This annotated bibliography is designed to give ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers a clear idea of multicultural texts and visual media that will help refugee children transition into middle school. The particular focus of this annotated bibliography is adolescent literature for intermediate to advanced English language learners. The following books tell stories that reflect innocent, young human beings who were forced to flee their homelands and were subjected to various types of physical and emotional trauma. The rationale behind choosing such a theme is the importance of real-life experiences of adolescent immigrants.
These resources address students’ language barriers and issues such as assimilation, acculturation, isolation and loneliness. Some of the topics explored in these resources include but are not limited to: death, empathy, separation, tolerance, justice, confusion, adjustment, and a respect for human rights. My experience has been that immigrant children are confused, frustrated and shy because of their new surroundings and not being able to speak English to communicate.
Adolescent literature for recent young immigrants plays a catalyst role in promoting positive teenage development in offering real-life or fictional accounts of adapting to a new cultural community. The texts that I have chosen will assist educators in promoting cross-cultural understanding and the discovery of other cultures, customs, ethnicity and personal experiences. Because these children are often teased and bullied, these resources will also help teachers watch for a change in the child’s behavior and help address the situation with counselors and administration. Many of our immigrant children are still in a state of transition in forming trusting friendships and respect for their classmates and their teachers. Each text helps bridge a connection between these children’s past lives and the transitional stages of being pressured to acquire a second language and becoming acquainted with a new way of life. These resources are not only beneficial for ESL teachers and ESL students, but for all adolescents in general because they address topics that are relevant to adolescent life.
This annotated bibliography is designed to leave ESL teachers with some meaningful reading resources. It can be used as a tool to learn about some insightful experiences that millions of refugee children lived through and their continuing struggle to make the challenging transition into their new country.
The resources included in this annotated bibliography explore different literary genres such as non-fiction, fiction, biography, historical perspectives, adventure and contemporary realistic fiction.
Estes, Eleanor. (2004). The Hundred Dresses. London and New York: Harcourt Inc.
This book examines the story of a young Polish girl by the name of Wanda Petronski. Wanda recently moved from Poland to the United States, and the other children at school make fun of her because of her name and the fact that she claims to have 100 dresses, but she only wears one to school, the same dull, worn, blue one every day. One day she doesn’t come to school. This goes on for a few days before anyone notices. The next day the teacher is supposed to announce the winner of a drawing contest. Little Wanda is the winner. When the kids walk into the room, they find that Wanda
has drawn 100 different dresses. They are beautiful drawings and everyone loves them. Shortly after class, winners are announced. The teacher shares with the class that Wanda won’t be coming back to school because her family has moved away. Wanda’s father told the teacher that the reason they have moved away is because everyone made fun of them for their funny name. Some of the girls in her class felt guilty and decided to see if Wanda has really moved away. They discover that her family has already left. They send her an apologetic letter. During Christmas the class gets a letter from Wanda, and she tells everyone that she misses the school and her new teacher doesn’t compare to her old one. She also gives the girls some beautiful drawings. Two of the drawings are of the two girls that teased her the most. In the drawing, they are wearing beautiful dresses. The theme of this story is forgiveness. Students don’t always tell you when they are being bullied by their classmates and that sometimes you only find out when it’s too late. Students from other countries get picked on more by their classmates because their customs, dress, and the foods they eat are different. You can apply this in your classroom because the kids in your classes all dress differently. Some will dress like they are from the United States, but some will dress as they did in their native country. Teaching the students that they should not make fun of others because of the way they dress or the foods they eat is important. This text promotes cross-cultural understanding and the discovery of other cultures, life styles, and personal experiences.
Heyman, D. (Producer), & Herman, M. (Director). (2008). The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. [DVD]. London: Heyday Films.
