T E A C H E R ’ S M AT E R I A L

Burlington
International
Readers

B1

A Refugee Story
Samuel Sheehy

B U R L I N G T O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E A D E R

CONTENTS

To the Teacher 2

Before Reading 4

After Reading: Extra Challenges 5

Final Test 6

Answers to Final Test 8

Book Report 10

Answers to Activities in the Reader 11

Before using the following teacher’s material, we recommend that

you visit the Teacher’s Zone at www.burlingtonbooks.es
and consult the Burlington International Reader Series
general information leaflet. The Final Test in this teacher’s
material is also available in editable Word format from the website.
The Student’s Zone on the site offers audio MP3 recordings and
a printable book report form.
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 A Refugee Story

TO THE TEACHER
LIST OF MAIN CHARACTERS

Tariq Ahmadi: a young boy living in a country in Hassan Ahmadi: Tariq and Salah’s father.
the Middle East, a good footballer.
Rima Ahmadi: Hassan’s wife and Tariq
Salah Ahmadi: Tariq’s twin brother, likes to write and Salah’s mother.
in his journal.

PLOT SUMMARY

The story focuses on the situation of an ordinary family that gets caught up in the turbulent events of
revolution and war.
The Ahmadi family lives in an unnamed Arab country where, at first, they have a good life. Hassan, the
father, has got a good job and the sons, Tariq and Salah, go to school. Although the boys are twins, they
are very different. Tariq is sociable and a good footballer, while his brother, Salah, is more interested in his
studies, enjoys writing and is quieter than Tariq.
Hassan wants the country to be a democracy, but his wife, Rima, thinks they should just be happy with the
things they have got. The family is divided in their attitudes to the major changes that are happening in the
Arab world. Hassan and Tariq support the calls for change and for democracy in the country, and want to
join in the protests. But Rima and Salah, on the other hand, think that they should not cause trouble and are
more practical. They have comfortable lives and that is what matters. When they hear that the protests have
started, Hassan is very excited and he wants to take the boys to join in the demonstrations, but Rima will
not let him, as she thinks that it’s too dangerous.
When the protests become more and more violent and fighting breaks out, Rima and Hassan, who already
have a plan to leave the country and make their way to Germany, decide it is time to act. Hassan and Tariq
go to the market to get provisions, while Rima and Salah go home to pack. Hassan and Tariq realise there
is nothing to buy at the market and decide to return home. Suddenly, they hear shooting. When they return
home, they see their building destroyed. They have no way of knowing if Rima and Salah are inside.
Hassan decides that they must leave and they head for the coast immediately. In the meantime, Rima and
Salah, who also saw the building destroyed, manage to get a lift with a neighbour to the border. They have
no idea if Hassan and Tariq are still alive. Neither pair is aware of where the others are, so they decide to
follow the original plan and try to get to Germany. They hope that they will be reunited there.
Each pair has different experiences which are typical of the difficulties faced by refugees today,
for instance, living in refugee camps, having to pay various people to transport them over borders, surviving
sinking boats and the hostility of the local populations in the countries through which they pass.
In Greece, Tariq is separated from his father, but is put on a train with other refugees, which takes him
to Austria. From there, he gets to Germany, where he is fostered by a good family. Thanks to his skill at
playing football, he manages to fit in very well.
Rima and Salah arrive in Italy, where they are forced to stay even though they request permission to go to
Germany, where they think that Hassan and Tariq may be.
One day, Rima and Salah see an interview with Tariq on TV in Germany. They know now that he is alive
and because of this, they are allowed to enter Germany. At last, the family begins to settle down and live a
normal life even though they don’t know what has happened to Hassan and this is a constant worry.
Rima doesn’t give up. She eventually finds out that Hassan has been in hospital in Greece and she is able to
request permission for him to join them in Germany. In the end, the family are reunited and they are able to
build a new life together.

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 A Refugee Story
TO THE TEACHER (continued)
BACKGROUND

• F
 oster parents: Sometimes, children need a home where they can be cared for temporarily, until their
biological parents are in a position to look after them. Often, refugee children arrive in countries without
their parents, so they are placed with foster parents until their own parents can be found.

• Refugees: Here are some statistics about refugees worldwide:

– In 2015, there were 21.3 million refugees:

– More than half the refugees come from three countries: Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.

– In 2015, more than 100,000 unaccompanied children crossed borders alone and applied for asylum in 78
countries; Three times more than in 2014.

– In 2015, the International Organisation for Migration estimated that more than one million migrants
arrived in Europe by sea.

– In 2016, 75,500 refugees were stuck in Greece and the Western Balkans after Hungary and other countries
closed their borders, so there was no entry into Central and Western Europe.

