A Thematic Literature Unit

By Alice Chen, Gail Kemp, Jean Toh, Lilia Brugger

Opening Activity for Unit

• Purpose: Generate Sub-Themes, Students will brainstorm food associations, creating categories for study
  1. Choose a recorder
  2. Look at pictures -- share thoughts and reactions to pictures
  3. Record all responses
  4. Repeat with new picture

Subtheme: Food as an Expression of Emotion/Celebration

• Literature: Chapter One "January: Christmas Rolls" from the novel Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
• Introduction to the literature
  1. Students will prepare a list of foods used in their families to celebrate a special occasion. Share responses.
  2. As a journal entry or quickwrite, have them write a journal entry describing an experience (real or fictitious) that involved the special food and its preparation, noting the special steps involved in the process. (If it is driving to a restaurant and placing an order with a waitress, that is a part of the process.) Encourage the students to include at least ten steps. Accuracy is not essential, only ideas. Share as a class.
  3. Ask students to compare writing a story to cooking a meal. Discuss.
• Through the Literature
  1. Students will read the first chapter of the novel, keeping notes as they read on how the recipe functions to structure the plot. Students may use a chart (sample 2) to track the recipe and the action. Students should highlight where transitions are made in the chapter and the cooking terms that they find in the text.
  2. Have studnets respond to the reading in writing by describing their reaction to the story and predicting what they think will happen next.
  3. Gather notes as a class about the function of the recipe in the story. Ask students what they noticed about the plot as the recipe was prepared by Tita and Natcha.
     • Ask students (or groups) to sketch a brief plot diagram or timeline of the chapter.
     • Discuss where the conflicts of the story are established.
     • Ask students to explain the irony of the Christmas rolls at the end of the chapter. Is there a climax in the action of the story or a resolution? How is this illustrated?
     • Students should discuss the connection between Tita and the kitchen to clearly understand the connection between the character's emotions and the plot.
  4. Students should discuss how the plot might have changed with different events in the story and which might have been added to alter the outcome.
• Beyond the literature
  • Students will be given the following creative writing assignment: Like fabulous chefs around the world, great authors create a recipe or plan for their stories or novels. The plot of a story must contain certain ingredients to be complete or to "taste good to the reader." Recall an experience surrounding a traditional meal or favorite food. Write your story using a minimum of six (6) cooking terms as transitions. Although brief, your story should be complete and contain the essential elements of a plot. For extra credit, you may include the recipe at the beginning of your story.
    • Direct students to refer to their initial quickwrites for ideas.
    • Pictures of food (opening unit activity) might stimulate student thinking about memories associated with food.
    • Remind students that emotions will add "flavor" to their story.

Sample 2: Plot Structure

Identify the events in Tita's life which surround the making of the recipe. Write a sentence from the text in support of your information.

Draw a diagram of the plot of the story including the information from the table above, as well as other events which surround the making of the Christmas Rolls. You may present your diagram in the form of a timeline or a line reflecting the rise and fall action.

Return to the top of this page.

Subtheme: Food as an Expression of Celebration/Emotion

• Literature: "Good Grease" by Mary TallMountain
• Introduction to poem
  1. As a quickwrite, have students consider the following questions: "Describe your favorite food in as much detail as possible. Include all sensory images in your description. When do you like to eat this food the most? Where do you usually eat it? With whom do you like to eat it? etc."
  2. Have students share their responses with a partner or as a class. Have other class members ask questions to prompt further details of the experiences surrounding the food and the students' emotions associated with their favorite food.
• Through the poem
  1. Distribute and read the poem, "Good Grease," by Mary TallMountain
     1. For further understanding of the poem, assign each student a stanza to study independently looking for the following:
        1. circle significant, important words to the meaning of the stanza,
        2. underline confusing words/images
        3. paraphrase the stanza
     2. Have the students share their analysis in small groups. If clarifications cannot be made with the help of other students, students should write the questions on the board for the class to assist them.
     3. As a class, clarifications of meaning and interpretation can be distinguished.
     4. If possible, view the tape of TallMountain reading her poem from Bill Moyers video series entitled "Power of the Word"
  2. Ask students to independently analyze the poem by completing a "speaker profile" and answering the following questions.
     1. Explain the range of emotions that the speaker experiences in the poem.
     2. Why does the speaker use four exclamation points in stanza two? How does this affect your interpretation of the poem?
     3. Describe the alliteration used in stanza three. Why is this device effectively used here?
     4. What action do the verbs in stanza four describe? Why then is the grease described as "beautiful"?
     5. Explain how are stanzas four and five connected?
     6. When you think of "grease" does it have a positive connotation for you? Why do you think the speaker's experience with grease is similar to or different from your own?
• Beyond the poem
  1. Share the following assignment with students: Some experiences of childhood are said to be universal. Children of many different cultures can experience similar feelings of joy, sadness, and satisfaction. After reading Mary TallMountain's poem "Good Grease," recall ad share your own experience with a favorite (or despised) food. Following TallMountain's example of incorporating sensory images and emotions as you share your experience. Write it in the form of a poem.
  2. Provide a format for students to generate their ideas and write their poems (sample 1).

