Miriam Estrada

English 112B

Fall 2007

Unit Plan

Poetry and Drama about Cultures:

Appreciating others differences

            It is important to be able to think back as an adult and remember how challenging being a teenager can be.  Along with parents, teachers play a very important role in this very difficult time for teenagers.  Sometimes young adults can be very hurtful toward other student because they look, speak or dress different. Educators have the power to change this kind of discrimination and teach students that being different is not a bad thing.  America is a multicultural country full of immigrants from all over the world and students should learn about other cultures because this will expand their mind and move them further away from racist thoughts.  During the past decade many tragic events have occurred in our country, from the Columbine shooting to 9-11 and most recent the Virginia Tech shooting.  ItÕs almost like we are now just waiting for the next tragedy to occur.  ItÕs time we take different cultures into our classrooms and teach those students who are picking on others that there is much to learn from other cultures.  Also we need to teach the students who are being picked on to keep their head up high and be proud of who they are.  Through poetry and drama educators can find endless ways of teaching about other cultures.  The book  First Crossing  is a great selection for this unit because it has many stories about immigrants and it gives us a taste of many different cultures. 

Launching the Unit

1.  Before reading and discussing First Crossing  have students write for fifteen minutes about anything that comes to their mind when they read the following quote by Martin Luther King Jr.

ÒI have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their characterÓ Martin Luther King Jr.

2.  Open up discussion with students by asking them if they know what discrimination is.

3.  Ask students if they have ever felt like an outcast.

4.  Introduce First Crossing to the class and give them background information about the

     Book.  Such as the titles of each story and the authors.

            ÒFirst CrossingÓ by Pam Munoz Ryan

            ÒSecond Culture KidsÓ by Dian Curtis Regan

            ÒMy Favorite ChaperoneÓ by Jean Davis Okimoto

            ÒThey DonÕt Mean It!Ó by Lensey Namioka

            ÒPulling Up StakesÓ by David Lubar

            ÒLines of ScrimmageÓ by Elsa Marston

            ÒThe SwedeÓ by Alden R. Carder

            ÒThe Rose of SharonÓ by Marie G. Lee

            ÒMake MaddieÓ Mad by Rita Williams-Garcia

            ÒThe Green Arm ChairÓ                                     by Minfong Ho

5.  Begin reading First Crossing.

6.  Ask students to find a poem of their choice that deals with being different, a specific

     culture or racism.

In Class Activities

1.  Have students share the poems they found

            A. Why did you choose that poem?

            B.  How did that poem make you feel?

            C.  Did the poem remind you of any story in First Crossing?

2.  Form groups of 3 and assign a different story from First Crossing  to each group and

     have students perform a short skit from the assigned story.

3.  After reading First Crossing another book that deals with discrimination is Witness by

     Karen Hesse.  I would assign characters to different students and have then read out                   loud, readersÕ theater format. (Warner 198) 

  

Extending the Unit

A good way to extend the unit is to have students collect information about their own culture and then write a poem of their own.  If students do not wish to write about their own culture let them know they can also collect information about a different culture not necessarily their own.  Allow students to talk about their culture and their poem this way students can learn from each other.  Bring copies of other poems that relate to the unitÕs topic. It is important to let students express their feelings about poems even if they dislike the poem. 

Concluding Activities

Give the students a list of poems which they can use to compare and contrast to their own poems and to First Crossing

Adoff, Arnold, editor. I am the Darker Brother: an Anthology of Modern Poems by African Americans

Allen, Terry, editor. The Whispering Wind: Poetry by Young American Indians

Carlson, Lori. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States.

Duffy, Carol Ann, editor. I Wouldn't Thank You for a Valentine: Poems for Young Feminists

Gordon, Ruth, editor. Pierced by a Ray of Sun: Poems about the Times we Feel Alone

Hirschfelder, Arlene, editor. Rising Voices: Writings of Young Native Americans

Janeczko, Paul, editor. The Music of What Happens: Poems that Tell Stories

Kherdian, David, editor. Beat Voices: an Anthology of Beat Poetry

Nye, Naomi Shihab, editor. This Same Sky: a Collection of Poems from Around the World

Works Cited

Gallo, Donald. First Crossing. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2004

Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York:  Scholastic, 2001

Warner, Mary. Adolescents in the search for meaning. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press,

            2006