When Stars Are Scattered

by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

The true story of Omar Mohamed, a Somali refugee who grew up in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, raising his younger brother Hassan while dreaming of an education and a better future.

Big Idea

Hope and education can survive even the most difficult circumstances, and our stories deserve to be told.

Discussion Questions

1.What challenges does Omar face in the refugee camp?
2.How does Omar balance caring for his brother with his desire for education?
3.What role does hope play in Omar's story?
4.What can we learn about resilience from Omar's experience?

Lesson Plan

⏱ 60 minutes📦 Research materials, poster board or slides, art supplies

Learning Goals

Understand the global refugee crisis and its impact on families
Analyze how graphic novels can tell true stories powerfully
Explore themes of resilience, hope, and the value of education
Develop empathy and global awareness

Activity Steps

1.Discuss the setting of Dadaab refugee camp and what life is like there
2.Introduce key concepts: refugees, displacement, resettlement
3.Have students research one aspect of the refugee experience
4.Students create presentations connecting research to Omar's story
5.Reflect on what Omar's story teaches us about hope and perseverance

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.4.1 — Ask and answer questions about key details
ELA: RL.4.2 — Retell stories, including key details
ELA: RL.4.3 — Describe characters, setting, and events
ELA: RL.8.6 — Acknowledge differences in characters' points of view
ELA: SL.4.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations about the text
ELA: W.4.3 — Write narratives recounting events with descriptive details
SEL: Self-Management
SEL: Responsible Decision-Making
Art: VA:Re7 — Perceive and analyze artistic work