– In 2016, at least 4,690 refugees died in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe.

• Organisations helping refugees: There are many organisations trying to help the refugees arriving in
Europe, including UNHCR (the United Nations High Commisioner of Refugees), Hand in Hand for Syria,
Syria Relief, the Red Cross and Oxfam, etc. In addition, medical professionals volunteer to go to refugee
camps and spend time giving urgent medical care to the people living there.

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 A Refugee Story
BEFORE READING
SUGGESTIONS FOR LEAD-IN ACTIVITIES

Ask the questions and elicit the answers from the whole class. Some possible answers are provided in
italics. If you like, the students can work in pairs or in small groups.
1. Why do you think people go to live in other countries? (to look for work; to have a better life; to get
away from adversity, conflict, discrimination, prejudice, natural disasters)
2. What is the difference between an immigrant and a refugee? (An immigrant leaves his / her homeland
willingly
and wants to live in a new country. A refugee is forced to leave and maybe would like to return home.)
3. What problems do people who move a new country face? (learning a new language, getting used to a
different culture, finding work, going to new schools, making new friends, leaving behind family and
friends and what is familiar to them)
4. What additional problems do refugees face? (can’t plan their move, depart in a hurry, probably have to
leave everything behind, family members may be left behind and in danger)
5. What type of countries attract immigrants and refugees? (those with economic stability, with more job
opportunities, with a liberal policy on immigration, where a large community of immigrants from the
refugee’s own country, is already established)
6. How do you think people feel about the large number of refugees coming to live in their country? (They
may want to help them. Maybe they are concerned about immigrants and refugees taking their jobs.
They may be worried about the changing demographics of their country.)
7. Do you think people should be allowed to travel freely and live in whichever country they choose? (Yes,
why should people be prevented from trying to get a better life? / No, the government has got the right
to check who is entering the country.)

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES

The Before Reading Tasks in the Burlington International Readers general information leaflet, pages 9-13,
can be applied to A Refugee Story.
1. Look at the picture on page 8. What are the boys doing? (They are playing football.) What does this
tell us about their lives? (They lead normal lives.) What is the boy on page 9 doing? (He’s writing in a
notebook.) Why do you think he is doing this? (He is tired, he doesn’t like football and prefers to write.)
2. Read the conversation on page 9 between Hassan and Rima from the words, “They could hear their
parents … ” to the end of the page. What do they disagree about? (Hassan thinks that political change
in the country is necessary. His wife is happy with things the way they are because they have a good life
and they shouldn’t complain.)
3. Compare and contrast the pictures on pages 11 and 13. What do they have in common? (It’s the same
family.) What is the difference between them? (In the first picture, we see a normal family doing
everyday things, but in the second, somebody is shooting through the bedroom window, and they are
hiding under beds for protection.)
4. Read the conversation on page 12 between Salah and Tariq beginning with the words “What’s going
on ...” to “I heard her talking with Dad about it.” What does each boy think? (According to Tariq, the
leader is corrupt and takes all their money. Salah doesn’t see it that way, as they still have money.)
5. Look at the picture on page 21. What do you think the man is trying to do? Why is he doing this?
(Maybe he is trying to buy the boat or asking the man to take them across the water.)
6. Look at the picture on page 35. What can you see in the background? (It looks as if there are a lot of
people crammed into the back of a lorry.) What is the man telling the woman to do? (He is telling her
to get inside.) What is the expression on her face? (She looks upset.)
7. Look at the picture of the boy on page 43 and describe it. (The boy looks out of place. His clothes are
ragged. Everyone else is dressed nicely. The people in the café don’t seem to notice him even though he
is staring at them.)

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AFTER READING: EXTRA CHALLENGES

MAKE YOUR STUDENTS THINK

Here are some points that more advanced students can be asked to consider after reading the book.
1. In what circumstances would you feel it is necessary to leave your country?
2. What is democracy? Is it so important? If most people have comfortable lives, does it matter if the ruler is
a dictator?
3. Should all countries have an ‘open-door policy’ of allowing in anyone who applies as an asylum seeker?
If not, how should they decide who is to be allowed in?
4. Do you think that developed countries have the moral obligation to take care of those who come from
places where there is war and poverty? Explain your answer.
5. How can people who come to live in a new country, either as refugees or as immigrants, best fit in to their
new surroundings? Should they give up the culture of their former homeland and try to assimilate
completely into their new society?
6. The Ahmadis went through a lot of suffering in order to survive and to remain together as a family.
Do you think that the writer of the story wishes to give a positive or a negative message about human
nature in general? Give examples from the story.

