A+Step+from+Heaven

=A Step from Heaven, An Na=

====Na's novel depicts the story of Young Ju, a girl whose family immigrates from Korea to the United States. The hopeful move to a mysterious new country is revealed from Young Ju's perspective, and begins when she is just four years old. Her perception of her family and their desires to find opportunity in the U.S. are expressed with a beautifully refreshing sobriety which is offered through her childlike thoughtfulness. The young girl describes charming metaphors and insightful connections as she shares her expereinces with readers. The novel is bittersweet, as it reveals the challenges of assimilating into U.S. culture while maintaining the values and ideals of one's native culture. Na evokes in her readers a sense of empathy for Young Ju, who encounters strife in her attempts to reconcile values of Korea and the United States, of school and home, and of friends and family.====

Challenging Theme: Poverty
The continuing theme of poverty is prevalent throughout this book. Young Ju and her family immigrate to the United States thinking that their lives would be improved, and that they would be able to provide better lives for their children. Due to the frustrations and grip of poverty the family is forced to live in a bad neighborhood in a run-down house. Many times the parents were barely able to feed their children, and the father is unable to keep a steady job thereby contributing to the cycle of poverty. As poverty overcomes the family, the family dynamics change and becomes abusive.
 * Overview**

I would teach this book in a secondary classroom to help students understand the effects and the reoccurring cycle of poverty and how difficult it can be to rise above poverty. At the end of the book Young Ju receives a scholarship to college. I would use this theme to encourage students to pursue their educational opportunities, thereby increasing their chances of making a better life for themselves. I would be apprehensive to teach this theme in a lower-income school, as I feel it may offend some students. To compensate I would teach this book from the angle of the hardships which are faced by most immigrants entering this country and the misconceptions they may have about America and its economic opportunities. I would also require students to seek out a immigrant family to learn and discuss about different experiences of immigration.
 * Ways to Teach Theme**

What experiences or hardships does Young Ju's family face upon arriving in America? What hardships remain prevalent throughout the book? Why do you think that Young Ju had such a problem communicating with her parents? What role, if any, do you think family dynamics had in contributing to this story? Why do you think Young Ju's family had such a problem assimilating into American society?
 * Discussion Questions**

lessons about teaching immigration http://rpp.english.ucsb.edu/classroom/category/teaching-immigration-issues/
 * Suggested Links/Resources**

http://[|www.theteacherscorner.net/sharathon/theme/immigration.htm]

http://[|www.pbs.org/teachers/thismonth/immigration/index1.html]

by Stephanie Norton
Abstract: ** 1. Ask students if they have ever moved with their family before. What was it like? Why did your family move? (2-5 minutes) Objectives: ** Explain migration streams over time, as exemplified by being able to: -Identify the causes and effects of migration streams -Identify and explain how physical and other barriers can impede the flow of people and cite examples of ways in which people have overcome such barriers (e.g., The Berlin Wall, the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, the closed border between North and South Korea) Materials: ** Teacher: ** White board, marker, and access to computer lab/library. Writing utensils, and notebooks/journal. 2. Ask the students what the word “migration” means? Can thy think of animals that migrate because of changing seasons? What changes happen in a person’s life that could make them want to move? (2-5minutes) 3. The class will go to the library/computer lab and visit the website: [|http://www.ellisisland.org/#] In groups of four, students will be assigned one of four names to research on the website: Stanislaw Jazinski, Adelaide K. McAllister, Adriene Emile Dumas, or Gaston Poirot. Students will find out the year in which the person came to America, and any other information available, such as background statistics. (20 minutes). 4. We will then return to the classroom and share what we have learned about the immigrants. (5 minutes) 5. Students will be given a political map and will draw the route their immigrant took to get to the USA, outlining physical barriers that were crossed. (15 minutes) 6. Students will infer what world events might have spurred the people to leave their homes to immigrate to America. Do this with prior knowledge and research with a history teacher. 7. Discussion: what circumstances would make you want to leave your home (everything that was familiar)? Do people face these same circumstances today as they did 100 years ago? Name some of these places and discuss what is happening there. // Suggestions- refugees the Sudan, and the DRC, college students moving out of Michigan looking for work, etc. // At the end of today’s lesson student will be able to: 1. Identify the causes and effects of migration streams 2. Identify and explain how physical and other barriers can impede the flow of people and cite examples of ways in which people have overcome such barriers This lesson can connect to the student’s history class because of the current events. Parents can discuss with students where they grew up and what brought them to the town in which they currently live.
 * Title: ** Migration
 * Students: **
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 * Developing the lesson: **
 * Closing the lesson: **
 * Formative Evaluation: **
 * Connections to other areas of the curriculum: **
 * Connection to parents: **