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An Integrated Unit on Friendship Implementing Asian-American Children's Literature |
This unit consists of four sections, integrating Asian-American children's literature and the theme of friendship.
SECTION I: "IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL"
"It's a Small World After All," English version, Walt Disney Productions
It's a world of hope and a world of tear. There's so much that we share, That's it's time we're aware, It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all.
"It's a Small World After All," Cantonese-Chinese (phonetically translated) version
Yun yun sheun fuen seiu, Bud yieu anh lue deu. Sie sie whai hay morn, Bud beek sum lui teau. Ying dor woo cern gon jai, Chinn maun chiang mudd mong gaye. Site shearn yun gaan dor gil miu. Site guy jian site siuu siuu siuu. Site duck jian kaide miu miu miu. Zud jai jian hai site site guy. Site shearn yun gaan dor gil miu.
"It's a Small World After All," Vietnamese (phonetically translated) version
Mõt ta yoi vu tue, mõt ta yoi u sow Mõt ta yoi he vong va co ñun ou lõ. Tã kõ new da cheer sare, Nigh la luk ta ñun bit, Jee la mõt ta yoi ño toy. Mõt ta yoi ño be toy. Mõt ta yoi ño be toy. Mõt ta yoi ño be toy. Mõt ta yoi ño, ño.
"Friends," words and music by Greg Sceisa.
1. Friends, everybody needs friends: someone to tell your troubles to -- to cheer you up when you're feelin' blue. 2. Friends, would you like to be friends? Would you like to share the day with me? We can be anything we want to be. 3. We all need each other; that's what friends are for. So, if you see someone without a smile, give 'em one of yours. 4. Friends, there's nothing better than friends. I hope someday that I can say -- that, "Your friends are my friends too."
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Directions: Students will brainstorm their thoughts on friendship and record their ideas in the circles.
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| Title | Chang's Paper Pony | Angel Child, Dragon Child | Halmoni and the Picnic | The Bracelet |
| Characters | Chang Grandfather Li Big Pete Miners |
Ut Raymond Chi Hai Principal |
Yunmi Halmoni Anne Marie Helen |
Emi Laurie Madison Mother Reiko Mr. Noma |
| Setting | California 1850's |
United States | New York City School Central Park |
Berkeley, California Tanforan Tracks |
| Problem | Chang has no friends. He wants a pony. |
Ut misses her mother in Vietnam. |
Yunmi's grand- mother feels lonely in the U.S. |
Emi and her family have to move to an internment camp. |
| Role of Friend |
Big Pete helps Chang pan for gold and earn money. |
Her new friend Raymond helps to raise money for Ut's mother to come. |
Yunmi and her classmates get Halmoni chaperone the picnic |
Emi's best friend gives her a bracelet to remem- ber her by. |
| Ending | Big Pete buys Chang a pony. |
They earn enough for Ut's mother |
Everyone likes Halmoni's kimbap |
Emi doesn't need a bracelet to remember her best friend |
| Ethnicity | China | Vietnam | Korea | Japan |
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SECTION IV: LITERATURE-BASED ACTIVITIES
CHANG'S PAPER PONY by Eleanor Coerr, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
I. Summary
Chang lives with his grandfather during the time of the Gold Rush. He helps his grandfather cook for the miners that come into town. Chang does not have any friends, and he is lonely. He wishes for a pony, which would solve his problem. Grandfather said that a picture of a pony is all they can afford.
One day, Big Pete rides into town. He introduces Chang to gold fever, and Chang realizes that he can earn himself a horse. He asks to go panning for gold with Big Pete, as well as clean and scrub his horse. Chang has little luck with panning for gold. When it seems all hope is lost, he comes across large amounts of gold dust as he sweeps Big Pete's house. Grandfather tells Chang to return the gold. Out of kindness, Big Pete returns from Sacramento with a pony for Chang, which he names "Pengyo," meaning "friend" in Mandarin.
Key words: arrived, lonely, barber, blacksmith, miners, pigtail, moist, treasure, pebbles, speck, fever, pan
II. Record Information on comparison chart.
III. Suggested Language Arts/Social Studies Activities
A. This book would complement the Gold Rush unit in fourth grade Social Studies books.
B. As a class, have students brainstorm items that they really want (games, toys, clothes, etc.). Allow them to choose an item individually, then write about it. In their writing, they need to include some things they are willing to do to get it. When writing is done, have students share their ideas.