Printable Teacher’s Guide

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Grades 4-8 Ready to print

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Focus question: How do writers and artists control the speed of a true story so readers feel both the daily waiting and the urgent hopes in a refugee child’s life? In When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, the creators use the graphic novel form to pace Omar’s biography through a mix of quiet camp routines, emotionally intense scenes, and time jumps that show years of struggle and growth. The pacing helps readers feel resilience and recovery by slowing down for Hassan’s needs, Omar’s hard choices, and the long wait for change.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Read: Notice how the story moves between slow, repetitive days in Dadaab and fast emotional moments, such as school decisions, hunger, illness, and news about family. The pacing reflects Omar’s life: much waiting, then sudden change. Classroom Activity: Write a short scene about a character waiting for important news, using 3 slow details first and then 1 quick turning-point sentence.
Plot	Read: Track the major plot line of Omar raising Hassan while pursuing education in the refugee camp, and notice how each challenge builds toward bigger choices about family, school, and the future. The plot grows from daily survival into a larger story of hope and opportunity. Classroom Activity: Make a 6-box plot map of Omar’s journey, then write a new seventh event that fits the book’s theme of resilience.
Prosody	Read: Listen to how the dialogue sounds when read aloud; Omar’s thoughtful words, Hassan’s repeated sounds and phrases, and the camp conversations create a natural spoken rhythm. In a graphic novel, speech bubbles help shape this oral flow. Classroom Activity: Write 6 lines of dialogue between two siblings in which each voice sounds different when read aloud.
Word pause	Read: Notice moments when a single word, short reply, or brief speech bubble makes readers stop, especially in scenes about fear, uncertainty, or disappointment. These tiny pauses increase emotion without long explanations. Classroom Activity: Rewrite a tense moment using at least 3 one-word or two-word speech bubbles to create pauses.
Concept	Read: The central concept is resilience and recovery in the middle of displacement, caregiving, and limited choices. Omar’s story shows that recovery is not quick or simple; it happens through relationships, education, and endurance. Classroom Activity: Write a paragraph explaining how one object, place, or routine in the book represents resilience for Omar or Hassan.
Voice & World View	Read: Notice that Omar’s voice is reflective, caring, and observant, helping readers understand life in Dadaab from the inside rather than from stereotypes. His worldview is shaped by love for Hassan, concern for others, and belief in education. Classroom Activity: Write a first-person reflection from Omar’s point of view beginning, “People think they know this place, but…”
Setting & Place	Read: Study how Dadaab is shown as both a refugee camp and a full community with schools, lines, shelters, neighbors, and routines. The setting affects every choice Omar makes, including food, safety, school, and caregiving. Classroom Activity: Write a setting paragraph about a place that shapes a character’s daily life, using 4 specific details like the camp details in the book.
Point of View	Read: The memoir is told through Omar’s perspective, so readers understand Hassan, Maryam, teachers, and camp life mainly through what Omar notices and feels. This point of view creates empathy and keeps the pacing centered on his decisions. Classroom Activity: Rewrite one scene from Hassan’s or Maryam’s point of view, focusing on what that character would notice most.
Original Characters	Read: Even though this is biography, the people feel vivid and distinct: Omar is responsible and hopeful, Hassan is loving and unpredictable, and Maryam offers care and guidance. Their individuality keeps the true story engaging. Classroom Activity: Create a character card for one person from the book with 3 traits, 2 actions, and 1 line of dialogue that reveals personality.
Dialogue	Read: Notice how dialogue reveals relationships, especially Omar’s patience with Hassan, conversations with Maryam, and discussions about school and future opportunities. The speech bubbles often move scenes quickly while also carrying emotion. Classroom Activity: Write a conversation between a caregiver and child in which the spoken words show worry and love without directly saying either word.
Details	Read: Pay attention to concrete details about camp life—food, shelters, school supplies, lines, clothing, and routines—that make the biography believable and grounded. These details help readers see the realities of refugee life. Classroom Activity: Write 5 precise sensory or visual details about a daily routine, then turn them into a short realistic paragraph.
Descriptions	Read: The descriptions in the words and illustrations often stay clear and simple, letting emotional meaning build through small observations instead of long explanation. This matches Omar’s straightforward storytelling style. Classroom Activity: Describe a hard day in simple, clear language, using no more than 6 sentences and 1 strong emotional image.
Strong First Lines	Read: Notice how the opening quickly places readers in Omar and Hassan’s relationship and raises questions about their lives. A strong opening in a memoir invites readers into both character and setting right away. Classroom Activity: Write 3 possible opening lines for a memoir about a child caring for a sibling, and choose the one that creates the most curiosity.
Immediacy & Engagement	Read: The panels make readers feel close to the action because we see faces, body language, and camp scenes as they happen. This visual immediacy helps readers connect to Omar’s choices in the moment. Classroom Activity: Write a present-tense paragraph about an urgent choice a character must make, including what the character sees, hears, and feels right now.
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Read: Notice how some parts unfold as full scenes with dialogue and action, while other parts summarize stretches of time in camp. This structure helps cover years of Omar’s life without losing emotional focus. Classroom Activity: Write one event twice: first as a 6-sentence scene with dialogue, then as a 2-sentence summary covering a longer period of time.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Read: Watch for moments when the story refers back to family separation, earlier losses, or memories that deepen Omar’s present struggles, and notice how chapter endings can leave readers worried about what comes next. These moves build emotional momentum. Classroom Activity: Write a short scene that ends with a cliffhanger after a brief memory changes how the character feels.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Read: Tension grows around Hassan’s needs, Omar’s responsibilities, limited resources, and uncertain opportunities for schooling and resettlement. Even in a true story, readers keep wondering what choice Omar can make next. Classroom Activity: Write a paragraph that builds suspense around waiting for an important decision, saving the result for the final sentence.
