Introduction
America! Our nation is a complex mosaic of people across race and ethnicity whose lives are more times than not interwoven. Their interactions and/or contributions to the American framework are worth recognition. By learning about the experiences of diverse racial and ethnic groups within our society, we gain better insight into the American Mosaic. Equally important, we learn to embrace one another as members of the American community, members whose ancestors at some point in time have embraced a common aspiration: to work towards attaining a better life within our American shores.
Literary resources across genre coupled with classroom instructional practices, however, reveal that complex aspects of our history are rarely delved into or acknowledged: rather, the experiences of diverse racial and ethnic groups are often marginalized and/or excluded from courses of study—particularly in the primary grades. Were they explored, students would better embrace how America has come to be the diverse nation that we are today. Introducing these complex past perspectives would reveal that being American goes much deeper than routinely reciting the pledge or singing patriotic songs at the beginning of the school day. Rather it would reveal that somewhere in time our diverse ancestral journeys have taken us on similar paths that render us part of this American tapestry. The words "American," "nation," and "freedom" would then become substantive. How do we effectively bring these concepts to the forefront? How can we help young learners understand that America is a country rich in diversity and relationships that often goes beyond color lines? How do we create an inclusive learning environment where "uncomfortable" subject matter rooted in our country's history can be taught? Do we dare use historical fiction to convey this reality in an effort to develop a true understanding of the American mosaic, particularly at the elementary level? I contend "yes," for knowing this information will help students better embrace the notion of what it means to be American. Thus, the rationale behind my proposed curriculum unit, "American Tapestry: Interconnectedness Revealed through Historical Fiction."
Targeted at students in Grades 3, but modifiable through middle school grades, my curriculum unit takes a glimpse into the past, zeroing in on the lives of common folk from diverse cultures who possess a common vision: to be able to live free and thrive in America, that land of opportunity. The journey begins between the mid-17 th through mid-19 th centuries. Three historical fiction children's book resources will be used to bring the journey to life: Molly Bannaky, which looks at the life of a British-born dairymaid, exiled to America to serve out a 7-year sentence as an indentured servant, her encounter with slavery, and its unexpected aftermath; Coolies, which draws attention to the life of Chinese immigrant laborers during the mid-1800s and the brutal race prejudice they endured while helping to build the Transcontinental Railroad; and its sequel, Brothers, which examines the life of Chinese immigrants and their struggle to co-exist in communities where oftentimes, "their kind" were not always welcomed. An additional historically-grounded children's book resource, From Slaveship to Freedom Road, will be used as a complement to the Molly Bannaky reading. The interactive narrative explicitly places young readers in the shoes of the enslaved African, revealing the heinous journey endured by blacks across the Atlantic to American shores and their subsequent trek to freedom. Through the use of select and additional supplemental readings and on-line resources—coupled with the use of kinesthetic, tactile, and audio visual activities to reach students across learning styles and abilities levels—students will embrace the historical realities behind the stories. Young learners will grasp that societal challenges have been experienced by diverse groups of people, and that their common thread is the quest for social and/or economic freedom. Although the stories in this unit represent but a small sampling of American experiences encountered in the past, they serve as springboard from which to begin.
The unit—formatted herein such that related vocabulary and historical background info precede the week's noted narrative selection and corresponding lesson—will be implemented three times a week, 50-minutes per session, for an estimated eight-week duration. Using an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based approach, young learners will:
- identify the concept of race and ethnicity based on our select readings and family interviews;
- compare and contrast aspects of life from diverse cultures based on our select readings coupled with personal perspectives;
- examine the term "mosaic" using map and directionality skills to chart the trek of diverse people from their original homeland to American shores.
- identify how people across cultures interacted and survived within their new environment despite societal challenges
- target the meaning of freedom based on these interactions
Zeroing in on the above-referenced points, students will ultimately embrace what it means to call ourselves American.
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