PROJECT SUGGESTIONS
1. Imagine you are Hassan. Write a letter to a friend in another country in which you describe your home and
family life BEFORE the revolution. Describe the situation in the country, how you feel about it and
what you think should be done.
2. Work in pairs. One of you is Rima and the other is her sister or brother. Write the conversation you have
where Rima complains that she is worried that Hassan is going to risk their comfortable lives in order to
support the revolution. Act out the conversation for the class.
3. Imagine you are Salah. Write the entry in your diary on the day you arrive in Italy. Describe the journey
and your feelings now that you are out of danger.
4. Imagine you are Salah. Design a poster that you can put on an Internet site asking for help in locating
your brother and father.
5. Work in pairs. One of you is Tariq and the other is a reporter. Write a television interview with Tariq after
he has settled in Germany but still does not know what has happened to the rest of his family. Act out
the interview for the class.
6. Design a leaflet that can be handed out to refugees when they arrive in your country, giving them advice
on how to manage in their new country.
7. Work in pairs. One of you is Tariq and other is Salah. Write the conversation you have when you are first
reunited. Act out the conversation for the class.
8. Imagine you are Rima and it is a few months after you arrived in Germany. Write a letter to Tariq’s foster
family thanking them for looking after Tariq and telling them how Tariq is doing.
9. Work in groups of four. After several years in Germany, the Ahmadi family is faced with the choice of
remaining there or going back to their homeland. Write the conversation in which the family members
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both options. Act out the conversation for the class.
10.
 Search the Internet for information about one of the countries that people have left because of the
destruction or that people have entered as refugees. Write a fact file about the country. Include facts
about the population, natural resources and type of government. Present your file to the class.

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 A Refugee Story

FINAL TEST
A Number the sentences according to the story after Tariq and Hassan are separated
from Salah and Rima.
a. They arrived in Greece and stayed in a border camp.
b. A boatman took them across the sea.
c. Hassan made plans to leave the camp and cross the next border.
d. Tariq managed to get on a train but lost his father.
e. Soldiers came and moved them to a permanent refugee camp.
f. They walked is front of the other refugees to the border.
g. They went to get provisions.
h. They saw their building being destroyed.
i. Part of the border fence was pulled back when the refugees ran towards the soldiers.
j. They escaped from the city and managed to cross the border.

10 points (1 point each)

B Correct the mistake in each sentence. Do NOT make the sentence negative.
 1. Salah loved to play basketball.
.
2. Rima and Hassan argued about his job at the beginning of the story.
.
3. Tariq and Hassan were able to leave their country and cross the border because they had their
passports with them.
.
4. Rima was happy to see the soldiers when she approached her building.
.
5. Rima wanted to stay in Italy.
.

10 points (2 points each)

C Find evidence in the story to prove that the following statements are true.
1. Hassan listened to his wife’s advice.

2. It was dangerous for the Ahmadi family to stay in their town.

3. Some people tried to help Rima and Salah when the boat was sinking.

4. Tariq felt out of place when he arrived in Austria.

5. Tariq wasn’t completely happy in Germany, even though he was living with a kind family.

10 points (2 points each)

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FINAL TEST (continued)

D Complete the following sentences according to the story.
1. While in their bedroom Tariq and Salah were upset because they heard .
2. Rima didn’t allow Hassan and the boys to go to the protest because .
3. There was a terrible smell at the refugee camp because .
4. Rima was angry with the woman at the centre in Italy because .
5. Rima knew Tariq was alive when .

10 points (2 points each)

E Which of the characteristics below describe each of characters listed? Write the correct
name next to each characteristic. Give a reason for your decision.
Hassan Rima Tariq Rash Mr Tebele
1. idealistic
2. practical
3. greedy
4. energetic
5. compassionate

20 points (4 points each)

F Answer the following questions.

1. What shows us that Rima understood how the situation in the country could become dangerous?

2. How did being a good footballer help Tariq?

3. How did Salah’s writing skills help him?

4. Who tried to take advantage of the refugees and who tried to help them?

5. Why didn’t Hassan manage to get to Germany with Tariq?

10 points (2 points each)

G Write a paragraph about one of the following topics. The paragraph should be at
least 55 words long.
1. Rima decided that her family had to run away. She didn’t want to try and change the situation in her
country. Do you agree with her decision? Explain your answer.
2. Compare how Tariq and Salah dealt with being forced to leave their country and start a new life.
Do you think one of them managed better than the other? Explain your answer.
3. Some people in the story didn’t want refugees to come to their country. Do you think they were
right? Explain your answer.
30 points

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ANSWERS TO FINAL TEST

A 1. g 2. h 3. j 4. b 5. a 6. e 7. c 8. f 9. i 10. d

B 1. Salah loved to write in his diary.