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Read: In a graphic memoir, page turns and chapter breaks control surprise and reflection, especially before bad news, difficult choices, or hopeful developments. Notice where the creators make readers pause before learning more. Classroom Activity: Plan a 4-panel mini-comic and mark where you would place a page turn or chapter break to increase suspense.
Performance	Read: The book invites performance through expression, gesture, and speech bubble pacing; readers can act out Omar’s calm patience, Hassan’s energy, and Maryam’s comforting presence. Meaning lives in how lines are delivered. Classroom Activity: Perform a short exchange from the book or a similar one you write, changing volume, pace, and pauses to show emotion.
Personality	Read: Notice how personality is built through repeated behaviors—Omar’s responsibility, Hassan’s joyful persistence, and Maryam’s warmth. These traits influence the pacing because readers anticipate how each person will react in stressful moments. Classroom Activity: Write a character paragraph that shows personality only through actions and dialogue, not trait labels.
Humor	Read: Even in a serious memoir, gentle humor appears in sibling interactions, camp friendships, and Hassan’s memorable moments. These lighter beats help balance the heavier themes and support emotional recovery. Classroom Activity: Write a brief scene in which humor appears during a difficult day without making the serious situation disappear.
Pause	Read: Notice the emotional pauses when Omar reflects, worries, or simply sits with uncertainty. These pauses are important because resilience includes stopping, thinking, and carrying on. Classroom Activity: Insert 3 reflective pause moments into a narrative scene by adding body language, silence, or a thought before the next action.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Read: Although the book is prose, some images and repeated ideas feel poetic, especially stars, hope, distance, and dreams of the future. Visual symbolism adds emotional depth to the memoir. Classroom Activity: Write 4 lines of free verse from Omar’s perspective using one image from the sky to symbolize hope.
Repetition	Read: Repetition appears in camp routines, Hassan’s repeated behaviors, and Omar’s ongoing responsibilities, showing how life in Dadaab is shaped by both monotony and care. Repeated patterns make change feel more powerful when it comes. Classroom Activity: Write a paragraph that repeats one phrase 3 times to show a daily struggle or duty.
Rhythm	Read: The rhythm of the book comes from alternating quiet routines, conversations, setbacks, and moments of hope. Short panels can quicken the reading pace, while fuller scenes slow readers down. Classroom Activity: Write 8 sentences that alternate short and long lengths to create a rhythm of stress followed by reflection.
Punctuation	Read: Look at how punctuation in speech bubbles and captions shapes emotion—ellipses for uncertainty, question marks for confusion, and exclamation points for urgency or excitement. In a graphic novel, punctuation works closely with facial expressions. Classroom Activity: Rewrite the same 3 lines of dialogue using different punctuation to change the emotional tone.
Questions	Read: The story is driven by questions Omar carries: Where is his mother? How can he care for Hassan? Will education open a future? These questions keep readers emotionally invested. Classroom Activity: Write 5 questions a main character has on a difficult day, then choose 1 to build into a short narrative.
Compare-Contrast	Read: Compare Omar’s responsibilities with those of many children his age, and contrast the slow routines of camp life with Omar’s big dreams for education and a different future. These contrasts deepen the theme of resilience. Classroom Activity: Write a compare-contrast paragraph beginning, “In one way…, but in another way…” about Omar’s life.
Objects	Read: Notice meaningful objects such as food, school materials, clothing, or items connected to Hassan’s care; ordinary things often carry emotional and practical importance in the camp. Objects help tell the story without extra explanation. Classroom Activity: Choose one object from a hard time in a character’s life and write how it represents both struggle and hope.
Threes	Read: Watch for how ideas can be grouped in threes when discussing Omar’s burdens, hopes, or daily tasks—for example caring, waiting, and learning. Groups of three make writing feel complete and memorable. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence or short paragraph that uses a list of three to describe a character’s daily responsibilities.
Whitespace & Negative Space	Read: Notice how open panel space, quiet backgrounds, and room around characters can emphasize loneliness, waiting, or reflection in Omar’s story. Negative space slows the reader and lets emotion settle. Classroom Activity: Create a 3-panel storyboard for a quiet moment, planning where blank space would make the feeling stronger, then add captions.
Art & Graphics	Read: The illustrations are essential to pacing in When Stars Are Scattered because facial expressions, panel size, and visual transitions communicate fear, warmth, confusion, and hope. The art helps readers understand Hassan especially, beyond spoken words. Classroom Activity: Sketch or describe 4 panels showing the same scene from calm to tense, changing panel size or character expression each time.
Interactives & Gamification	Read: While the book itself is not a game, readers can track Omar’s choices, obstacles, and supports like a decision path, noticing how each step affects his future and Hassan’s well-being. This can help students study pacing as a chain of consequences. Classroom Activity: Design a simple choice map titled “Omar’s Next Step,” with 3 decision points and notes about how each choice changes the pace or tension of the story.

Pace-Write It!

20-Minute Classroom Flow\nRead (5 min): Read a short excerpt showing Omar balancing daily camp life with a difficult decision about school, Hassan, or the future. Ask students to notice where the story feels slow, fast, quiet, or tense.\nNotice (5 min): Discuss how Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed use panels, dialogue, repeated routines, and pauses to control pacing. Prompt: Where does the book slow us down to feel Omar’s responsibility? Where does it speed up to show change or stress?\nWrite (7 min): Students write a short graphic-memoir-style paragraph or mini-scene about a young person carrying responsibility while hoping for something better. Writing frame: “At first, every day felt ____. I had to ____ for ____. Then one day, ____ changed the rhythm. I paused when ____. After that, I knew ____.” Encourage students to include 1 repeated phrase, 1 pause, and 1 specific setting detail.\nShare (3 min): Partners read their scenes aloud and identify one place where the pacing slows down and one place where it speeds up. Invite 1-2 volunteers to share how they used pacing to show resilience.\nExit ticket: In one or two sentences, explain how a writer or artist can slow down a scene to help readers feel a character’s struggle or hope.

Classroom Activities

Refugee Experience Research

Students research the refugee experience and create a presentation connecting their findings to Omar's story.

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