Rationale
As an English teacher, I find that the challenge is to choose a work of literature and develop a curriculum unit that engages students who are primarily students of color, but also addresses students with diverse academic abilities. Trying to meet these two objectives is why I chose Catfish and Mandala. Many of the themes--otherness, self-identity, and culture conflict--that are addressed in Catfish and Mandala are relevant to many of my students’ experiences and backgrounds. But also relevant to my students in particular is the fact that the writer, Andrew Pham, is from East San Jose, and he attended a high school a short distance from Mt. Pleasant High School. For my students, there is an increased level of interest when they find out that the author of the book they are about to read not only shares many of their experiences, but experienced them on the same streets and in the same neighborhood that they live in. Catfish and Mandala is appealing for another reason. While Pham’s prose is challenging and full of rich examples of literary writing that make it ideal for practicing analysis and writing, it is still accessible to students at most reading levels.
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