Sample 1

Directions: After you gather details of your experience, use the following sentence/stanza starters to create your poem. These sentence starters should reflect your ideas and may be changed. Follow the author's example and use language powerfully.

Return to the top of this page.

Subtheme: Food as Communication

• Poems: "For My Father" Janice Mirikitani
  "Nani" Alberto Alvaro Rios
  "What's That Smell in the Kitchen?" Marge Piercy
• Introductory Activities
  1. Ask students how they communicated at age 3... 8... 16... How do adults communicate with them now? Lead into other ways one can communicate if in a foreign country, to a hearing-impaired or blind person, to a child of two.
  2. Set up for the "game" by arranging students in groups of five and numbering each student from 1-5. Ask them to have paper ready for some quickwrites. Explain that all students will be given a task according to their numbers. Write the rules on the board.
     • Work with your groups within the time allotted.
     • If a group gets the answer, all members raise their hands to be acknowledged.
     • The teacher will then verify that the group fulfilled the task.
     • Good sportsmanship and courtesy are expected.
  3. Write the following situation on separate sheets of paper. One student from each group will perform each task. At the end of each task, require a "time out" for students to quickwrite; 1. What exactly was communicated by your peer, and how did he/she communicate it? 2. How did you feel during the activity? Be specific.
     • Situation: You do not speak or write, but you need help from your group. How would you communicate: "I need help with my English essay."
     • Situation: You do not speak or write. Your group memers cannot see (tell them to close their eyes for this activity). How would you communicate: "I'd like you to be my friend."
     • Describe your favorite food without naming it by telling how it smells, tastes, and looks.
     • You are in a foreign country where no one speaks your language. If you are taking a foreign language class and can say, "My family and I eat at a good restaurant," try to make your group understand what you are saying. If you are not taking a foreign language, use pig Latin or some other code to convey the sentence, but you may not use English!
     • Situation: You must show your group how to make something which they will copy, but you may not speak or write. Demonstrate to your group how to tear a neat circle, pentagon, octagon, parallelogram, or trapezoid.
  4. Journal: What was the most challenging part of your assignment? How did you feel while trying to convey your task? What did you discover about communication? Be specific.
• Through Activities:
  1. Pass out copies of "For My Father" and read the poem aloud.
     • Ask students to circle words they do not know. On the overhead circle the words and discuss the meanings. Probable words: Mt. Fuji - important mountain in Japan; Tule Lake - internment camp, hakujines - white people
     • Students read poem from a second time to themselves. Ask them to underline words, phrases that appeal to the senses. Possible words: hacked, whipped, dried, rich, full, pointed, ate, cream, scream, shield. Discuss how these words appeal to the senses.
     • Pass out Speaker Profile Chart. On overhead, fill in chart as a class (sample 1).
     • On overhead, cluster the symbolic meanings of strawberries.
  2. Pass out "Nani." In groups the students will analyze the poem using the same techniques as "For My Father." Groups could report their findings to the whole class.
  3. Pass out "What's That Smell in the Kitchen?" Do the same as 2 above.
  4. Students now examine food in their own lives in new ways. On their own paper, brainstorm a list of foods. Choose one of the items and cluster experiences evoked by that particula dish. Teacher could demonstrate on overhead his/her own clustering.
• Beyond Activity:
  • Writing Assignment Prompt
  • Writing Situation: You have experienced several ways of communicating and have read three poems where certain foods symbolize deep emotions. For example, in "For My Father," strawberries symbolize a Japanese-American father's toil and hardship to produce a fruit he can never eat. Nani serves sopa de arroz and albondigas as symbols of a heritage that are slipping away from the next generation of Latino-Americans. A variet of food symbolize oppression and power in "What's that Smell in the Kitchen?"
  • Writing Assignment: Explore the symbolic meaning of a particular food in your life. You might begin by describing the situation in sensory language. Then examine how the food evokes certain memories that symbolize meaningful experiences in your life.

