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Title: |
Opening Up the World of Vietnam through
Reading
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Participant: |
M. Bernstein |
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School: |
O.H. Perry Elementary
School, Boston, MA. |
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Project Description: Grade Level: K-6 Subject Area: Language Arts Expected Implementation Period: 09/04-12/04 Learning Outcomes:
Proposed Project: I will attempt to collect
and review recent books that can be easily acquired through libraries or
bookstores within the United States. Hopefully these books will spark great
interest and identification for students from Vietnamese backgrounds. However
my goal would be to share the excitement of Vietnamese culture, history and
life with all of my pupils. I hope to assist teachers in establishing
cultural awareness and enjoyment of learning about new ideas and people
through reading. I also hope to spark the interest of all students in
studying this culture by combining the literature with my experiences this
summer in Vietnam. I will present photographs, postcards, maps, and
artifacts. I also wish to extend the study by Vietnamese students’ families’
recipes, reminiscences and family photographs. If at all possible, members of
the school’s Vietnamese parent community will come in to talk to the
children. Several of the children within the school community have been to
Vietnam to visit family and may be willing to share their experiences.
Indeed, some of the students have opened up in the past and shared family
memories of life in Vietnam and their families’ journey to the United States. We are fortunate to have Vietnamese shops,
markets and restaurants within the larger Boston community. I am in the process of creating a video of photos
taken by myself and other members of the 2004 trip to Vietnam this past
summer. A fellow teacher has offered his expertise and time to help me put
this together. When completed this will be shared with fellow staff members
and students at my school along with those at East West Center. I want to thank my local public library (the Newton Free
Library, MA.) and the Minuteman Library Network for the wonderful collection
of current books available to read and review. I also want to give credit to
the local bookstores–Borders and Barnes and Nobles–for their stock of current
children’s titles. I also cross-referenced my finds with the bibliography on
Southeast Asian books, found on the Internet by Michael Levy of the
University of Wisconsin. We are lucky to have all these resources at our
disposal and hope that all teachers can acquire some of these books to use
for literature study and exploration, unit study, or culture awareness units.
In addition I highly recommend two books for adults to
read to set the mood. The first is A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
by Robert Olen Butler. (New York: Grove Press, 2001). For those of us who
have just visited Vietnam and those interested in learning about the people,
it is a poignant collection of short stories about the Vietnamese after the
Vietnam War. It is a very sensitive and emotionally stirring book.
My adventures (or research) in childrens’ literature about Vietnam have lead me to discover a huge number of books, way too many to describe or list here.
Problems Encountered: 1.
The school that I work in is a small, urban Boston
Public School with a diverse community of children, and many Asian American
students. Our teachers must adhere to
a closely monitored curriculum that focuses on reading and writing workshops.
Often there is no room for creativity or expansion of the interests of
individual teachers that fall outside of the curriculum guidelines. 2.
My role within the school is not administrative,
nor do I have my own classroom. I work as an inclusionary special needs
teacher. I work alongside other teachers in their classrooms, and as such
must follow their curriculum, overall plans, and development. 3.
Due to overall pressures of testing, standards, and
scores, teachers often cannot free up time to develop or participate in
creative and natural aspects of teaching and learning. 4.
Teachers have expressed interest in studying
cultures with the students but it is not within their prescribed curriculum.
Thus I have taken the approach of “slipping in” my interest in Vietnam, its
history, people and culture through an acceptable venue–literature! 5.
There are many wonderful films, videos and music
CDs that could also be incorporated in a study of Vietnam, offering both
visual and auditory stimulation and interest. All this necessitates time and,
again, flexibility of curriculum. 6.
Many wonderful books relating to Vietnam are
available. Some multicultural titles are incorporated into formal reading
programs that are used with the students (e.g. in the Making Meaning Program–grade
five uses The Lotus Seed to elicit discussion amongst the
students). Many, many more books are
available and must be located and taken out by teachers from local libraries
or purchased for use within the classroom. 7.
Not all staff members share the same sense of
excitement and wonder at exploring different cultures and global themes. Student Encounters: 1.
Students enjoy hearing about history, different
cultures, and exploring the map of the world. Learning about different
countries and cultures are high interest topics for most elementary school
students. 2.
Students enjoy communicating with people in other
places (pen pals, email pals). Time must be allotted for such
activities. Time is not there for the
visual or artistic approaches to exploring cultures (visiting museums).
Though there are sights that would enhance the exploration of Vietnamese
culture within the city of Boston (markets, shops), the time is not there
during the school day for such exploration. 3.
Vietnamese parents are often shy or hesitant about
sharing their cultural experiences and histories. Perhaps there is the fear
generated from communities associating Vietnam with the US-Vietnam War; or
perhaps there is the feeling that Americans do not understand Asian cultures.
I do not know the actual reason. 4.
Students can be encouraged to establish pen pals
with Vietnamese students. Schools have computers and email that can also
serve as a source of communication. Once again, teachers must find their own
level of interest in pursuing such activities with the children. 5.
Children can often find a venue to share their own
family stories by hearing similar stories described in books. 6.
Children enjoy folk tales and stories of creatures,
dragons and animals. They also enjoy stories with morals and lessons. The Vietnamese folktales we read in class
utilize these story elements. The children really enjoyed the Sherry
Garland’s stories, which were given extra charm by the wonderful
illustrations in the book. Click here to Reading
About Vietnam – Books for Children compiled by M. Bernstein. |
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