Thread by @plainy

I’m in the mood to share lesson ideas, so: thread

Last year, I tried something new and started with a picture book. It was a great community builder and fantastic for writing. I used @bottomshelfbks @dsantat amazon.com/Drawn-Together…

FIRST: a language survey. Pro tip: I asked what languages kids *hear/understand/speak* ‘cause those are different things, my friends. Also, 3 generations: self, parents,grandparents

You’ll get really different answers that way than if you just ask if a kid is bilingual. LOTS of kids say they aren’t bilingual, but they have a loved one at home who speaks another language they hear a lot. You’ll be surprised, trust

Using results of survey- bulletin board saying hello & welcome in all of the different languages.

Step 2: Read the book! I prepped with “It’s a picture book, yo, so I’m not looking for whether you understand the story. Let’s go deep with visual symbolism and open up our convo”

Step 3: open that discussion wide open. We concentrated on 3 ways the kid and grandpa were distant from each other: food, language, culture/age. Started convo with age/culture, bc accessible even to kids in monolingual households

Ex: “You know that thing when you have a family dinner and all the adults ask you awkward questions about your favorite class in school?” Kids: YES. “That’s them trying to bridge divide from adult culture bc they literally have no idea. Kids: Ohhhhhh

Essay questions: What kinds of divides exist between the main characters in the book? How did they bridge them? How can we bridge divides in our own families?

Last: write to grandparents/loved ones. “Someone you love who is important to you who you know will be happy and surprised to hear from you”. Include original artwork, in the spirit of the book.

This book just lends itself to really vulnerable and real conversations

Important bit: grade the essay, don’t even read the letter. That’s an authentic outside audience, and it’s personal. Kids will write from the heart.

On the letter: total personal preference, but I encourage kids to make letter easiest to read for *recipient*, haz un poquito de esfuerzo, even if you are self conscious about your Spanish/Vietnamese/etc. Even if it’s just a few phrases.