C. Using a Venn diagram, on the overhead or individual pages for students, have students compare and contrast the different chores covered in the book and what chores they have to do today.
IV. Suggested Physical Education Activities
A. Running relays: filling a 2-liter bottle relay. Divide class into two teams. You will need 2 soup spoons, 2 (gallon-size) buckets, 2 2-liter bottles, and water. The object is to be the first team to fill up the bottles.
B. Students can practice panning for gold as your school allows. To prepare for this activities, spray some pebbles with gold paint. Add the pebbles to the dirt mixture and have students pan for gold.
C. Chang swept Big Pete's floor. An activity that might be fun is broom ball. You would need a small wiffle ball, some cones for goals, and brooms (brought from home or provided by custodian). Divide class into two teams. Play the game very much like soccer, except students cannot use anything but their brooms to move the ball.
V. Suggested Art Activities
A. Origami: there are books that can be checked out from libraries for your use. You can also purchase them in bookstores. An appropriate project to do is to fold a horse. One resource is EASY ORIGAMI by Dokuohtei Nakano, Penguin Group, 1985, found at the local county library.
B. Chang had a picture of his most wanted possession. Students can draw something that they really want to go with their writing activity.
VI. Extensions
A. Graphing: have students brainstorm different ways potatoes are prepared. Have students graph class preferences.
B. Estimation and Measurement: have students bring in potatoes from home. Estimate weight and size of potato using various forms of measurement. Give students tools for standard measurement to confirm their estimation.
C. Bring in a variety of potatoes to compare and contrast.
D. Grow a potato: stick four to six toothpicks around a potato. Place it into a glass or jar of water, setting the toothpicks on the edge of the glass or jar so part of the potato is under the water.
E. Collect other edible roots.
ANGEL CHILD, DRAGON CHILD by Michele Maria Surat
I. Summary
Ut (Hoa Phuong), who has just come to the United States from Vietnam, is having a difficult time adjusting to her new school environment. Other children laugh and tease her. She misses her mother who had to stay behind in Vietnam. To her surprise, she was able to befriend an American boy, Raymond, who organizes a Vietnamese fair at school to raise funds for Ut's mother to come to the United States.
Key Words: matchbox, Vietnam, brave, angry, angel, dragon, lonely, friends, picture, fair, money, mother
II. Record information on comparison chart.
III. Suggested Language Arts/Social Studies Activities
A. Teacher brings native Vietnamese clothing as described in the story and have student model.
B. Have non-native speaking students teach the class how to say "good morning" in their native languages ("Chao buoi sang" is "good morning" in Vietnamese).
C. Have students talk about names of endearment by family and friends. Those that are able to write their names of endearment are encouraged to demonstrate (this, along with the child's illustration, can be compiled into a class book). Older students can write about a name of endearment that they have or would like to have.
D. Have students interview and write a biography of a classmate.
IV. Suggested Physical Education Activities
Bean Bag Toss - a hand-eye coordination game using three 5x5 bean bags and a large wooden board of different size targets (cut out no more than five holes), students can take turns tossing the bean bags into the target to earn a total score. Student with the highest score wins the game.
V. Suggested Art Activities
Using old, small boxes or containers, have students make a collage using tissue paper. Students can decorate their own box cover. Have each student put an item of sentimental value into his/her decorated box and share.
VI. Extensions
A. Students can rewrite the story in the form of a Reader's Theater.
B. Discuss the various seasons and types of weather of the year.
C. Study the various types of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Examine how temperature affects liquid.
D. Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Cha Gio): similar to Chinese egg rolls, but are usually rolled in much thinner wrappers called rice papers, which are translucent, paper-thin, very difficult to work with,and not readily available. For these reasons, we suggest using lumpia, a thin flour-and-water wrapper that is a fine substitute for rice papers. Lumpia can be found in most Asian grocery stores.
Ingredients:
Directions:
How to wrap spring rolls:
From Cooking the Vietnamese Way, by Chi Nguyen and Judy Monroe, Lerner Publications, 1985.
HALMONI AND THE PICNIC by Sook Nyul Choi, illustrated by Karen M. Dugan
I. Summary
Yunmi and her friends try to make Yunmi's grandmother, Halmoni, who has just moved from Korea, feel comfortable living in New York City by inviting her to chaperon a class picnic.