Sample 1

Return to the top of this page.

Subtheme: Connection to the Past

• Poems: "The Weight of Sweetness" and "From Blossoms" by Li-Young Lee
• Introductory Activities:
  1. Review definition of adjectives.
  2. What's that smell?
     • Gather various items that have a distinct scent: sunblock, shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, cologne, laundry detergent, flower petals, leaves, etc. Also bring tiny plates, cardboard strips, or rough paper so students can put stamples on them and pass them around.
     • The day before this activity, tell students to bring in blindfolds.
     • On the day of the activity, pair up students. Blindfold one student. Pass out half of the samples. The second student will hold the samples under the first student's nose and jot down the student's response as he/she smells them. Students should describe each sample as vividly as possible, guess what they may be, and note any associations they may have with each scent. Switch roles and repeat procedure.
     • Have students respond to this activity in writing. Have them pick one scent that may come with particularly strong association or memory and have them describe this event.
  3. Does that fruit bring back any memories?
     • Cut out pictures of various fruits.
     • Pass out these pictures and have students do a quick write about any of the fruits. They can pick a fruit that was not featured if they like. Have them focus on one fruit and describe a vivid memory associated with that fruit.
• Through Activities for "The Weight of Sweetness":
  1. Answer Generic Poetry Questions (see handout).
  2. Divid class into groups and then present.
     • Define words: "gravities," "strain," "entrusted," and "labor." Assign connotations to each word (positive, negative, or neutral). Use thesaurus and identify synonyms. Answer Q: Why did the poet choose the words he did? How do these words support the mood the poet conveys? Defend.
     • Count how many times the word "weight" pops up. Use thesaurus and identify synonyms. Answer Q: Why did the poet use the word "weight" so often? What could the word "weight" symbolize?
     • Illustrate the fourth stanza. Answer Q: Why is this stanza important?
     • Illustrate the fifth stanza. Answer Q: Why is this stanza important?
     • Use a graphic organizer to find symbolic connections. Have students discover the peach tree symbolism: peace tree/father -- peach/son. Students must use the text to defend their reasoning.
     • Create a speaker profile (see handout). Illustrate the speaker based on profile information.
• Through Activities for "From Blossoms"
  1. Answer Generic Poetry Questions (see handout).
  2. Divid class into groups and then present.
     • Define words: "laden," "boughs," "fellowship," and "nectar." Assign connotations to each word (positive, negative, or neutral). Use thesaurus and identify synonyms. Answer Q: Why did the poet choose the words he did? How do these words support the mood the poet conveys? Defend.
     • Define words: "blossom," "succulent," "devour," and "jubilance." Assign connotations to each word (positive, negative, or neutral). Use thesaurus and identify synonyms. Answer Q: Why did the poet choose the words he did? How do these words support the mood the poet conveys? Defend.
     • Illustrate the third stanza. Answer Q: Why is this stanza important? Explain the metaphor.
     • Define the word "nostalgia." Answer Q: Explain the connection between the word and this poem. Create a speaker profile (see handout).
     • Each person in the group must pick a different literary term. Explain how the term is used in the poem, how it enhances the poem, and how it supports the poem's theme. Defend.
• Beyond Activities for both poems:
  1. Compare and contrast the two poems.
  2. Write a poem based on a fruit or specific smell. Use any of the five sensory words to start the poem. Ex: "See a apple hanging on a tree..." "Smell the apple hanging..."
  3. Write a poem that focuses on a nostalgic event. Ex: summertime love, winter vacation, etc.
  4. Write a poem that shows appreciation for something that was taken for granted in the past. Ex: a lost friendship, a past boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.

Return to the top of this page.

