Teaching Transnational Migration Since the Late-19th Century

1. Literary Circles Teaching Transnational Migration Since the Late-19th Century Film Viewing & Discussion

2. Essential Questions • How do migrants maintain enduring ties to their homelands/culture while also incorporating themselves into their countries of resettlement? Does this change across generations? Are there varying levels of transnational practices and levels of assimilation?

3. Essential Questions • How do the many layers of the social experience (families and households, gender, class, race, community, national/international politics, economics, etc.) impact the experience of transnational migrants? • Are we a nation of immigrants who are American or are we Americans who are immigrants?

4. Literary Circles

5. Choosing Texts • Texts should vary in reading levels to better accommodate your different readers. • Texts should vary in terms of interest levels. • Texts should be layered.

6. Selection Process • Teacher selection v. student selection – • Illusion of choice – Give a book talk, and have students rank in order their choices. . .

7. Making groups • I would not place more than 4 students in a group. • You can have multiple groups on the same book.

8. ROLES IN CIRCLES • Students will read the book over the course of a set amount of time (depends on level, length of text, etc. . . .) I find a shorter time is better than stretching it out. . Aim for 3 weeks max. • Give students time in class – at least 3-4 times over the weeks to check in and complete their assignments. • Students will rotate the roles. • Teacher can create whatever roles you deem necessary. My roles reflect that I’m teaching English/Social Studies as a combined class. . .your roles may be completely different. . .

9. Student driven • Students have a set amount of time to complete the reading and tasks at hand. Let the students decide how to map it out – you can check over their plans to make sure it is fairly consistent and even. • Students choose when and how to distribute the roles – as long as each person plays each of the roles.

10. Discussion/Durt Leader DURT LEADER – Did you read thoroughly? • Helps set the pacing of the book. • Creates 4- 5 reading checks that the other members must complete. He/She is checking understanding of the plot/characters of the story. • All questions and student work to be graded by teacher. Durt leader provides answer sheet.

11. STYLIST This person is responsible for various literary features in the text: • Tone • Setting • Mood • Word choice/diction • Imagery • Other rhetorical devices. . .like irony (whatever your class might be learning. . . .you can make this as simple or as complex as you need)

12. Historian This person is responsible for: • doing research on at least 2-3 historical happenings or references that occur during the week’s reading. • Explaining to the other group members the connection between the history presented and the novel/memoir. What seems true? What are the problems with memory? What is fiction? Reasons?

13. Theme Finder Person is responsible for examining • Motifs presented during week’s reading. • Larger theme(s) that are evolving • Must provide specific examples from text.

14. In the weekly meetings • Make sure to have students produce something – I give students graphic organizers that they have to complete with their group members. • Use this time to really participate in the literary circles. Listen and ask questions – be a participant and not just “the answer man.” Ask kids what they think about characters. . Or simply which character do you really like? Who makes you angry? Who would you want to meet? Get kids talking. . . • Connect it– at the end of the circle time, have one person from each group comment on a connection the group made to the unit you are studying – bring it back to its purpose.

15. Assessment • Public Pieces • Jig Saw – create new groups where there is a representative from each book. Create a list of overarching questions that will generate discussion and force kids to examine common themes and some contrasts as well. Students can record their discussion or make bullet points to share with class at the end. • Project – smaller groups might teach one aspect of the book assigned to the larger class. Project will include a visual and auditory piece/digital or live presentation. If you have more than one group reading the same story, you can have one group focus on themes and plot and another group may focus on the historical connections. . So you avoid repetition.

16. Assessment – private piece • Students can and should do some type of writing assignment on the piece they read. You can have students do a creative piece – write the next chapter, write an obituary for the protagonist, etc. Or, students can write a letter to the character. . . .Find a way to make each student write!

17. American Made Working with Symbols

18. Incorporating Open Response Questions Describe how one character both challenges and maintains his identity as an American and as a Sikh / Indian.