This film investigates the story of a young, curious boy by the name of Bruno. He lives in prewar Germany with his mother, SS Commandant father, and older sister Gretel. Bruno and his family are relocating to the countryside. They will be moving so their father can control a Nazi concentration camp. Bruno doesn’t know why they are really moving; he just thinks they are moving because of his father’s job. Shortly after their move, Bruno explores a nearby forest and comes across a young boy that lives in a compound. The young boy’s name is Shmuel and is dressed in striped pajamas. Bruno finds it interesting that Shmuel happens to be on the other side of a high electric fence. Bruno brings Shmuel food because he is so hungry, and Bruno doesn’t understand why Shmuel and the others are separated from the rest of the world. They quickly form a very friendly relationship and look forward to seeing each other every afternoon. Shmuel shares with Bruno that he needs to find his father because he has disappeared in the compound. Bruno finds out that Shmuel is a Jew from his teacher. Bruno’s family orders him not to visit Shmuel anymore because Jews are considered inferior. The movie closes with Bruno becoming curious and wanting to help Shmuel locate his father. He decides to go against his parents’ orders and visit Shmuel. The next day he decides to dig a hole under the fence. Bruno plans on helping Shmuel find his father. Bruno sees starvation, dehumanization, and sickness. Bruno’s parents notice that Bruno was missing and began searching for him. Meanwhile, Bruno and Shmuel are caught up in a line of men being led to the gas chambers. The last thing you see is the changing room outside the gas chamber full of used camp clothing. This is a well-written film that explores the horror of the Holocaust. It engages you with the understanding of the complexity and atrocities of war in a language that can move young adolescents profoundly. It leads to many teaching opportunities to teach new immigrants tolerance, separation, social justice and respect for others. It’s one of the many stories that reflect innocent human beings being forced to flee their homes and communities while facing physical, mental and emotional trauma. Viewing this movie will teach about discrimination. Teachers can apply this movie by discussing how people are often discriminated against because of their ethnicity. Teachers can show students why it’s damaging to discriminate against people. It is beneficial to teach students not to judge people because of their customs or their race. This movie benefits the students because they will see the consequences of unfairly judging people by their race.
Lombard, Jenny. (2002). Drita My Homegirl. NY, NY: Putnam Publishing Group.
This book presents the story of a young Albanian girl, Drita, who moves to the U.S. from Kosova with her grandmother, mother and little brother. Her father is already in the United States working as a taxicab driver for the past year and is awaiting their arrival. Drita relocates to New York City with her family. Upon arrival, Drita is shocked to find their apartment so little and dirty. Their new home is not as big as their home in Kosova. Drita’s mother gets sick when Drita starts going to school. Drita struggles learning English, making friends, and adapting. Drita is constantly teased in school by her peers. Eventually Drita meets a young girl named Maxie. They aren’t friends until a school project brings them together. Even though there is a language barrier between the two, they find out that they have a great deal in common. The book closes with the two girls becoming close friends. Maxie’s family ends up helping Drita’s family when they are faced with a tough situation. This book’s main theme is how a growing friendship is beneficial, despite language barriers. Adolescents can learn a new language more easily when engaging in conversation with others. It is valuable because when you meet someone from another country, conversely you will learn about his or her customs and culture. Learning about other customs and cultures also helps everyone to be more sensitive of peoples’ feelings. Children learn that just because someone is different, doesn’t mean they are unsuccessful or disadvantaged. Teachers can apply this to classrooms by leading class discussions that focus on sharing different cultures and having respect for other ways of life, which means they’ll be more likely to help their fellow students with adjusting to a new environment.
Naidoo, Beverly. (2004). Making It Home. NY, NY: Penguin Group.
This text is a collection of stories from children displaced from their home countries. Each story explores themes of empathy, justice, and respect for human rights. The children write from places such as England, Pakistan, the U.S., and different places in Africa. The children share accounts of what it was like for them in their home countries and how much better it is for them in the countries their families have moved to. They talk about the differences between the countries they’re in and the countries they’re from and the circumstances under which they left. The book also presents the situations of each country they left so the reader will better understand the stories written by the children. Readers will gain knowledge into the adversity the children and their families face. There are many basic necessities that Americans take for granted that the new refugees don’t have. The feeling of safety from having a home and a family is something the refugees don’t have, because many times their family was killed or thrown in jail. It gives the point of view of the children rather than the adults. The stories of war are tragic, but the fact that children can find people that will accept them and help them grow up outside of a war-ravaged country is powerful. From this book teachers and adolescents learn from the point of view of kids that have survived a war. Teachers will learn how it feels to live in fear of something horrific happening to their families. When immigrating, the children often experience physical and verbal abuse from their new classmates. This text will assist teaching children English as a Second Language in enabling the children to communicate more effectively because of meaningful discussions that will arise concerning the text. If children learn to communicate more effectively, they won’t suffer as much abuse from fellow students because they will learn how to get help in stopping the abuse.
Robinson, Anthony. (2009). Hamzat's Journey. London and New York: Frances Lincoln Children's Books.
