Global Literature Unit Plan

Global Literature Bibliography and Unit Plan Topic: Children Around the World: Experiencing Struggle and Oppression Grades: 2-4 Rationale: The primary goal of this unit is to acknowledge the cultural struggles that children experience around the world. Through reading and discussing stories such as those I have included, students can develop empathy for others who are in difficult situations. Perhaps some students have had experiences similar to the stories we are reading and will be able to relate to the characters or situations.   I have selected several books about children of various cultures and countries who have experienced cultural struggle. These stories are at an appropriated interest and reading level for 2nd-4th grade students. Works Cited Nonfiction Andrews-Goebel, Nancy. The Pot That Juan Built. 1st. New York, NY: Lee and Low Books Inc., 2002. Print. A wonderfully informative picture book about Juan Quezada and how his pottery revived the the town of Mata Ortiz. Fiction Danticat, Edwidge. Mama’s Nightingale A Story of Immigration and Separation. New York, NY: Dial Books For Young Readers- Penguin Group, 2015. Print. A beautiful picture book about a young girl in the U.S. who struggles as her mother is in a detention center while waiting for her immigration papers. Website “Lee and Low Books.” https://www.leeandlow.com/about-us. Lee and Low Books Inc. US, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. https://www.leeandlow.com/about-us. A great website to use as a resource for searching for books by culture, language, theme, and awards. Fiction Mora, Pat . Tomas and the Library Lady. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books, 1997. Print. This lovely picture book is based on a true incident in the life of the famous writer Tomás Rivera, the son of migrant workers who became an education leader. Tomas and the Library Lady won the following awards: 1998 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award 1998 Teachers’ Choices Award from the International Reading Association 1998 Skipping Stones Multicultural Book Award Fiction Polacco, Patricia. The Butterfly. New York, NY: Philomel Books, 1972. Print. A picture book about a child’s experience in wartime France. The story is based on true life events. Fiction Rumford, James. Silent Music A Story of Baghdad. 1st. New York, NY: Roaring Books Press, 2008. Print. A beautiful book about a boy who uses his love of calligraphy to cope with the stress of war. Fiction Caldecott Honor (2009), Shulevitz, Uri . How I Learned Geography . 1st. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008. Print. This picture book is the story of a boy who has to flee his home country and becomes fascinated with a big, beautiful map and all the possibilities of places to travel to. Website “Teacher’s Guide for: The Pot That Juan Built.” https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2434/teachers_guide. Lee and Low Books, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 5015. https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2434/teachers_guide. A terrific resource with lesson plans and activities for the book. Fiction Williams, Karen Lynn, and Khadra Mohammed. Four Feet, Two Sandals. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007. Print. A story of friendship between two girls in a refugee camp in Pakistan. Fiction Winter, Jeanette. Nasreen’s Secret School. 1st. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2009. Print. Picture book based on a true story about a young girl from Afghanistan who is drawn out of her sadness while attending a secret school for girls. Website Yannucci, Lisa . Mama Lisa’s World International Music & Culture. Lisa Yannucci, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. http://www.mamalisa.com/. A well organized resource for cultural songs, poems, and traditions that can be searched by continent, county, language, etc. Fiction Yolen, Jane. Stone Angel. 1st. New York, NY: Philomel Books, 2015. Print. Picture book about a young Jewish girl and her family who must flee when the Nazis march into Paris. Unit Plan: Four Feet, Two Sandals Williams, Karen Lynn, and Khadra Mohammed Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007 The authors are Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed. Karen Lynn Williams has written several books about the difficult lives of children around the world, has lived in Haiti and Malawi, and now lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Khadra Mohammed is the executive director of the Pittsburgh Refugee Center and has worked with refugees in the United States and abroad for more than twenty years. Goal I selected Four Feet Two Sandals by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed as the book for my unit plan because it is a story that combines elements of culture, struggle, friendship, and hope. The goal of this unit is for students to look thoughtfully at the characters in the book and the setting and situation they find themselves in and to acknowledge the cultural struggles that children experience around the world. Objectives Students will read Four Feet, Two Sandals to broaden their perspective on culture, struggle, and friendship. Students will use maps and reference materials to gain a better understanding of the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan Students will write a story about friendship. State Standards 4.RL.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. Anchor Standard 3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. 4.RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).Lessons and Activities 4.W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. Lesson 1- Guided Reading of the Story As a whole class, teacher leads a guided reading of the book. Pre-reading questions: Study the picture on the cover of the book. Where do you think this story takes place? What do you think this story is about?

1. What does it mean to be a good friend? Think about a time when you acted like a good friend to someone else. What did you do?

Post-reading questions: The people living in the camp have to live without many things. From what you have learned from the story, describe what life is like in a refugee camp. What types of things do you think you could live without if you had to leave your home? People who flee their country and home because of fear of persecution are often called refugees. Yet, it is important to remember that such people are unique individuals with their own culture, history, and life story. Keeping this in mind, how might you make such a person feel welcomed in your community? What might you say? What might you do? Lesson 2- Use reference sources to research geography, customs, and traditions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Guide students in using maps, library, or online sources to research the geography and the customs and traditions of people who live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Think about the distance from Afghanistan to Pakistan and what the journey would have been like. Find out how people dress, what they eat, and what traditions they practice in these two countries. Record your information in a Venn Diagram. Complete the Venn Diagram, explaining both the similarities and differences between people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lesson 3- Writing Instruct students to: Write a short story about a time when you helped a friend or a friend helped you. What did you or your friend do? Did the experience change your friendship in any way? Share your story with a classmate.