Section 1. Embracing Intangible Concepts – Setting the Tone
Vocabulary words used to define aspects of American society can be abstract; they too can prove challenging for young learners at the primary grade level. Many adults for example confuse the word "emigrant" (a word that implies a process of travel, e.g., one who leaves his or her original homeland to settle in a new country or region) with "immigrant" (one who comes into a new country for permanent residency) or race (people grouped and classified based on similar and/or different biological traits) with ethnicity (people who identify with one another because of a shared, common heritage, language, or religion). How complicated, then, would such wording be for children? The goal here is to help children grasp these concepts in concrete form. To achieve this end, several questions and related activities are strategically posed and examined throughout the unit: when first introducing these questions, record student responses on chart paper, sharing with students that they will take an up-close-and-personal look at these words as the unit progresses. Initially, using a K-W-L approach, ask the children: What is freedom? What is diversity? What is a mosaic?
Regarding the historical fiction narratives to be introduced and examined throughout this study (and keeping in mind the previously noted questions), the following inquiries will additionally be explored: What do the words "nation," "nationality," "ethnic groups" and "race" mean? What is an immigrant? What is an emigrant? Through open discussion and immersion in engaging literature, students will gather and learn background information regarding these concepts. They too will embrace the meaning of indentured servitude, chattel slavery, their similarities and differences, and their impact on newcomers to American shores.
Week 1 – Laying the Foundation
At the start of the school year, during Morning Meeting, I immerse my students in week-long, getting-to-know- you activities. I divvy my students into teams comprised of 3 to 4 members. Each day, I call on members of select teams to come before the class to share a bit about themselves. I use a microphone and tape recorder to record student responses. Students eagerly come forward to share. Generally, they talk about the city, state, and/or country in which they were born; share three things they need to improve in academically and/or behaviorally; and cite three things they hope to accomplish during the school year. The children are also given an opportunity to record their views in written form for later use with our first narrative writing assignment entitled "A Bit About Me!"
By the end of the week, my students will have familiarized themselves with one another as part of our classroom community. Usually, splashes of students share that their parents or maternal and paternal grandparents came to America from another country. Through this interactive discourse, students begin to embrace that our classroom is representative of a diverse community.
Pointing randomly at my students, I pose the question, "Are YOU American? Explain." Again, in small groups, I give my young learners three-to-four minutes in total to take turns sharing their point of view. Each student is afforded the opportunity (but is not obliged) to share. I walk around the classroom from table to table taking in all the discussions. Time expired, I call on students to take a moment to share their view aloud: remarkably, the common response from each child is, "We are Americans because we were born and raised in this country." Some children who initially opt not to speak raise their hands; they share that they were happy that they were not forced to share their view. I comment that having the option not to participate is a type of freedom—having the freedom to choose. Slowly, definitions regarding "diversity," "nationality" and "nation," "ethnic groups," and "race" are realized. Students begin to make tangible, word-to-self connections. I subsequently post these vocabulary words on our word wall. The children will make use of these words whenever the need arises.
Extension Activity: Have students interview family members to determine the birthplace of their parents and their fraternal and maternal grandparents. After acquiring this information, have students share their findings in class. (Many discover that their parents were born in the U.S. Splashes of students learn that their parents or grandparents lived beyond American shores, hailing from diverse nations throughout the world. [This year, five of my students cited parents or grandparents being born in Dominica, India, Paraguay, Jamaica, France, and Ireland.]) Some share that members of their family came to this country in search of job opportunities; others note that family members came as a result of hardships reaped by natural disasters or war in their native land. Some reveal that their parents and/or grandparents went through the naturalization process to become American citizens. Through this exercise, students grab hold to the general idea that to be born in America or to undergo the naturalization process renders one American. From that point, the concepts of ethnicity, diversity, and nationality begin to become more concrete. Via this preliminary introduction, we can launch our journey into understanding what it means to be an integral part of this "Land of the Free."
Week 2 – Digging Deeper
By the second week of school, reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" first thing in the morning has become part of our daily, school-wide routine. To ensure my students know and understand the rationale behind the wording, I immerse them in learning the pledge along with "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and several other patriotic songs. Before beginning our review and memorization of these works, I ask, "Why do we say the pledge?" Once again, I open the floor for comments, and my students readily share their views, the most prevalent being, "Because someone says it over the loudspeaker and we have to join in!" Chuckling, I subsequently introduce the words to "The Pledge" either on chart paper or via our Smart Board. I underscore key vocabulary words that include pledge, allegiance, united, republic, nation, indivisible, liberty, and justice. We pause at strategic points to define the words. These words are too included on our word wall. Throughout the week, we revisit the passage and songs. By the end of the week, the children generally embrace the reason for our patriotic morning routine.
Week 3 Preliminary – Culminating Intro
Tone set, we are now ready to begin our narrative course of study. Before engaging in that study, introduce the words to an engaging song entitled "Black Man," written by renowned '70s singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder. (A copy of the words can be downloaded on-line, Xeroxed and distributed to each student, or projected onto a screen for shared reading purposes.) Encourage students to listen intently as the words of each stanza are read aloud. The opening stanza highlights that "the first man to die for the colonists' fight for freedom from British rule was a black man (Crispus Attucks); that America first belonged to aboriginal peoples, the red man; that the guide on Columbus' first voyage was a brown man (Pedro Alonzo Niño); and that the yellow man— the Chinese—contributed greatly to the laying of railroad tracks in our country's western frontier." 1 Students jump into the tone and cadence of the rhymed lyrics. My young learners' eyes seem to gleam as the interspersed refrain follows, relaying the remainder of Stevie's powerful lyrics that rhythmically and descriptively convey "we pledge allegiance to our country's flag in the spirit of liberty and justice for all; yet if all who have contributed to our great nation are not granted equal justice or recognition based on the liberty we defend, we will find that injustice and scandalous events of the past will repeat themselves again, that this world—which includes America—was created to be embraced, respected, and acknowledged by all men." 2
The verse continues with highlights of American achievements across cultures, concluding with a chanted list of diverse citizens who made major contributions to our society. After completing the first reading, ask the children two key questions: "Why do you think Stevie Wonder wrote this song? Does the song contain any information with which you are familiar?" Give students opportunities collaborate in small groups to share their views. Record their responses on chart paper. Most students comment that the poem highlights Americans from different cultural backgrounds who have contributed to American society, many of whom they have never heard of.
I ask my children to listen to the words once again; this time, however, I actually play the song. The children move in syncopation with the beat, but zero in more so on the lyrics. At the conclusion of the song, I immediately ask: "What message is Stevie Wonder trying to convey to his listening audience? Is it an important message to embrace? Why or why not?" One by one, the children raise their hand. When called upon, they philosophically share their interpretation. I record their responses on chart paper. In the end, students deduce that diverse groups of Americans have made major contributions to our society, that their contributions and efforts should be valued and recognized. Through this discourse, we have responded to yet another reason behind why we say the pledge and sing our patriotic songs. The children begin to grasp that diverse people help to comprise this great nation called "America." At this point, our young learners are ready to take a more sophisticated look at the concepts of diversity, nationality, and freedom, setting the tone for introducing our first historical fiction reading selection. Share with students that in upcoming weeks, they will explore how Americans from diverse cultural backgrounds can have something in common.
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