An inspiring true story of a young refugee boy named Hamzat. This is a story of courage and resilience. Hazmat was born in war-torn Chechnya in 1993, a time of conflict between Chechens and Russians. He describes how his family came to live in England as refugees. He talks about how he lost his foot walking to school one day when he stepped on a landmine. Immediately before the blast, Hamzat and his friends had been walking, but unfortunately he was the only one who survived the explosion. After having the lower portion of his leg amputated, he received a prosthetic replacement. He made a good recovery and returned to school. Soon his family was contacted by a charity organization called CCARM (Children of Chechnya Action Relief Mission). The people from CCARM wanted to provide him a better prosthetic leg. Hamzat and his father went from Grozny to Ingushetia, then to Baku, and from there onto Azerbaijin where they boarded a plane for England. Traveling with Hamzat and his father was another boy getting prosthetic arms. Hamzat and his father stayed near a hospital for three months while getting the prosthetics fitted and going through more physical therapy. They moved to another apartment for the next three months during the remaining rehabilitation time. After the six months of rehabilitation, they applied for asylum in Croydon, England. After almost three years, Hamzat and his family were granted refugee status and the rest of Hamzat’s family was able to join them in England. Over the years, Hamzat learned English and became very good at basketball and his classes in school. This is a wonderful true story about a boy who lost a leg, received a replacement, and went on to a brighter future when immigrating to a new homeland. Students will learn what daily life was like in Chechnya and about the great work done by organizations such as CCARM that help wounded youth and families that fall victim because of war. You can apply this to your classroom by encouraging students to help others that may have been in traumatic situations. This book would benefit students because they will understand what it is like to live in countries with traumatizing events taking place.
Winter, Jeanette. (2009). Nasreen's Secret School. New York: Beach Lane Books.
This book is about a young girl living in Afghanistan whose father is taken away by the soldiers. Her mother goes looking for him. This book takes place when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in 1996. Its focus is on women who were no longer allowed to attend school or leave home without a male chaperone. Nasreen is now living with her grandmother because of her circumstances. Her grandmother hears about a secret school for girls behind a green gate. Her grandmother sneaks her to the school. At first Nasreen doesn’t talk to anyone. She just sits at the back of the class and listens to the teacher. There is another young girl who sits next to her named Mina. When they get back to school after winter, Mina whispers to Nasreen that she missed her. Nasreen whispers that she missed Mina, too. Then Nasreen tells Mina about what happened to her family. Nasreen begins learning how to speak, read, and write. Nasreen’s sadness is overcome by a new friend, a loving teacher, and a grandmother that cared enough to risk everything just so her granddaughter could go to school. This inspiring book walks you through the life-changing power of education and conflict resolution. From this reading, students will learn about how girls in Afghanistan have to secretly get an education. Teachers will learn about community members coming together to help each other. Teachers can apply this to their classroom by making it known that, in America, children receive an education regardless of race, gender, and sexuality. Students will benefit from this text because they will get a chance to see how truly lucky they are and that they get an education free o
Wiliams, Mary. (2005). Brothers In Hope. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc.
This book explores the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan. This novel revolves around courage, faith and working hard to get an education. It describes a rough journey by many Sudanese boys who went in search of safety in refugee camps throughout Ethiopia and Kenya. The main character, Garang Deng, tells the story of how his village is destroyed and how he then meets many homeless boys. The boys divide into groups, and Garang Deng is made the leader of a group of 35 other boys. He picks one of the youngest boys and takes care of him. The group tries to get to Ethiopia. Garang’s whole group makes it to Ethiopia, but many of the other boys did not. Once they get there, they are taken to a refugee camp to get help. Soon after, they start attending school. Then war invades Ethiopia. The children once again flee to the border between Sudan and Ethiopia. All thirty-five of them swam across the swollen Gilo River to escape. They hid from military trucks until they came across a man, Tom, who told them of another refugee camp. Unfortunately, they were told that only the sick and weak could go in the trucks, and the children had to pick who would board the trucks. The rest would have to walk to Kenya. After many weeks and miles of walking, they finally made it to a refugee camp in Kenya by the name of Kakuma. Garang found the little boy he had been taking care of had survived. Garang was left in charge to take care of the other boys in the camp because Tom had to leave to get help. As the years passed, Garang continued taking care of the boys and helped improve the camp in any way he could. Finally, Tom returned. The night he returned, Tom told Garang and the other boys that the United States would welcome them and help them tell their story.
This book enlightens teachers and students of the struggle that the Sudanese boys went through and continue to go through. This trauma of survival happens to many immigrants and the challenges they face before they arrive in the United States. Teachers and students can use this book as a useful tool for assistance in overcoming traumatizing experiences. This text provides inspiration in providing children with a solid, secure foundation to complete school successfully.
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