Thanks for a great semester Val! I really enjoyed this class a lot I felt that I learned more in 448 than I did in 348. When I look at books now I realize that I am looking at them with a new lens. I critique them and think about them more than I used to. For example, when looking at books about disabilities I am looking for books that give a message that it is okay to be different, but it is not okay to be treated differently because you are different. I also look for accuracy in the book and if I do not have enough background information about the disability then I will look it up to make sure that the book is accurate.
This class has taught me to appreciate all types of literature. I have really enjoyed reading the books for the book discussions, they all raised questions that I had a hard time answering, which I feel is important. Books should make you think and they should make your students think.
Thanks again and enjoy your break!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Reflection
As a whole I thought that the books I chose were really good. Not only were the books diverse but they were accurate in talking about the fears and hardships that Korean-Americans can face. I thought that each book was able to talk about one issue or misconception and how it effects the main character. One talked about fitting into the Korean culture, one was about being from a different family, and one was about becoming a citizen. Overall the theme of the books was about finding your true identity, and at a young age that can be very hard. These kids were faced with challenges that adults have a hard time with. They are trying to fit into the American culture while understanding why they are different and if that is okay. All the books addressed the fact that it is okay to be different and that everyone is different in some way.
Overall I learned a lot about the minority group, Korean-Americans. I learned that there are many challenges they face no matter what their situation. I also learned that they are resilient and willing to work together to make things better for their children. I think all of the books are great examples of diverse literature and I would use all of them in my classroom.
Overall I learned a lot about the minority group, Korean-Americans. I learned that there are many challenges they face no matter what their situation. I also learned that they are resilient and willing to work together to make things better for their children. I think all of the books are great examples of diverse literature and I would use all of them in my classroom.
Scholarly Book Review
Warring, D. F. (2006). A Korean-American story. Multicultural education, 14 (4). Retrieved December 1, 2007, from http://p2047-ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu:2047/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu:2047/pqdweb?did=1077229291&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=3552&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
This review gave a summary of the book throughout the review, commenting on how the book can be used to introduce people to bi-racial issues. It also mentions the fact that America is not a "melting pot" of cultures but instead a place that we have to work to live together. I thought this was interesting because I never thought about America like that. I now realize that it is hard for people to populate the same area while being completely different from each other. The review mentions hope and how hope is weaved into the story by having Mr. Lee teach Cooper about being part of two cultures and finding his identity.
Overall I thought the review gave me a lot of insight on the book. It opened up my eyes and let me see all that this book was offering.
This review gave a summary of the book throughout the review, commenting on how the book can be used to introduce people to bi-racial issues. It also mentions the fact that America is not a "melting pot" of cultures but instead a place that we have to work to live together. I thought this was interesting because I never thought about America like that. I now realize that it is hard for people to populate the same area while being completely different from each other. The review mentions hope and how hope is weaved into the story by having Mr. Lee teach Cooper about being part of two cultures and finding his identity.
Overall I thought the review gave me a lot of insight on the book. It opened up my eyes and let me see all that this book was offering.
Cooper's Lesson book review
Shin, Y. S. (2004) Cooper's lesson. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.
The book Cooper's Lesson is about a Korean boy living in American with his Korean mom and American dad. The book starts with Cooper's mom asking him to pick up some ginger from the store. Cooper talks about how he does not like going to the market because his mom insists on speaking Korean and he does not know Korean fluently so he is uncomfortable. He talks about his skin color and how he is half and half which can lead to being teased. When he reaches the store he is uncomfortable but starts to walk through the aisles. He ends up stealing a brush because he thinks the store owner is laughing at him. When caught he has to work at the store for the week as his punishment. Throughout the week he learns more Korean and becomes comfortable at the store. He learns that Mr. Lee the store owner is Korean American, like him, and Cooper explains that he never knows where hes from. Eventually his mom comes in and invites Mr. Lee to dinner. While on the walk home he talks to his mom in Korean telling her that he doesn't know how to explain in Korean. She tells him that they can work it out together.
After reading this book I think that it is a piece of diverse literature. I think that it shows how hard life can be for a Korean American or anyone who is born here but looks "different" than the average American. The book also shows how people overcome that issue, they work to include both cultures into their life. Yes they will always be different but that does not mean that it is wrong. A really cool thing about this book is that it is written in English and Korean so it encourages children who are Korean to read Korean words. I liked this book, it showed no stereotypes about gender or race, just issues that people can face everyday.
The book Cooper's Lesson is about a Korean boy living in American with his Korean mom and American dad. The book starts with Cooper's mom asking him to pick up some ginger from the store. Cooper talks about how he does not like going to the market because his mom insists on speaking Korean and he does not know Korean fluently so he is uncomfortable. He talks about his skin color and how he is half and half which can lead to being teased. When he reaches the store he is uncomfortable but starts to walk through the aisles. He ends up stealing a brush because he thinks the store owner is laughing at him. When caught he has to work at the store for the week as his punishment. Throughout the week he learns more Korean and becomes comfortable at the store. He learns that Mr. Lee the store owner is Korean American, like him, and Cooper explains that he never knows where hes from. Eventually his mom comes in and invites Mr. Lee to dinner. While on the walk home he talks to his mom in Korean telling her that he doesn't know how to explain in Korean. She tells him that they can work it out together.
After reading this book I think that it is a piece of diverse literature. I think that it shows how hard life can be for a Korean American or anyone who is born here but looks "different" than the average American. The book also shows how people overcome that issue, they work to include both cultures into their life. Yes they will always be different but that does not mean that it is wrong. A really cool thing about this book is that it is written in English and Korean so it encourages children who are Korean to read Korean words. I liked this book, it showed no stereotypes about gender or race, just issues that people can face everyday.