Subtheme: Expression of culture/ritual/identity/community

• Novels: Donald Duk by Frank Chin, Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep
• Into:
  • Quickwrite a time when your parents' behavior, speech/language, presence, etc. embarassed you. Describe the setting, dialogue, actions, and your feelings.
  • Show a portion of a video that displays a behavior or ritual from a culture other than those represented by your students. Have students respond to it either orally, in writing, or both.
  • Describe a common behavior or ritual as if you were an outside observer. (Model the assignment, or assist students with brainstrming.)
• Through:
  • Read chap. 9 of Donald Duk
    • List all characters (by name) and write a complete sentence description of each.
    • List 5 examples of how Donald is critical, confused, embarassed, angry, etc. about the way people are behaving. Why do you think he feels that way?
    • Describe/list all food mentioned and Donald's opinion of it.
  • Read segment from Child of the Owl
    • List all characters (by name) and write a complete sentence description of each.
    • List 5 examples of how Casey is critical, confused, embarassed, angry, etc. about the way people are behaving. Why do you think she feels that way?
    • Describe/list all food mentioned and Casey's opinion of it.
  • Graphic Organizer
    • Compare/contrast Casey and Donald as Chinese American teens and their attitudes toward their families, ethnic backgrounds, rituals, foods, etc.
  • Essay
    • Compare/contrast Casey and Donald as Chinese American teens and their attitudes toward their families, ethnic backgrounds, rituals, foods, etc. Food is the focus of each story segment. Be sure to show how the opinion, attitude, and view of the food is connected to the character's opinion, attitude and view of the culture.
• Beyond:
  • Research a cultural ritual (other than the student's own). Present to class with pictures, demonstrations, video tape, etc. (e.g. Chinese New Year, Seder, Kwanzaa). Include food rituals.
  • Take a series of local field trips to ethnic restaurants, either to visit, peruse menus, or actually sample food. Write a description of the visit. Utilize all the senses.
  • Read food and restaurant reviews in the paper or in magazines. What is being evaluated besides the food? Eat a meal somewhere: at a restaurant or at home. Write a "review" of it. Try to be as objective as possible. Describe food flavors, presentation, setting.

Essay Blueprint 1

• Introduction
  • Thesis (my entire essay will focus on the following statement):
• Body Paragraphs
  • Paragraph 1 Topic
    • Details
      A.
      B.
      C.
  • Paragraph 2 Topic
    • Details
      A.
      B.
      C.
  • Paragraph 3 Topic
    • Details
      A.
      B.
      C.
• Checklist: I have checked to make sure...
  1. Each topic supports my thesis.
  2. Each concrete detail supports my topic.
  3. My thesis is focused and stated properly.

Return to the top of this page.

Culminating Activity

Purpose: Student Application of Theme or Concepts

1. Create Your Own Thematic Unit
   • Teach abstract nouns (love, friendship, jealousy, racism, etc.)
   • Each group must identify two or three subthemes.
   • Choose literature or media that reflects chosen theme. Include poetry, short story, novel exerpt, video clip (script and act out, may perform live or videotape beforehand), etc.
   • Submit paper explaining how the literature or media used reflects chosen theme.
   • Write one poem that addresses the theme. Use symbolism and find a metaphor for the theme.
2. Food Project
   • Type up an original recipe (may be one from student's ethnic culture or family tradition).
   • Paper or Creative Short Story:
     • How did this recipe originate? (Research: Find actual facts or present theories based on facts if students cannot find enough information on their recipes. However, the theories must sound logical and plausible. Support facts or theories with maps or text. For example, Shanghai is located on the East Coast of China, and therefore seafood dishes are not uncommon in this culture. A map is included in this student's report.)
     • When is this recipe served? Are there any special rituals connected to this dish, etc.?
     • How does this recipe reflect the culture or the student's family?
     • Make up a story about how the family's recipe originated. (For example, on one cold, blistering night, Mom looked into the refrigerator and found only a jar of pickles...) Or write up the actual event in the form of a story.
   • Follow the recipe and cook it for the family. Interview family members and include a write-up.
   • Optional: Make the dish and share it with the class during presentation.
3. Menu Analysis: Obtain several menus from different restaurants and analyze the marketing technique used. Focus on adjectives used and critique the menu's effectiveness. Submit a paper. In addition, design a menu for an imaginary restaurant. Lastly, create a dish for this restaurant, take a pictureo f it or illustrate it, type up the recipe, and feature the dish as the chef's special in the menu.

Return to the top of this page.

Return to the 1997 Table of Contents.

Return to the TASSI main page.