ENGAGE 

Teachers may use the recommended slide texts below to create a PowerPoint or teachers may access the lesson slidedeck here and modify as needed: https://ucdavis.box.com/s/yshmq3z6nx51bezd6z9w8b5mhkkd31yt. 

1. Slide 1: Title: Tracing Stories of Home
2. Slide 2: Review unit learning outcomes and compelling/supporting questions. 
   • Big Idea: History & Narratives
   • Enduring Understanding: Our history, culture, and experiences shape our identity and perspectives.
   • Lesson Questions/Essential Questions:
     • Why do people move? 
     • How does war affect people’s concept of what home is? 
     • How is war connected to the history and displacement of the Hmong in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and China?
     • What is a refugee? How is that different from an immigrant?
3. Slides 3 and 4: Introduce/review the culminating task and this lesson’s assessment, including the success criteria or rubric to guide students to complete the tasks successfully. Frontloading students will help prepare them.
   • Have students engage with the prompt by “Attacking the Prompt” and highlighting action verbs that they will be responsible for. Students can begin to make a checklist for themselves. Teacher can model this as a class.
   • TASK (What I will do): I will trace my family history by interviewing a family, relative, or community person about my (ancestor’s) refugee/immigrant story and create a story cloth with a narrative that tells when my family moved to this city and who and why they came here.
   • Criteria for Success (How I will demonstrate my learning):
     • I have identified WHO and WHEN to do the interview. 
     • I have my interview questions ready.
     • I know WHAT primary or secondary sources I will use and HOW I will obtain these (e.g., photos, tapes, videos, letters, newspaper, interviews, etc.).
     • I have a detailed story cloth.
     • I include a written narrative that tells WHEN my family moved to our community and WHO and WHY they came here.
     • I am prepared to present my story cloth (practice using S.T.A.R rubric)
   • S.T.A.R Presentation Rubric can be found in the Handout.
4. Slide 5: Goal Setting: The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story by Pegi Deitz Shea 
   • Connect today’s learning to previous learning. Teacher speaking points: We’ve been learning, reading, discussing about/ that…America is a country of immigrants. People have come to America for different reasons starting from the colonial time. (Students may have shared stories of their families’ reasons for coming to America.)
     • Review the countries of immigrants the class have studied (e.g., Mexico, Europe, etc.). 
   • Learning Objectives for The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story by Pegi Deitz Shea 
     • Today, I will be able to…..(content & language objectives):
       • Discuss the lesson the main character learned in the story
       • Describe what home is to Mai and her grandma. This is important because….. (relevance):
       • People come to America for different reasons, sometimes against their own will; it’s important to understand their loss and pain and help them feel accepted in their new home.
     • Success Criteria: How will I know that I have met the objectives?
       • I can DO it (complete the task given by my teacher)
       • I can EXPLAIN it (to another classmate)
       • I can SHOW it (to the class)
       • “I know I have met the objective because I am able to…”
         • explain the lesson Mai learned to a partner
         • define what “displaced” and “refugee” mean
         • provide examples of what home is to Mai
5. Slide 6: Review teacher note slide for multiple-read opportunities and questions to consider. 
   • Teacher Notes Only (Multiple read opportunities)
     • 1^st read (Restatement: What does the text say?): Build background, read for enjoyment, ask and answer literal meaning questions (on central idea, main events, and key details) to assess for general understanding
     • 2^nd read (Description: How does the text say it?): Ask and answer questions on/analysis of text structure, text type/genre, author’s craft (word choice, figurative language, mood, tone, shades of meaning, etc.)
     • 3^rd read (Interpretation: What does the text mean?): Ask and answer inferential questions, examine author’s claims, critique author’s purpose, present alternative viewpoints, compare and contrast information/viewpoints across multiple texts
     • 4^th read (Application: What does the text mean to me, others, and the world? What does the text inspire me to do?): construct arguments, formulate a plan of action for further investigation/research
6. Slide 7: Preview: Show the book cover and read the title The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story by Pegi Deitz Shea. 
   • Create a See-Think-Wonder Chart (three-column chart), ask, and record student responses. This chart can be co-constructed as a class on the board, or done independently/in student pairs.
   • Say “Let’s read the title of this book.” Students are encouraged to do a think-pair-share before the whole class discussion.
     • What do you see or notice in the story cloth?
     • What do you think is happening?
     • What wonderings/questions do you have?
   • Part of the title says – A Refugee’s Story. Ask - What is a refugee and how is that different from an immigrant? - and help students to understand the difference.
   • Based on the title and on what we read about story cloth and the Hmong, what do you think this book might be about?

