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.