Keeli Comito

Childrens Literature Assignment

1. Name of Childrens Book:
Say, A. (1993). Grandfather's Journey. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

2. Summary of Childrens Book

A young boy tells the story of his grandfathers journey from Japan to the United
States. The grandfather was amazed by many of the things that he saw when he
arrived. California became his favorite place. He loved the view of the mountains and
the water. It was here that he raised his family, but he missed his home in Japan.
When his daughter was grown, he took his family back to Japan. It was there that
his daughter fell in love, married, and gave birth to the author of this story. The childs
grandfather told him many stories about living in California, but unfortunately, he was
never able to return. The author chose to spend some time in California. Wherever he
was he felt homesick for the other country, just like his grandfather.
3. Questions
What does it mean to go on a journey?
What makes a place a home?
What are some reasons that people may leave their homes for new ones?
When the author traveled from Japan to California, do you think he traveled in
the same way that his grandfather used? Explain why or why not.
Where are some places you have traveled, and what did you see while you were
there?
The author says that when the war began, bombs fell from the sky and scattered
our lives like leaves in a storm. What do you think he meant by that?
What kind of adjustments do you think grandfather had to make when he went
from one country to the other?
Do you know how your family came to America?
Allen Say is both the author and the illustrator of this story. Why do you think he
used watercolor to create the beautiful pictures that help to tell his story?

4. Activities to follow the Book

ACTIVITY ONE:
a. Content Discipline: Creative writing
b. NCSS strand(s): The two strands covered by this activity are Time, Continuity, and
change and People, Places, and Environments. Students will be investigating their
family roots and learning about where their family comes from and the exciting places
they have been in addition to being able to find those places on the map.
c. Goal or objective: Students will write about a journey made by someone in their
family. The goal of this activity is for students to develop an understanding of where
destinations are in relation to where we live. They not only get to know that family
member better, but also gain a sense of how big the world is by hearing the stories
shared by all of their classmates with all of the different locations to which they have
traveled.
d. Describe the activity (What would you have kids do?)
You are going to write a story about the journey of one of your family members.
It does not have to be your grandparent. It can be you parents, your aunt or
uncle, your cousin, or another adult in your family.
Start thinking of someone that you think might have an interesting story to tell
you. Ask your parents to help you set up a time that you can meet with that
person or talk with them on the phone to interview them.
When you have all of the information about that persons journey you are going
to tell his or her story by writing and illustrating a book.
Make sure that you take good notes when you are talking to that person. If you
dont know much about the places he or she has been, ask more questions to get
more details. This will make your story even more engaging to readers and help
you form a mental picture of what the place looks like for your illustration. It will
also help you when you share your story because we are going to put a pin on
our world map for each of the different places our families journeys have taken
them. So, make sure you get as many details as possible!

e. Assessment:
Student has
sufficient notes as
evidence of an in
depth interview with
an adult relative
5 points
Story accurately
reflects notes taken
and is illustrated to
match the words on
the page
5 points
Student can find
journey location on
class map and
correctly places a
pin
5 points

Student has few notes

on interview with adult
relative

Student has no
notes from interview
with adult relative

3 points
Student wrote story,
but did not accurately
represent interview as
noted, illustrations
were sloppy or
unrepresentative
3 points
Student knows general
area of the journey,
but cannot place a pin
in exact location

1 point
Student did not finish
story, No
illustrations.

3 points

1 point

1 point
Student cannot find
location on class
map

Total Points:

_____/15

Differentiation:
Students who are finished early may spend more time on illustrations for their story.
They may also take time to reread their story and add more detail where possible.
The teacher will be going around the room to speak with students who require extra
help. He or she can provide ideas to get them thinking about what they want to write,
and help them think through other details they would like to add.

ACTIVITY TWO:
a. Content Discipline: Social Studies
b. NCSS strand(s): This activity fits into the Culture strand because students are looking
at the characteristics of different cultures and comparing them to one another.
c. Goal or objective: The goal of this activity if for students to see that not everyone has
the same beliefs and cultural experiences. In comparing their culture to that of the
Japanese they will likely see some differences.
d. Describe the activity (What would you have kids do?)
In your small group you are going to look at the Japanese culture and compare it
with our culture in America. How are the same? How are they different?
Think about some questions that you have about the Japanese culture. For
example, what do their homes look like? Or what kind of clothes do they wear?
Use your resources such as books and the internet to find the answers.
Then you are going to compare what you find to your own culture. This may be
different for each student, so be sure to take that into account as well.
I want you to find a way to display what you have learned. Maybe you will use
pictures, a diagram, or a chart. Use your creativity to show the similarities and
differences between the two cultures.
e. How would you assess this activity?
Students will present their final product to the class and share what they have learned. If
their work accurately represents the similarities and differences in the cultures, they will
receive a checkmark in the gradebook for completion. (Some examples below)

Characteristic
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxxx

Japan
Yes
Yes
No

USA
No
Yes
Yes

Differentiation:
Some students may not get to the comparison part of the activity. Students who require
extra time for working on their information about Japan will be able to talk about
similarities and differences while they are presenting. Teacher will prompt.
Other students may finish with the assignment early. They may use this time to add
visual appeal to their display. One example may be for them to fold origami to add to
their display.

ACTIVITY THREE:
a. Content Discipline: Expressive arts
b. What NCSS strand(s) fits this activity? This activity fits into the Culture strand
because students are experiencing common characteristics of the Japanese culture
throughout the day.
c. State the goal or objective of what you plan to accomplish in this activity? Students
will participate in different activities that represent those of the Japanese culture.
d. Describe the activity (What would you have kids do?)
We have spent a great deal of time talking about the Japanese culture. Now we are
going to experience it for ourselves. Today is Japanese Culture Day in our classroom.
As you can see there are several new items around the room. Throughout the day I
want you to take a look around at all of them. Did you learn about any of these items
when you were conducting your research on Japanese culture? If not, feel free to look
them up if you have some free work time. This afternoon we are going to talk about the
items. Lets see how many you can figure out. (Daruma and kokeshi dolls, kimono,
Maneki Neko)

Other Activities for the day:

Oragami
Learning to write in Japanese
Make carp kites for Childrens Day Celebration (May 5)
Eating with chopsticks

e. How would you assess this activity?

Students will receive credit for the day by participating in these activities. If they are
actively engaged in the different actions throughout the day they will receive a check in
the gradebook.
Differentiation:
I dont feel that this activity requires a great deal of differentiation. The activity
description allows students to do more research on an item if they have time, so that
would serve the needs of the faster learners. The other students may follow along with
the days activities at their own pace.