Lesson Plan

Here is an abbreviated lesson plans. I have eliminated the elements that deal with baseball and the Dodgers. I have used it with grades 6-12
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This lesson is designed for Middle School students based up the Common Core Standards, while taking into consideration the pedagogical premises of Understanding by Design. Thus we start with an Essential Question: “Has the experiences of immigrants vastly changed over the last one hundred years in American society? How does acculturation occur?” These questions will allow students to tie in Social Studies with their Language Arts curriculum, and promote investigation into their own family history, thus bringing the neighborhood into the school. It will also help to point out the universality of the immigrant experience.
Anchor Standards
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Speaking & Listening — Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
[font=Arial]• [/font]CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5 Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

This novel is central to the Common Core study of identity.
Activating Activity: Randomly select fifty people on campus: students, teachers, classified personnel, cafeteria workers, custodians, and ask when did their family first come to the United States, why did they come to the United States and how did they come to the United States.
Students in groups of four will design a survey tool to facilitate the activating activity. We will then discuss the results in class, focusing on key vocabulary words (immigrant, first generation, visa, assimilation, salad bowl, melting pot, citizenship). We will continue the full class discussion on the idea that the United States is a “nation of immigrant”.
[font='Times New Roman']For homework: In a simple paragraph create a journal entry responding to this prompt:[/font]
Imagine that one of your parents has just been offered an exciting new job. However, the job is in China, and your family must move there-what is your reaction?
Fill out a KWL chart about China. Fold your paper into third: in the first Colum write K, in the second, W, and in the third L. Now write three things you know about China, and three things you want to know about China. After the class discussion, we will fill out the third column, L.

Class discussion based on the KWL chart. How will you prepare for the move? What are going to be some of the problems you will face? What are some things that you might be looking forward to in your new home?
We will start to read the text, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, after reading the first chapter; we will use a handout called EAST MEETS WEST, (of course I will point out the students the misnomer). Students in groups of four will complete a chart stating the differences between 1945 Chungking, China and 1945 Brooklyn New York. Students will be shown pictures of the two locales to facilitate the work.
Landscape structures people vehicles activities
Manners home life attitudes family food

Homework: One of Bandit’s first problem is creating a new name for herself that is suitable for America, if we were to update this story to the year, 2014, what name would you advise Bandit choose and why? Give at least three reasons why you made the choice that you did.
The name change would be the first of many changes,however, there would be many changes to this story if it were updated to the year 2010, please complete the following chart and be prepare to state why you made these choices[font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font]
Changes or Updates
Mode of transportation to US:

City Shirley moves to:

Modern Appliances:

What would Shirley buy for her father:

Games and activities for kids

Major Sport

Sport Hero

The Year of the

New Book Title:


Lesson on the Chinese Zodiac: Start by activating students’ previous knowledge – What is your astrological sign? How is it determined? Do all societies believe in astrology? What is a zodiac? Which zodiac do we most commonly refer to (Greek) based upon stars.
Introduce the Chinese calendar (12 animals) by telling the story of Buddha or the Jade Emperor. What is the difference between our “year” and a lunar year? Why will this cause a problem for Shirley at school?
Homework: create or download the Chinese Zodiac. Use the website below to help you in creating your zodiac.
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/chinese_zodiac_bookmarks.pdf
Lesson: Friends or Foes: Some people believe that certain signs get along well with others. Based upon your sign – find out who are you compatible with as well as incompatible (Handout given listing Year of Birth, Animal Sign, and characteristic).
People when they immigrant often bring some remembrances from their homeland. Does your family have something from another country. (Classroom discussion on foreign objects and their significance in our home) Shirley will bring an abacus.
[font='Times New Roman']Lesson:[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']Abacus Arithmetic:[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']The abacus is an ancient form of calculator still used in China.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']Students will learn the to read an abacus and then those wishing extra credit, will create one.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] Through using a handout, a[/font][font='Times New Roman']ll students will learn the nine columns and their place value.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']Students will view a YOUTUBE video, showing someone completing math problems using an abacus.[/font]
Lesson: Building Background Knowledge: When Shirley Temple Wong arrived in the United States; she had to learn about a new country. Everything was different. I want you to go back to your KWL chart – how many things did you need to learn about China, well, you are going to need to go to the library to use the following tools: almanac, atlas, maps, or you can search online, remember to use Digital Library where things have already been researched for you.
[font='Times New Roman'] [/font]
Find out the following about China:
Population: 1950 2010
Boundaries:
Highest Point:
Major Rivers:
Capital City:
Major Cities (3):
Official Language:
Other Languages Spoken:
Major Industries:
Major Crop:
Form of Government:
Political Party:
Lesson: One of the hardest things in learning a new language is learning idioms and Shirley certainly has a problem with this: Find examples in the text like “home run”. She like most newcomers takes things literally – (opportunity to review literal and figurative). Poor Shirley is the “teacher’s pet”, how demeaning! In class, let’s r[font='Times New Roman']eread her interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance:[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']In groups of two, explain the phrases that she got wrong.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']After that bit of fun we are going to interpret some idioms.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']For homework tonight, please illustrate three idioms using their literal meaning.[/font]

