the text, which is that the Rohingya refugee situation is a humanitarian crisis.)

• Why are people, and in particular girls and women, willing to risk death to escape the refugee camps in Bangladesh? (Central idea, cause & effect)
  (People are willing to risk death to escape the camps because they are intensely overcrowded, with people living in shelters made of bamboo and plastic sheeting. Also, the people in the camps can’t get jobs or leave the camps without permission, putting them in a permanent state of poverty. They escape by boat, hoping to improve their lives by finding jobs or marrying men who have jobs. Girls and women are also willing to risk death to leave because they face sexual assault in the camps.)

• What does the map add to the article? (Integrate sources)
  (The map helps readers make sense of the information in the article visually. Readers can see how Bangladesh and Myanmar border each other. Then they can understand how the Rohingya fleeing Myanmar would end up in Bangladesh. The map also gives perspective on the boat journey, on how far Malaysia is from the camps, and how some boats end up docking in nearby Indonesia instead.)

• Based on the article, how has Southeast Asia as a region responded to the crisis? How do you think history will judge this response? (Problem & solution, key details)
  (Based on the article, little seems to have been done to address the Rohingya refugee crisis. The crisis began three years ago, yet more than 700,000 refugees still live in the camps. Though some people try to flee by boat, the fishermen of Aceh are among the few who are willing to take them in. Students’ responses to the second part of the question will vary, but they may say that the judgment will be harsh, given that Thailand and Malaysia are refusing to allow entry to boats carrying refugees and Bangladesh is looking to move the refugees to a cycloneprone uninhabited island as a way of keeping its citizens safe from the coronavirus pandemic.)

• Based on the article, do you think the Rohingya refugee crisis will soon be solved? Why or why not? (Make inferences, problem & solution)
  (Students’ responses will vary, but they should support their ideas with text evidence. For example, students may say that the crisis will not soon be solved, given that there are more than 700,000 refugees who need assistance.)

6. Writing Prompt
Imagine that you are a member of the U.N. Refugee Agency. Write a one- or two-page proposal for solving the Rohingya refugee crisis.

7. Video
Have students watch the video about the Rohingya genocide. This video contains graphic images that may not be appropriate for all students. Please review the video yourself first.

8. Classroom Debate
Should countries be required to allow entry to nearby ships in distress?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.