EXPLORE, EXPLAIN, & ELABORATE

7. Slides 8 & 9: Begin Read 1 (of entire book): Teachers may access a copy of the entire book here  https://ucdavis.box.com/s/lop4wthiitpoyac3ak5okxo7p70hsiwo. 
   • This slide will have page one and two of the book.
   • Read the story aloud to students, stopping at certain points to check for understanding (keep in mind students’ ELD levels).
   • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): Where is the setting of the story? What do the widows do?
8. Slide 10: (Pages 3 & 4 of book)
   • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): What does Mai’s grandma want to teach her?  Where do you think Mai’s cousin who wrote the letter lives? Why  do you say that?
9. Slide 11: (Pages 5 & 6 of book)
   • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): What does Mai learn to do? What does Grandma mean when she says, “You are reading to go on”?
10. Slide 12: (Pages 7 & 8 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): What does Grandma mean when she says, “And her pa’ndau were prized throughout the hills”?
11. Slide 13: (Pages 9 & 10 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): Why does Grandma demand 500 Thai baht for Mai’s pa ndau? What is a baht? (Baht is the Thai currency)
12. Slide 14: (Pages 11 & 12 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): What inspires Mai to want to do a whole pa’ndau by herself?
13. Slide 15: (Pages 13 & 14 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): Why is Grandma asking Mai to call to her parents’ spirit?
14. Slide 16: (Pages 15 & 16  of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): What is the name of the river? Is this the same river that Dia’s family and many Hmong crossed? What is the “other side”?
15. Slide 17: (Pages 17 & 18 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): How did Mai live for many years?
16. Slide 18: (Page 19 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): Why does grandma tell Mai that her pa’ndau has not finished its story?
17.  Slide 19: (Page 20 of book)
18.  Slide 20: (Pages 21 & 22 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): What do you think Mai began to stitch about?
19.  Slide 21: (Pages 23 & 24 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): In her dream, where did Mai fly to? Why do you say that?
20.  Slide 22: (Pages 25 & 26 of book)
21.  Slide 23: (Page 27 of book)
    • Ask and discuss the story. Some possible questions (not limited to these): Why does Mai say, “The pa’ndau tells me it is not for sale (How did her feelings about wanting to make a pa’ndau of her own and sell it change from the beginning to the end of the story?)

EVALUATION/REFLECTION

22. Slide 24: A lesson is something we learn from making mistakes or when we have a change of heart from something we realize it’s not what we wanted and we are thinking after all. For example, we may not want to be around someone in our family because they do things (e.g., talking too much, taking our toys, we feel they do not love us) that annoy us or sadden us. Or we may even say hurtful things to them like, “I can’t wait until I’m on my own.” But later when we move out, we realize that we miss them for the annoying things they do or come to understand that they love us because they gave up something to make us happy.
    • Partner Discussion - With a partner, discuss the lesson the main character, Mai, learned from doing her own pa’ndau. 
23.  Slide 25: Extra Info: The Hmong Diaspora - The Secret War caused many Hmong from Laos to become displaced, resulting in a greater diaspora than when they left China. From Thailand, they relocated to different parts of the world. Some of the countries that sponsored them include the United States of America, France, Australia, Canada, Argentina, and Germany. Today, the majority of Hmong still live in China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. 
    • Ask: Living all over the world for the Hmong, what would you say a home is to the Hmong?
24. Slide 26: Journal Writing
    • In your journal…
      1. Define why Mai is a refugee and not an immigrant (refer to Slide 7).
      2. Explain what is home to Mai and provide examples from the story to support your answer.

ASSESSMENT/CULTURAL PRODUCTION

25. Slide 27: Oral History Project (Culminating Task): I will trace my family history by interviewing a family, relative, or community person about my (ancestor’s) refugee/immigrant story (using suggested interview questions below) and create a story cloth with a narrative that tells when my family moved to this city and who and why they came here. 
    • Teacher note: Send home a letter explaining the purpose of the project, connecting it to the unit study, and providing options for what to share if families/individuals do not want to answer certain questions because it may be too painful.
    • Students should have the option to create the story cloth with physical materials and crafts, or optionally, digitally. 
    • Teachers are encouraged to create a story cloth first to show students a model.
26.  Slide 28: List of Potential Interview Questions (Students are encouraged to generate questions to add as well)
    • What is your name and where were you born?
    • How old were you during the Secret War and what was your occupation?
    • What was your life like during the Secret War? How did you feel about the war at the time?
    • In what ways were you affected by the Secret War?
    • What specific event do you remember about the Secret War?
    • Did you or your family have to cross the Mekong River? If so, describe that experience.
    • Did you live in the refugee camp? If so, describe your experience there. 
    • When did you come to the United States? Where did your family settle? What was life like when you first came to America? Why did you relocate or move to where you are now? 
    • What are your hopes, goals, and dreams for your children/grandchildren in America?
    • Share one lesson you learned from your experience or an advice to help young people understand and appreciate the Hmong’s contributions to the Secret War in Laos. 
    • Please provide any primary or secondary sources you have (e.g., photos, letters, diaries, journals, etc.)
27. Slide 29: Closure - Review the Lesson Objective & Success Criteria
    • Did I meet my objective today?
      • Discuss the lesson the main character learned in the story.
      • Describe what home is to Mai and her grandma. 
28.  Provide an opportunity for students to share their story cloth with peers through one of the following options: whole class/small group presentations, Give One/Get One, Lines of Communication, Gallery Walk, etc.