I have butterflies in my stomach
She was just tickled to death
My mom is always on my back.
Why does he always have his nose in a book?
My dad has a green thumb.
Please don’t lose your temper!
Extra credit: Five points for each additional idiom that you find in the text and can write down.
Extra, extra credit: ten points for an idiom from a different language (good for twenty points)


Lessons: We do things partially because it is culturally appropriate. What does that mean to you – can you think of an example? We learn about people’s culture by watching how they act. Sometimes, characters’ actions also tell something about the culture and customs where they live.
Explain the following:
Mr. and Mrs. Wong meet in the New York train station after being separated for a very log time – how do they act?
Now imagine these people meeting at the train station after being apart. What would they do and what would their action show:

Mr. Wong and Grandfather:
Shirley and Precious Coins:
Shirley and Mabel:
____________& ____________

How does the budding friendship between Mabel and Shirley reflect Mabel’s culture and values?
Another aspect of culture is people’s names. In Chungking, Shirley’s compound had some interesting names – what were some of them and how do you think people got their nicknames e[font='Times New Roman'].g.[/font]
Awaiting Marriage:
Precious Coins:
Beautiful Country:
Then once Shirley arrives in Brooklyn, she comes across other nicknames:
The Terrible Threesome
Now, it’s your turn –
Mabel:
Senora Rodriguez:
Shirley:
Jackie Robinson:
What would be your nickname in the Chinese culture? Why?

One of the best aspects of this book is the figurative language the author, BettyBaoLord uses:
Using the book, complete these similes:

In bed, Fourth Cousin curled up like
Grandmother’s feet were very tiny like
The sea writhed like
The principal’s skin was bare as
Some faces at school were white, like
At first English words sounded like
Shirley was squeezed into her drawer bed like
When Shirley was scared, her legs felt like
First graders blew bubbles as big as

Now change the similes using your OWN words![font='Times New Roman'] [/font]
Lesson: Chinese Characters: China has had a written language for over three thousand years. Chinese writing is called ideographic. What two words do you see contained in this one word (idea and graph), now if I tell you that graph comes from the Greek word meaning to write, how would you interpreted this word. It means the writing is based on the idea a word communicates rather than the sound of the word. So each Chinese character represents a whole word. There is no relationship between the character and the way the word sound. And the way the word sounds will vary from region to region.
Today, most Western (sic) uses the pinyin system to spell Chines words. I will give you a handout to help you practice writing and pronouncing a few Chinese characters; what do you notice about the characters for today, yesterday and tomorrow? What idea do you think is represented by the character pronounced tian?

Lesson: Finally, we will view Writing as Art: In China, writing is more than a means of communication. If you go to a Chinese restaurant or home, you will notice that writing is also an art form. When writing in the traditional way, the Chinese, similar to the Japanese, use a soft brush to create characters on absorbent paper. What is amazing is that all the characters are formed by a combination of nine basic strokes.
Homework: [font='Times New Roman']You are to practice the nine strokes, then reproduce the word large, man and sky using the handout.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman']Then create a phrase like large man and using a paintbrush.[/font]

This is a condense version of my unit plan - I left out all the parts about Baseball, the Dodgers, Intergration, Friendship and Vocabulary Development. This novel is beautiful written and cares a special message. I have taught some form of this lesson for over twenty years, of course, with each new group of students you must reevaluate your lesson plans and with the Common core, you must focus on text and information text. Usually as a culminating activity, students have to create a brochure on one of the following: China, Immigration, Baseball, The Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, Chinese New Year. That allows me to incorporate technology and another finished product is an abacus, and the abacus are often the best culminating task. I had one student drill holes through pennies to create her abacus!
Some materials used in the creation of this unit plan were:
Literature Unit: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson: Written by Caroline Nakajima, Teacher Created Materials, Inc. (1992)
Literature and Critical Thinking: Art Projects, Plot Summaries, Skill Building Activities and Independent Thinking: written by John and Patty Carratello, [font='Times New Roman']Teacher Created Material Inc.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font][font='Times New Roman'](1989)[/font]
Classroom Favorites: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson: written by [font='Times New Roman']Kathy Sammis, Perma-Bound Production (1989)[/font]
LIFT (Literature Is For Thinking) : Prepared by Deborah Eaton, Sundance Publisher
Portals To Reading Series and Portal Plus: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson: Perfection Learning 1993 &1997