Keywords: Halmoni, Yunmi, acknowledgment, respect, rude, disturb, elders, replied, embarassed, accent, determination, chaperon, confused, worried, blushed, ch'ima, chogori, silk, chopsticks, soy sauce
II. Record information on comparison chart.
III. Suggested Language Arts/Social Studies Activities
A. Have students research the variety of careers or types of transportation that exist. Have students gather photographs of careers or modes of transportation from magazines or newspapers or look through encyclopedias. Have students interview a person who knows about the topic or have the students research the topic. Have students draw pictures and write about their research or have students dress up in the occupation and present an oral report.
B. Discuss which actions are considered rude and/or polite by others. Emphasize that something that may be rude to you may not be rude to a person from another country. Have students act out rude or polite behaviors. Discuss why it may be important not to be rude to others.
C. Collect pictures of different types of dress from all over the world. Discuss what is the same or different about these clothes compared to what students in America usually wear.
IV. Suggested Physical Education Activities
A. Introduce painting with watercolors. Emphasize how the amount of water on a brush affects the intensity of a color and the "bleeding" which occurs when two or more different colors are placed too closely together before drying.
B. Have students draw pictures of themselves with their friends or grandparents, leaving a border all around the drawing. Then have students design the border using geometric, flower, or crane patterns.
V. Suggested Art Activities
Introduce or practice jump rope activities with a short rope (for one person) or a long rope (for a small group). Movements to practice include turning the rope in time and jumping, hopping, or skipping to the beat of the rope. Use the jump rope chant from the story or make up a new one:
One, two, pointed shoe.
Three, four, kimbap more.
Five, six, chopsticks.
Seven, eight, kimbap plate.
Nine, ten, Picnic Day!
VI. Extensions
A. Practice picking up objects with chopsticks.
B. Korean words to try:
Halmoni - Grandmother
Mogobwa - Try it.
Nodo - You too.
Kurae, kurae - Yes, yes.
THE BRACELET by Yoshiko Uchida
I. Summary
A Japanese-American second grader, Emi, is sent with her family to an internment camp during World War II. The loss of the bracelet her best friend, Laurie, has given her proves that she does not need a physical reminder of their friendship.
Key words: prisoner-of-war camp, Japanese-American, abandon, bayonets, bean curd cakes, pickled radishes, barbed wire fence, army barrack
II. Record information on comparison chart.
III. Suggested Language Arts/Social Studies Activities
A. What did Emi take? What do you think Emi took with her in her suitcase? Students write or draw what they think she had in her suitcase.
B. What shall I take? If you were told to pack your most important possessions into this suitcase, what would you take? Draw or write what you would take with you. Remember, it must fit in a suitcase.
C. Open mind: If you were Emi, how would you feel about leaving your home and many of your belongings? Write or draw your thoughts.
IV. Suggested Art Activities
Friendship Bracelet: this project requires the student to be able to braid three strands of yarn together. Younger students may require assistance.
Materials:
Directions:
V. Suggested Physical Education Activities
Shadow Play: this is an indoor game requiring the room to be dark or dimly-lit.
Materials:
Directions:
VI. Extensions
A. Sweet rice cakes (Mochi)
B. Examine the geometric shapes of the Bay Bridge. Use pattern blocks (square, triangle, rhombus) to create objects.
C. Nocturnal and diurnal animals
D. Learn the western states of the United States.
E. Make kites and discuss how air affects the flight of kites.
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Choi, Sook Nyul. (1993). Halmoni and the Picnic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Coerr, Eleanor. (1988). Chang's Paper Pony. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.
Park, Jeannie J., Edward J. Park, Sylvia R. Chwe, Beckhee Cho, et al. (1994). Hello From Korea. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Korean Overseas Information Service.
Nakano, Dokuohtei. (1985). Easy Origami. New York: Penguin Group.
Nguyen, Chi, & Judy Monroe. (1985). Cooking the Vietnamese Way. New York: Lerner Publications.
Surat, Michele Maria. (1983). Angel Child, Dragon Child. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Traugh, Steven. (1983). Music and Movement in the Classroom. New York: Creative Teaching Press.
Uchida, Yoshiko, Joanna Yardley. (1993). The Bracelet. New York: Philomel Books.
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