2. Rima and Hassan argued about the political situation at the beginning of the story.
3. Tariq and Hassan were able to leave their country and cross the border because Hassan had
money to give the guard.
4. Rima was frightened to see the soldiers when she approached her building.
5. Rima wanted to go to Germany.

C 1. He didn’t take the boys to the protest or go himself.

2. Their building and the market were hit by bombs.
3. The coastguards came to rescue them from the sinking boat.
4. His clothes were torn and he was dirty. He was unhappy. Everyone in the cafés was clean
and happy. He felt self-conscious.
5. He missed his own family.

D 1. their parents arguing / all the noise from the street outside
2. it was too dangerous
3. there were not enough toilets
4. she wouldn’t let them go to Germany
5. she saw him on television

E 1. Hassan – He wanted to rebel against the leaders in order to have a better society.
2. Rima – She knew she couldn’t change society, so she did what she thought was best for her family.
3. Rash – He took advantage of people in danger and took a lot of money from them.
4. Tariq – He loved playing football and running around.
5. Mr Tebele – He stopped to help Rima and Salah when he was escaping from danger.

F 1. S he had planned to leave the country, and she had packed their belongings in the car ready to
escape.
2. It helped him to find friends at the border camp and at school. It also helped him to get
accepted when he got to Germany.
3. He was able to express his thoughts. He was able to find an escape from all the suffering
around him. In the end, his diary was published in Germany, so this helped him.
4. Take advantage: The boatman, who took a lot of money from Hassan to take them in his boat across
the water. Rash, who took a lot of money from the refugees, so they could travel in his overcrowded
lorry. The owners of the boat that sunk and the sailors who left the refugees to drown.
Helped: The people who came to hand out food and blankets in the refugee camps. The people who
offered lifts to the refugees who were walking to the border. The people in the centre in Austria.
The family who fostered Tariq. The teacher in Tariq’s school who helped Salah.
5. He became separated from Tariq by the crowd at the Greek border. Then, all the borders closed and
he was stuck in a refugee camp in Greece.

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ANSWERS TO FINAL TEST

G Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers. Possible points for inclusion:
1. As a mother, Rima’s first responsibility was to take care of her family. She knew that things would
become very bad if a revolution began, so she had begun to make plans to leave the country
beforehand. Even though this was the right thing to do in her situation, it meant that she was
ignoring all of the people in her country who were suffering because of the government and who
wanted to change things. It is difficult to judge her, as she did manage to protect her family.
2. Tariq managed by being more sociable than Salah. For example, when he got to the border camp in
Greece, he immediately found other boys to play football with. He was also encouraged by his father
to act like a grown-up in difficult situations. This helped him when he got to Germany alone. Salah,
on the other hand, who was less open than his brother, found comfort in his writing and was able to
manage with all of the suffering that was going on around him. They both dealt with it successfully
in their own ways.
3. I don’t think that they were completely right. I can understand that accepting so many refugees into
your country is not an easy thing because it costs a lot of money to take care of them. You need to
find them jobs and teach them your language and this can be at the expense of the poor people of
your own country. However, if they need help because they have nowhere to go, especially if they
are helpless women and children, they should be allowed into the country.

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BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL READER A2/B1

Book Report
Title: Author:

Review by:

Circle the type of story: horror drama adventure mystery tragedy

comedy romance fantasy biography science fiction
Main characters: Choose your favourite character. Describe the
character.
Character:
Description:

Describe the setting of the story.

Write a brief summary of the story.

What is your opinion of the book? Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

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 A Refugee Story
ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES (pages 6-7) 4 1. Because his family were their enemies now.
2. It was destroyed when it was hit by a missile.
1 1. gift 4. freedom 7. risk
3. To go home and put their things in the car.
2. miss 5. take part 8. argue
4. He saw their building destroyed by a missile
3. complain 6. crowded 9. last and thought that Rima and Salah might be
inside.
2 1. R 2. R 3. H 4. H 5. R
5. Because he wanted too much money.
3 Accept all logical answers.
CHAPTERS 5-6 ACTIVITIES (pages 30-31)
4  ccept all logical and grammatically correct
A
answers.
1 1. c 2. e 3. a 4. b 5. d

