Multicultural or Literature Goals an Outcomes?

Overview - The following information is to discuss activities for Literature, Multicultural, or Immigration topics and goals.

Activities -

1. Coming To America by Betsy Maestro
2. Grandfather's Journey Written and Illustrated by Alien Say
3. People by Peter Spier: Illustrations of people around the world. Celebrates diversity.
4. The Arrival by Shaun Tan: Picture book or graphic novel about immigration.

Activity 1

Coming To America by Betsy Maestro: This book explores the evolving history of immigration to the United States. It traces the long saga about people searching for religious and political freedom, safety, and prosperity. The story captures a wide range of immigrant experiences in America. It helps to explain the richness and diversity of the American people past and present.

• What is immigration?
• Who is an immigrant?
• Why might people immigrate?
• When do people immigrate?
• Where do they immigrate to?
• How are people who immigrate to America different? And how are they the same?
• Who immigrated to America?
• What country did they immigrate from? Why?
• How are people who immigrate to America different? And how are they the same?
• Write information on comparison chart and/or the webbing chart.
  
• How do you think you would feel if you had to move to another country? Why?
• Have students work in small groups or pairs to compare and contrast the different groups of immigrants.
  
• Interview grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, family friends, godparents, and so on about family history. Make a personal book about their own family history.

Activity 2

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say: Story of a man who visits the U. S. and learns to love it. He has a daughter who grew up in California by the San Francisco Bay. However, when the girl was nearly grown he misses his homeland of Japan and returns. After awhile he wants to return to America, but the war stops him. He never returned, but his grandson does.

• Before reading the book, briefly discuss ideas about traveling from country to country and immigration.
• Read aloud
• Discuss the story.
• Compare and Contrast the immigration in Grandfather's Journey to the immigration stories in the other books.
• Interview someone about a time they traveled to a new place. Where did they go? How did they feel before they got there? How did they feel when they first got there? How did they feel when they left or if they they are still there now? What did they do there? How did they get there? Why did they go there?

Interview family (grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, or family friends) about their own family's history in the United States. When were you born? Where were you born? What was your home town like? What was life like when you were growing up? How was life different than it is today?
Do you have any stories from when you were a child? What happened? Do you have any special memories? Why are these so special?

Author Study: Alien Say - born in Yokohama, Japan, where he developed an interest in art. At 16 he came to San Francisco where he illustrated stories that reflect life in Japan, as well as life in America for someone of Asian heritage. His works help children bridge the gap between two cultures.

Read and discuss the content and illustrations of several stories by Alien Say.

A major theme in many of his stories is family, including family relationships, and history. Compare and contrast the style and tone he uses to describe the characters in two or more of his books. Make a list of words he uses to describe the characters and the kinds of actions they do. What can you determine and support about his style of writing?

View his illustrations. Compare and contrast the style of his illustrations, the color, kinds of lines, shadows and light, subjects included, and other characteristics.

Books by Say: Tea with Milk, Kamishibai Man, Under the Cherry Blossom Tree: An Old Japanese Tale, Tree of Cranes, Emma's Rug, Home of the Brave, Music for Alice, Allison, A River Dream, The Lost Lake, Stranger in the Mirror, Grandfather's Journey, El Chino, The Bicycle Man

Activity 3

People by Peter Spier: Illustrations of people around the world. Celebrates diversity.

• Suggest that with more than four billion people in the world, it is sometimes hard to feel special. Ask students to think about this idea.
• Discuss.
• Conclude with the idea that every one is unique and different from all others. That we all deserve respect and should be accepting of differences.
• Introduce the book People by Peter Spier.
• Read People aloud and share the illustrations.
• Ask what message(s) the author was wanting to communicate.
• Do a picture walk with students and have a discussion based on the illustrations.
• Do the people look alike in the pictures?
• Where did they come from?
• How do you think they feel? Why do you think so?
• How do you think you would feel if you had to move to another country? Why?
• Have students work in small groups or pairs to compare and contrast the different groups of immigrants.

 

Provide a copy of the poem "Me I Am!" by Jack Prelutsky. Have students chorally read the poem aloud. Ask students for their reactions concerning the poem.

Activity 4

The Arrival by Shaun Tan: A picture book or a graphic novel that includes images so the viewer feels both an apprehensiveness and strangeness as well as a sense of adventure and wonder that flip-flops through the viewers mind as scenes of family, family goodbyes, standing alone, reflecting, longing, waiting, anticipating, among crowds of immigrants as they travel, arrive, and begin a new life in an unfamiliar, strange, and hopeful place. Tan’s pictures both urge the viewer on and ask them to linger and interpret the story in this wordless book.

• What do Tan's illustrations communicate about immigration? Give examples to support your answers. (art in literature has a style that determines tone, the artist's style and tone is...)
• What do the illustrations communicate about the immigrants in the story? Focusing on the mannerisms of the characters suggests body language of ... The setting suggests ... The added characters, animals, suggest...
• What do the illustrations communicate about why people immigrate? How is this communicated? Which pictures suggest what kinds of employment? What does the style for each communicate? What is the tone? What and how does the way the artist illustrate the characters communicate?
• What do the illustrations communicate about when people immigrate? How is this communicated?
• What do the illustrations communicate about where they immigrate to? How is this communicated?
• What do the illustrations communicate about the social. historical, and political implications of immigration?
• What is the over all theme of the book?

Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes ©