Immigrant and undocumented youth is currently a topic that is affecting education and society across the country and world. While some recognize that it is a growing issue that needs to be addressed, others fail to give it the attention it so deserves. Immigrants move into another country or region sometimes as a result of political reasons, natural disasters or to re-unite with family. Undocumented youth are children who have moved to the United States without obtaining the necessary legal documentation to live as a legal United States citizen. They face many of the same challenges as immigrant children but also are faced with the struggle of living in constant fear of being discovered and deported back to their home country. Both immigrants and undocumented youth are faced with many challenges and struggle to live in a society that doesn’t necessarily appreciate or value their home culture.
Our goal was to reach a
target audience of students in grades K-12 and to represent a diverse population
of different cultures and countries in the texts we selected. We also felt it was important to include
texts with multiple perspectives on the topic written in both the first person
perspective and from the third person point of view. We included multi-modal texts from a variety
of genres that could be applied for use at different grade levels.
As
a group, we chose texts that show diverse stories and experiences. Immigration
is vast topic that spans continents and centuries, and representation is
important. We try to make sure that students can see images of other people
that look like they do, but we also need to find stories that can represent
what they have experienced. As Garcia noted in Critical Foundations in Young Adult Literature, educators have a
“need to look beyond cultural assumptions of skin phenotype when making reading
suggestions” (2013, p. 44) Texts about immigration are valuable for their
quality and accessibility to readers, but the point of view and motivation of the
author should also be considered. Stories that provide a rich historical
background can build readers’ knowledge of world history, and accounts of first
person experiences add authenticity to the emotions and struggles of the
characters. We chose books that can be used at many different grade levels. For
example, My Name is Yoon can be read
aloud to a kindergarten class, while the documentary “Papers” might be more
appropriate for a secondary audience. The lyrical verse of Inside Out and Back Again makes the text easier to access for an
English language learner because the style is not intimidating for one who is
still developing reading skills.
As stated in The Essentials of Children’s Literature, “Teachers
in all parts of the country are increasingly likely to have students from
diverse ethnic, racial, national, and language groups in their classrooms” (Lynch-Brown
& Tomlinson, 2010, p. 214). The literature that students are exposed to
should reflect multiple narratives that include the many reasons for relocation
as well as the conflicting emotions and situations that real people experience
every day. These texts challenge the assumption that life is automatically
better for anyone who comes to seek a new life in the United States. In the
book Inside Out and Back Again, the main
character says, “No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in
Saigon over peacetime in Alabama” (Lai 2011). Students who are immigrants and
refugees need to feel free to experience these emotions as they process drastic
changes in their lives. Students who have not lived through the events need to
“go beyond a tourist’s perspective of simply gaining information about
particular cultures to living within
these cultures through their experiences with literature” (Lynch-Brown &
Tomlinson, 2010, p. 215).
Overview:
- Inside
Out and Back Again is a Newberry Honor Book and
the 2011 National Book Award Winner for Young People’s Literature.
- Papers is a unique documentary that really personalizes the lives of undocumented young people. It could make the issues of immigration and the path to citizenship really accessible to students who don’t understand the complexity of the issue and its content is very relevant given the adoption of the DREAM act by many states.
- A Movie in My Pillow received the 2001 Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the 2002 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY), and the 2002 Skipping Stones Honor Award.
- Return to Sender was the Winner of the 2010 Pura Belprè and Americas awards and was on Oprah’s 2010 Kid’s Reading List.
- Girl
in Translation places a focus on the
Chinese-American immigrant experience as well as life in sweatshops, which
is a topic rarely addressed in school literature.
- Americanah
was named one of The New York Times's Ten
Best Books of the Year and was the winner of the National Book Critics
Circle Award for Fiction.
Selections:
Recorvits, H., & Swiatkowska, G. (2003). My name is Yoon. New York: Frances Foster Books.
In this story, a young
girl named Yoon has recently moved to the U.S. from Korea. She has started
school, but she is struggling to accept the English spelling of her name. She
likes the way it looks in Korean and doesn’t understand why it should be
written any other way. Every day at school, she practices writing different
words like cat and bird, and then imagines that she is these animals. Each
animal that she pretends to be represents some anxiety that she feels about
living in a new place. The teacher is understanding and doesn’t pressure her to
try anything that she is not ready to attempt. Eventually, Yoon writes her name
with the English alphabet and connects with her teacher.
This book connects with
the theme of immigration and refugees because it shows how complex a child’s
relationship can be with his or her new surroundings. One can’t assume that a
child will be happy or unhappy in the U.S.; each situation is different. They
may like some aspects of their new home but miss other characteristics of their
previous home. I appreciate the gentleness portrayed by the teacher’s
character. Yoon doesn’t feel pressured to immediately adopt all customs in her
new school. She is allowed to approach her learning at a pace that is
comfortable for her. All teachers can learn from this and try to use empathy,
understanding, and patience when educating students who are new to the country.
As teachers, we see the never ending list of things that students are expected
to accomplish, but students in Yoon’s situation need to feel supported emotionally
in order to progress academically.
This would be a great
book to teach with young and old English language learners who are coming from
a different writing system. Students in the class can relate to the character
and practice using their imaginations to pretend they are each animal. I would
recommend this book at the beginning of the year when all students are getting
used to their new surroundings. If a student is from another country, they
could share their experiences. Other students can talk about what they liked in
their previous school year and what they look forward to in the next one. They
can analyze the plot of the story using problem and solution and they can also
tell the sequence.
Colón, E., & Colón, R. (2011). Good-bye, Havana! Hola, New York!. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
This book tells the
story of a young girl who must leave Cuba with her family when Fidel Castro
comes to power. She is only six, so she doesn’t understand all the politics but
she hears talk of the revolution. Her parents go ahead so that they can get
settled and she is temporarily placed with her grandparents. Then she joins her
family in New York City and she must adapt to a new climate, new home, and new
school. She has to learn English in order to understand what is going on at
school, and she feels very isolated. Ultimately, she begins to feel at home in
her new environment, surrounded by family. The watercolor illustrations add a
distinct visual element to the storytelling, and a glossary of Spanish words
adds a bilingual dimension.
Edie
Colón chose this medium to share her experiences because she wanted to capture
that confusion she experienced as a young child. Her surroundings changed and
she had to find ways to feel at home when her own family moved to the U. S.
Even students who don’t understand English or Spanish can appreciate the
illustrations that capture Gabriella’s mixed emotions and all the changes from
her perspective. Many students do come from places like Puerto Rico, Cuba, and
Mexico, and they will appreciate the bilingual nature of the narrative.
This
book would make a great read aloud for primary students to help them understand
the experiences of moving to a new place. Students can connect with Gabriella’s
feelings of isolation and anxiety when coming to a new place. Students can
research the political climate of Cuba at the time to fill in the information
that Gabriella didn’t understand. In an ESOL classroom, students could try to
tell their own story using words and phrases from their first language. They
could then provide a bilingual glossary to share what the words mean in
English. This would be done with students who have some literacy in their first
language.
Lai, T., & Lai, T. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York: Harper.
(A clip of Thanhha Lai reading an excerpt from Inside Out and Back Again)
This novel in verse
tells the story of Há, a young girl whose family is forced to flee from Vietnam
without their father. She travels with her mother and three brothers, and they
hold on to hope of finding out what happened to her father. The traveling
conditions are uncomfortable for the family, and then Há finds it difficult to
settle into her new life in Alabama. She is used to being known as a “smart”
kid, but without knowing English she has no way to share what she is capable of
doing academically. Through the verses, Há grows closer to her family and
learns to endure the animosity of bullies at her school. The book ends with
news of her father’s death and a family celebration of the New Year.
The value of this book
is that the author isn’t just writing a fictional narrative about another time
and place. Lai, the author, experienced many of the events when she moved to
Alabama with her own family in 1975. The emotions she expresses through the
fictional character of Há are raw, and let the readers into the mind of someone
with so many conflicting emotions. In keeping with the theme of complex
experiences, Há feels anger and bitterness toward her new situation, despite
the fact that staying in Saigon could have meant worse harm for her family. Teachers
who work with students from other countries need to understand that every
student’s experience is different, and that they must place value on the
knowledge students bring with them. Just because a person doesn’t speak English
doesn’t mean they aren’t educated. Há craved respect from her peers and her
teachers, but in their perspective she didn’t know even the most basic skills.
This
book could be used for a study in character development. The character of Há
faces tough situations and the way that she deals with them reveal her
character and determination. Students can examine her struggles and identify
the key moments that lead to positive changes for her at school. Students can
also study the structure of poetry seen in the book. Students could choose one
poem from the book and write their own that follows the same structure.
Interviews could be done with students in the school who come from other places
to hear about their personal experiences. Even students who have always lived
in the same place can reflect on events that brought their family members
closer together.
Argueta, J. (2001). A movie in my pillow. Children's Book Press.
Interest
Level: Elementary (K-5)
Jorge Argueta’s, “A Movie in my Pillow”,
is a book of poems depicting young Jorge’s immigration journey from El Salvador
to San Francisco. His journey is told through short poems that are written
side-by-side in both English and in Spanish accompanied by beautiful, kid
friendly illustrations. The author
reflected upon his personal memories of the immigration experience to create
the text and writes about topics such as what life is like in the United
States, why he left his home in El Salvador and the various feelings he battled
while trying to adjust in his new home.
This
text connects to our theme of immigration and undocumented youth because it
shares the story of the author’s immigration from El Salvador to San
Francisco. The poems are written in
first person and the reader is able to gain a better understanding of the
feelings and emotions an immigrant faces when crossing the border and traveling
to a new place.
This
book could be used across many different grade levels to discuss not only the
theme of immigration but could also be implemented into a unit around poetry as
well. Furthermore, students could be
challenged to use the illustrations in the story and create their own verses of
poetry surrounding the illustrations.
This would be an influential text to use in a diverse elementary level
classroom and with ESL students. It would appeal to school districts with a
large or growing immigrant population and would benefit any student from a
different country who is struggling to learn new customs.
Anzaluda, G. (1997). Friends from the other side. Children’s Book Press.
Interest
Level: Elementary (K-5)
Gloria
Anzaluda’s “Friends from the Other Side” is the story of brave Prietita who
helps a new immigrant Mexican boy, Joaquín begin a new life in the United
States after he crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico with his mother. It’s
a bilingual text written in both English and Spanish with beautiful
illustrations to help tell the story. Prietita is a strong, young, Latina girl
who stands up for what she believes to be right and kind by defending Joaquin
after neighborhood kids bully him.
Pretita challenges the dominant stereotypes often imposed on her culture
and gender and becomes friends with Joaquin leaving the differences of culture
and language behind.
This text connects to our overall
theme of immigration because not only does it raise awareness about the
overwhelming feelings of detachment immigrants can experience when moving to a
new place but it also teaches students about the importance of including
everyone. Readers are taught an
important lesson of standing up for what is right and learn to appreciate their
culture and values. This text brings
awareness to the difficulties immigrants can face and also teaches readers the
importance of not segregating immigrants from their new home.
This text should be considered for
classroom application and included in classroom libraries because not only does
it address the theme of immigration but it also educates students about
standing up for others even when it might not be the most popular thing to
do. This is a becoming an increasingly
popular topic to discuss in schools with the passage of the Dignity for All
Students Act and a topic that educators should be addressing. This text can help facilitate this
conversation, as the character Prietita was not afraid to stand up for her new
friend Joaquin who was being bullied by the neighborhood kids. Both Prietita and Joaquin did not allow their
cultural differences get in the way of building a friendship. This teaches students about the power of kindness
and respect. It demonstrates the
importance of accepting everyone regardless of their background or immigration
status. To teach this message in an
elementary classroom, students could discuss ways to stand up for others and
write about a time in their lives when they stood up for something they
believed in. They can discuss how it
made them feel, why they were driven to stand up for their belief and finally,
share their writing with their classmates by reading it aloud.
Shine, R., & Galisky, A. (2008).
Papers: stories by undocumented youth [DVD].
United States: Graham Street Productions.
Genre:
Documentary
Interest
Level: 5-12 grade
“Papers”
is the story of undocumented youth and the challenges they encounter as they
turn 18 without legal status in the United States. It follows the stories of five undocumented
youth from a variety of national origins - Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, and
South Korea who were educated in American schools, who hold American values,
know only the U.S. as home and who upon high school graduation find they are no
longer allowed “home.” They learn it is
against the law to work, drive and nearly impossible to attend college. They live their lives in fear and danger as
there is no path to citizenship for these young adults. The challenges these students face and their
organized efforts to pass the DREAM Act are brought to fruition in this documentary.