Families Are Different book review
Pellegrini, N. (1991). Families are different. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
The book Families are Different is about two girls that were adopted from Korea when they were babies. The main character of the story is Nicola, who is the younger sister. Nicola introduces her family, talking about her sister, her dog, and activities she does. She explains the adoption process and then begins to talk about how sometimes she gets sad and mad because she does not look like her parents. Her mom tells her that there are many kinds of families and it doesn't matter what they look like because love holds them together. Then Nicola goes through and talks about many different types of families that there are. At the end she says that she is not strange at all and that her family has a lot of love.
I think that this book would be a great book to use as a diverse piece of literature because it shows diversity of families. There are about ten families that Nicola talks about, and even though they do not show all the combinations there still are many types included. Nicola talks about each family and how they are not wrong just different. This is key because she is not judging, just pointing out the facts as they are, which is sometimes what diverse literature needs to include. Besides diverse families they also show diverse people, there are people of different races and genders, and the book does not choose one over the other, it puts them all in equal light which is great! I really enjoyed reading this book!
The book Families are Different is about two girls that were adopted from Korea when they were babies. The main character of the story is Nicola, who is the younger sister. Nicola introduces her family, talking about her sister, her dog, and activities she does. She explains the adoption process and then begins to talk about how sometimes she gets sad and mad because she does not look like her parents. Her mom tells her that there are many kinds of families and it doesn't matter what they look like because love holds them together. Then Nicola goes through and talks about many different types of families that there are. At the end she says that she is not strange at all and that her family has a lot of love.
I think that this book would be a great book to use as a diverse piece of literature because it shows diversity of families. There are about ten families that Nicola talks about, and even though they do not show all the combinations there still are many types included. Nicola talks about each family and how they are not wrong just different. This is key because she is not judging, just pointing out the facts as they are, which is sometimes what diverse literature needs to include. Besides diverse families they also show diverse people, there are people of different races and genders, and the book does not choose one over the other, it puts them all in equal light which is great! I really enjoyed reading this book!
An American Face book review
Czech, J. M. (2000). An American face. Washington, DC: Child and Family Press.
This book, An American Face is about a young boy (5 or 6 years-old) who has been adopted from Korea by American's. He is in the process of becoming a citizen and he believes that he will be getting a new face once he is an American so he can look like everyone else who is American. Each page shows him in a different environment with people who he thinks look American, because they do not look like him. When he sees people that are foreign he thinks they have not yet become American's. He is teased because of the way he looks, but he knows that will change eventually. On the day he goes to court to become a citizen his parents realize what he is thinking and tell him that his face will not change. He is sad but once he sees the judge who is Korean, his spirits are lifted and he realizes he can be an American without getting a new face.
I think that this book works as a piece of diverse literature for many reasons. For one the illustrations show a variety of people doing many tasks. There is no stereotyping about gender or race. The book talks about the fact that people do have different faces. His parents explain that even though people look different they can all become American without having to lose their identity. The book really works at making everyone feel welcome and respected. I would definitely use this book as a diverse piece of literature.
This book, An American Face is about a young boy (5 or 6 years-old) who has been adopted from Korea by American's. He is in the process of becoming a citizen and he believes that he will be getting a new face once he is an American so he can look like everyone else who is American. Each page shows him in a different environment with people who he thinks look American, because they do not look like him. When he sees people that are foreign he thinks they have not yet become American's. He is teased because of the way he looks, but he knows that will change eventually. On the day he goes to court to become a citizen his parents realize what he is thinking and tell him that his face will not change. He is sad but once he sees the judge who is Korean, his spirits are lifted and he realizes he can be an American without getting a new face.
I think that this book works as a piece of diverse literature for many reasons. For one the illustrations show a variety of people doing many tasks. There is no stereotyping about gender or race. The book talks about the fact that people do have different faces. His parents explain that even though people look different they can all become American without having to lose their identity. The book really works at making everyone feel welcome and respected. I would definitely use this book as a diverse piece of literature.
Mutil-ethnic literature
While looking for articles for the project I found this website about why multi-ethnic literature should be used. The article mainly focuses on Asian-American literature. I found this article interesting because of one line in particular. It was in part of the rationale for using multi-ethnic literature in the classroom.
It said "So students of non Caucasian descent can read about people from their ancestral background. Let readers have experiences that speak to their own lives. By the year 2000, enrollment of minority students will be anywhere from 35 to 50%."
I found this line interesting because I had never thought that people would look to children's books to get information. Now that I think about it, it does make sense and if written correctly there is no reason that people wouldn't be able to get correct information from children's literature.
The article mentioned the characteristic's that a multi-ethnic piece of literature should have and I agree if those are there then the book contains factual information that could be used to teach children about their heritage.
Here is the link to the website so that you can have a look at it too!
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/asialit.htm
It said "So students of non Caucasian descent can read about people from their ancestral background. Let readers have experiences that speak to their own lives. By the year 2000, enrollment of minority students will be anywhere from 35 to 50%."
I found this line interesting because I had never thought that people would look to children's books to get information. Now that I think about it, it does make sense and if written correctly there is no reason that people wouldn't be able to get correct information from children's literature.
The article mentioned the characteristic's that a multi-ethnic piece of literature should have and I agree if those are there then the book contains factual information that could be used to teach children about their heritage.
Here is the link to the website so that you can have a look at it too!
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/asialit.htm
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