2 1. T he boat didn’t turn over even though there

CHAPTERS 1-2 ACTIVITIES (pages 14-15) were a lot of people in it and strong winds.
2. There were soldiers with guns and dogs at the
1 1. was playing football with his friends border behind the fence.
 is sitting in the shade of a tree writing
3. Even though he was having fun playing football
2. Rima reminds her husband that he has a good in the border camp, he was unhappy because he
job and that he is lucky. She prefers peace to didn’t know what had happened to them.
democracy. 4. The soldiers shouted at them angrily in
3. Hassan says that he wants democracy. He a foreign language.
wants a fairer society. 5. They pulled back the fence to let them in.
2 1. Salah 3. Rima 5. Rima 3 Possible answer
2. Hassan 4. Tariq 1. No, because they spoke to them with no
emotion.
3 1. lucky 3. disappointed 5. unhappy
2. Because the soldiers didn’t really understand
2. confused 4. excited what they had gone through.
4 1. T ariq and Salah’s parents were arguing over 4 Possible answers
politics. 1. Tariq found friends and could play football.
2. The boys were tired because they had been 2. People came there to help them.
listening to their parents at night.
3. In the permanent camp, they had to sleep in
3. Hassan was excited when he came home warehouses with no windows and, there wasn’t
because the revolution had begun. enough water.
4. The family hid under the beds when they
heard machine-gun fire. 5 1. B ecause there were only eight toilets for over
1,000 people.
5. Hassan thought the leader was corrupt.
2. The other men had given up, but Hassan still
wanted to leave the camp and cross the border.
CHAPTERS 3-4 ACTIVITIES (pages 22-23)
3. They looked at maps.
1 1. a 2. b 3. a 4. b 4. Because they had a difficult journey ahead.
5. He was pushed onto a train.
2 1. T 2. F 3. DK 4. F 5. T
CHAPTERS 7-8 ACTIVITES (pages 40-41)
3 1. H e didn’t cry and he didn’t ask any questions.
2. They ran home. 1 1. d 2. b 3. f 4. g 5. a 6. e 7. c
3. He was able to pay the guard to let them cross
2 1. Salah 3. Mr Tebele 5. Rash
the border.
2. Rima 4. Salah 6. Rima
4. They slept wherever they could.
5. The boatman agreed to take them in his boat. 3  e is inferring that the babies died in the lorry
H
and, because of that, they had stopped crying.
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ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER (continued)

4 1. B ecause they thought they were going to be CHAPTERS 11-12 ACTIVITES (pages 58-59)
arrested or that Rash had abandoned them.
2. They had stopped for a toilet break and the
1  as afraid to leave the centre
w
wanted to make his mother happy
smugglers gave them water.
3. Because his mother didn’t have the money to 2 He didn’t want to sell her oranges because
pay for their journey. she was from another country. This was an
external conflict.
4. So that Rash would not kill Salah.
5. Because the boat was sinking.
3 1. Saleh saw Tariq on TV.
2. Tariq looked sick and tired when he appeared
6. The coastguards arrived in lifeboats and
on TV.
saved them.
3. Salah didn’t mind his mother hugging him so
CHAPTERS 9-10 ACTIVITIES (pages 50-51) hard.
4. Tariq arrived in Germany alone.
1 1. Greece 4. Germany
4 happy
2. the other refugees 5. in the train
Tariq: He found his way to Germany, lived
3. my mother and brother
with a kind family, learnt German, found
2 Tariq’s home town The city square friends and was accepted to play in
1 blue sky, hot sun cool air, cloudy sky a professional football team. Later, he was
joined first by his mother and brother, who
2 revolution peaceful
saw him on TV and later by his father.
3 fighting, afraid, trying to get calm, sitting in cafés,
out, trying to survive smiling, happy Salah: He was reunited with his brother
and did very well at school. His journal was
3 1. T C
 harity workers delivered food, drink and bought by a publishing company.
blankets. Hassan: After being in hospital in Greece
2. F T hey became frustrated and decided to he was eventually found by Rima. He was
walk to Vienna. allowed into Germany and was reunited with
3. T H
 e was amazed that the man could be so his family.
happy. Rima: She never gave up hope and was
4. F S ome people stopped their cars to give rewarded by having all her family together
them food and wish them well. again.
5. F H
 e wanted to stay with the other refugees
because it was safer. 5 1. H e suffered from bad dreams because he
missed his brother.
4 Possible answers
2. They saw him on TV when he arrived in
1. He was fostered by a kind family. Germany.
2. He had hot showers and good food. 3. They had been through very different
3. He made new friends. experiences.
5 1. B ecause it meant talking about his family, 4. He was an excellent student.
which hurt him very much. 5. Because had broken his arm and had been in
2. He wrote in his journal. hospital in Greece. Then, many of the borders
3. Because there were no records of their family were closed.
in Germany and European law said that they
had to stay in Italy.
4. She was angry.
5. Because he thought that his brother
and father were already dead.
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