This
documentary ties directly to our theme because it tells the true stories of
five undocumented youth and shows the real life struggles these young adults
face. The real issues of immigration and
living a life of illegal status are brought to life in this film. It documents a wide range of cultures
(Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, and South Korea) and shares the diverse issues
undocumented youth face like trying to interact with non-immigrants, as well as
living in constant fear of being deported.
This
film could be integrated into an intermediate level curriculum especially where
the topics of immigration and undocumented youth are taught across thematic
lessons. This film could also be viewed
when discussing identity and students could be challenged to compare their
identity struggles with those of the characters in the film.
Interest Level: 5-8 grade
After Tyler's father is injured in
a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to
help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isn't sure what to make of
these workers. He doesn't know whether or not they are undocumented. Mari, the
oldest daughter of the Mexican family is proud of her Mexican heritage, but also
grows more connected to her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of
being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left
behind in Mexico. Tyler and Mari begin to develop their relationship and grow
as friends. As they grow closer, Tyler seeks to protect his new friend and her
family.
This book provides an interesting look at the perception of Mexican immigrants through Tyler's eyes, while Mari's story and perspective will allow students to connect with the real struggle of undocumented children and the fear that they have for themselves and their families. Students could take events throughout the novel and journal about how Tyler and Mari change individually and in their relationship to one another throughout the novel.
For a Teacher's Guide
Interest Level: 9-12 grade
Kimberly Chang and her mother
emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double
life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the
evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life—the staggering
degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her
shoulders, her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or
ambition—Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but
herself, back and forth, between the worlds she straddles.
For a synopsis from the author:
For a synopsis from the author:
This book could be used in the high school classroom
to discuss the wealth gap, sweatshops, issues surrounding relationships between
child and adult immigrants, and the dual identity of many immigrant youth. This book provides a different look at Asians
as the “model minority” whose immigration is easier than other immigrants. Students could discuss how
they feel that Kim’s story compares to or contrasts what they understood to be
the “immigrant story.” Students could research sweatshops and U.S. labor laws regarding
child labor and propose changes to these laws or describe how they would have
acted if they were placed in Kim’s situation.
Discussion Questions and Further Teaching Materials
Discussion Questions and Further Teaching Materials
Interest Level: 11-12 grade
As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school,
Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship,
and people are leaving the country if they can. Ifemelu is able to leave for
America to study. She suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses
relationships and friendships, all the while feeling the weight of something
she never thought of back home: race. Obinze—the quiet, thoughtful son of a
professor—had hoped to join her,
but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous,
undocumented life in London. Years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly
democratic Nigeria,
while Ifemelu has achieved success as a writer of an eye-opening blog about
race in America. But when Ifemelu returns to Nigeria, and she and Obinze
reignite their shared passion—for their homeland and for each other—they will
face the toughest decisions of their lives.
This book is geared toward a different audience than many of the other books on this post, but it addresses immigration, both legal and undocumented, as well as race and class issues in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. This book could probably be used most effectively in an upper level high school class in order to supplement a larger discussion of immigrant and undocumented lives or it could serve as a bridge between discussions of institutionalized race and immigration. Much of the book is about the effects of immigration on young people as their lives go on, and it addresses the possible lives that they may have had. Students could discuss the various paths that Ifemelu and Obinze’s lives could have taken, and how these decisions would have changed the way that they developed as people. They could write letters to either of the characters from the perspective of Ifemelu who stayed in Nigeria or Obinze who was able to move to America. This would further allow students to interrogate the impact of immigration on the development of youth, and not merely as transplanting for one place to another.
A fascinating TED talk by Adichie on “The Danger of the Single Story”
Sources:
Garcia, A. (2013). Critical Foundations in Young Adult Literature: Challenging Genres.
Sense Publishers.
Lai, T., & Lai, T. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York: Harper.
Lynch-Brown, Carol, & Tomlinson, Carl M. (2010).
Essentials of Children's Literature.
Allyn & Bacon.
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