Shattered Worlds Comparison Worksheet
Shattered Worlds
Josef (Ch. 1) & Isabel (Ch. 2) Comparison
Name:
Date:
Instructional Guide
Josef and Isabel live in different worlds, yet they share the same desperate hope for safety. Use the Evidence Vault below to categorize their settings, motivations, and obstacles. Place unique details in the outer circles and shared experiences in the Common Ground overlap.
Josef
Isabel
Common Ground
The Evidence Vault
Berlin, Germany (1938)
Havana, Cuba (1994)
Nazi Brownshirts
The Maleconazo Riot
Father taken to Dachau
Father beaten by police
Jewish Heritage
Catholic/Cuban Heritage
Home Vandalized/Raided
Economic Crisis (Special Period)
Skilled Trumpet Player
Approaching Bar Mitzvah
12-Year-Old Boy
11-Year-Old Girl
Protecting Younger Sibling
Trying to "be a man"
Trading possessions for fuel
Protecting a Hunted Father
Desperate for "Tomorrow"
Starving/Lacking Food
Listening for the "Clave"
Music as a Sanctuary
Sudden Loss of Innocence
Threat of the Secret Police
Forced to leave home
Authoritarian Regime
Courageous in the face of fear
Living in constant anxiety
Searching for an invisible beat
Kristallnacht Victim
Alan Gratz • Refugee • Comparative Analysis Series
Shattered Beginnings Teacher Guide
Shattered Beginnings
Teacher Facilitation Guide • Chapters 1 & 2
REFUGEE UNIT
Lesson Objective
Students will analyze how Alan Gratz uses parallel storytelling to establish themes of displacement and survival. By comparing Josef (1938 Germany) and Isabel (1994 Cuba), students will identify historical specificities while recognizing the universal human experience of seeking safety.
Key Vocabulary
- • Kristallnacht
- • Special Period (Cuba)
- • Authoritarianism
- • Clave Rhythm
- • Displaced Person
Josef: Berlin, 1938
Chapter 1 opens with Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass). This was a state-sponsored pogrom where Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed. It marked a turning point from discrimination to violent persecution. Josef's father is taken to Dachau, one of the first Nazi concentration camps.
Isabel: Havana, 1994
Chapter 2 depicts the "Special Period" in Cuba following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Without Soviet subsidies, Cuba faced extreme food and fuel shortages. The Maleconazo (the riot Isabel witnesses) was a real protest against the Castro regime that led to the "Rafter Crisis" (balseros).
Discussion Launchers
"Why does Josef try to act like an adult, and why does Isabel try to find a rhythm that isn't there?"
Focus on the theme of lost innocence. Both characters are forced into adult roles/realizations prematurely to survive or protect family.
"How does the setting act as an antagonist in these first two chapters?"
Discuss how the political environment and physical danger (shadows, glass, police, hunger) create a sense of entrapment.
Main Activity Guidance
Shattered Worlds Comparison Worksheet
Scaffolding Tips
- • Have students highlight setting details in one color and character traits in another within the Evidence Vault.
- • Encourage students to look for "Thematic Rhymes" (e.g., Josef’s Bar Mitzvah vs. Isabel’s Trumpet playing as markers of growing up).
Critical Thinking
- • Challenge students to find one item NOT in the vault to add to their Venn diagram.
- • Ask: "If these two characters met today, what would be the first thing they would understand about each other without speaking?"
