Freedom Writers Diary

 
 Freedom Writers Diary with Erin Gruwell is historical story of a young English teacher and her class from California who other teachers claimed were "unteachable". Gruwell learns right away that homework is the least of her students problems. Every day they are going home to gunshots and gang fights, also drugs and alcohol. All of the students were set on the idea that they had nothing to learn from a white teacher who didn't understand until one day, changed the class and had an effect on everything.

Book Reports

If It Hadn't Been for Yoon Jun is a story about a girl named Alice. Alice was adopted from Korea as a baby and she has no desire to learn about the culture she came from. Yoon Jun is a new student at Alice's school and is from Korea. Alice then is paired up with Yoon Jun for an International Day project. Through this project Alice and the readers learn about the Korean culture. The book talks about how crowded the cities of Korea are and also talks about the different foods served in Korea.





Kira-Kira takes the reader on the journey of Katie's life.  It begins with her family moving from a Japanese town in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia.  The book chronicles the ups and downs and the activities her, her sister, and her brother take.  However, it also shows so much about the resilient and respectful nature of the Japanese culture as her sister receives a diagnosis of lymphoma, her brother is injured by an animal trap, and her parents work multiple jobs with long hours to provide for the family.  The book is filled with fun stories as well as tragedy that every reader will be able to relate to.

Teaching Strategies

One strategy that we decided would be important in a culturally diverse classroom including Asian American students would be to understand what their home is like to better understand their behaviors.  By having the students do activities like interviews about their families, teachers will be able to get a glimpse into their student's homes and reasons behind their behaviors.

The second strategy we decided on is that teachers need to show that they value their student's opinions.  This is crucial in a classroom that includes Asian American students because they are often timid and do not want to share what they have to say.  Therefore, showing that you value all opinions will encourage them to be share more in the classroom.

Asian American Learners

Learners from this culture do not speak up in class. The students do not ask very many questions either. They are taught to solve their own problems so they do not want to ask for help. Silence is shown as self reliant and strength. Asian American students only interact in class when they are told to. Also, girls are not allowed to speak out in public. It is discouraged to talk about your feelings and personal experiences.

Historical Events

The first event we want to share is the Gold Rush in 1848.  In 1850, over 1,00 Asian immigrants came into the United States.  But just 10 years later, the number of Asian immigrants had increased to over 37,000 and most of them were from China.

The second event that affected Asian culture and American culture was the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  This event occurred on December 7,1941.  It was a surprise attack that included 353 Japanese fighters, bombers, and torpedo planes.  2,402 people were killed and 1,282 were wounded.  This led to the U.S. entering World War II.

The Korean War occurred from 1950 - 1953.  North Korea and South Korea were at war and the United States aided South Korea with the invasion of North Korea.  The armistice restored original border and a 2.5 mile buffer.  To this day, we still aid South Korea.

The final event we discussed as a group is the earthquake that occurred on March 11.  An 8.9 magnitude earthquake was followed by a 30 foot Tsunami.  The death toll, as of March 30, is at 11,232.  This has affected the U.S. in economic ways such as the value of the dollar decreasing.  Also, the United States is checking our nuclear plants to see what would happen if we faced a devastating earthquake such as the one in Japan.  In big cities, FEMA has started running drills in cities to prepare people for what to do in case of this kind of disaster.

Asian American Movies

 The movie "The Karate Kid" was made in 2010 and it is about a kid who moves to China with his mother because of her job. While in China he embraces kung fu that is taught to him by a master. Since karate originated from Asian culture we thought this movie would show what is all involved in Asian culture, especially China. This movie also shows what everyday in China may be like. 

Asian Music

"Koto & Shakuhachi" is a beautiful Japanese song.  This song exemplifies the typical qualities of Asian music.  It is a peaceful song that speaks to the soul.  We also chose this song because it is a traditional song that represents the culture.  The beautiful scenery included in the video helps to visualize the culture.

"Chaoyuan ge (Chant de la cour)" by Chen Zhong is a traditional Chinese song. Zhong's song is a typical traditional Chinese song which is what drew us to the song.  Its melodious tune is enjoyable and easy to listen to.

Picture Books

The Empress and the Silkworm is by Lily Toy Hong. This is a 5,000 year old legend about an empress who first imagines the lowly silkworm's thread as a luxurious, beautiful cloth. We picked this story because it is an old legend of the Asian American people and it helps us identify why their culture is the way it is today. 

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China is by Ed Young Translated as "Wolf Grandmother", this is a Caldecott Award-Winning book. This book retells the familiar story in a wondrous Chinese way. We picked this second story because we thought it was interesting how it was a story that we were familiar with just retold from a different cultural perspective. 

Poetry

"Beyond the Great Mountains"

By: Ed Young

Beyond the great mountains

Far to the east, a vast fertile plain.

In its sky, mist rose and fell, rain water gathering, river cascading

Down cliffs and boulders, through valleys into fields.

As sun, moon kept watch, earth gave birth

To sprouts above, metal below

Trees of hanging grains, corn, wheat, millet and rice.

In winter's ice, summer's fire, more plants flourished.

One of drooping leaves, bamboo; of even-rowed, leek;

Another of sprawling vines, squash; of fuzzy stems, hemp.

To the west, where birds roost, a rock of wonder, salt, was found.

To the south, rice fermented into wine.

A precious stone embraced heaven and earth, jade.

This was middle empire, China.

Our group chose this poem because it illustrated what China and Asia looked like before modern culture.    Being able to create a visual image of what Asia looked like is valuable.

"Cat Heaven"

By: Lo Ch'ing

Translated from Chinese by: Joseph R. Allen

Out of the cat's dream

floats a lavish mouse banquet

As mice sleep deep

in that aroma-soaked dream

Dreaming of

a cat

Eating dreams

for sustenance

Our group chose to post "Cat Heaven" because cats represent a myriad of positive things in Asian mythology.  For example, cats represent protection from evil because they are able to see so well in the dark.  They also represent good luck and good fortune.