Let’s Hold Hand Project

Timeline
We plan to implement our project in January of next year. We will begin our unit by having our students complete an “All About Me” book. We will complete an Author’s study about Susan Roth and introduce our students to the Let’s Hold Hand Project. We will then create our paper dolls, and then we will immerse our students in the culture to which our dolls will be sent by using the internet workshop and our culture books. The next step will be to write our “Wow” Nonfiction book about the Fall Creek or Courtney area to accompany the rest of our materials.

Place/Culture
China

Exchange Group
Contact Person-Thomas Beckett
SKH Kei Tak Primary School
Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong
Age Range-5-12

This is a Chinese Primary School in Hong Kong. The school has 750 students and the language of instruction is Cantonese. They have an English program run by local English Teachers. We will each be assigned to a class to do our project with. This is a very poor area and school. It is very close to the border of mainland China.

Internet Workshop
We will use the following websites to research the Chinese culture
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/china
This site includes facts and images about China.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/asia/china/
This site includes facts and activities about China.
http://www.strange-facts.info/interesting-and-fun-facts-about-china
This site includes interesting facts about Chinese culture.
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/
This site includes facts about the history of China.
http://www.mrdowling.com/614china.html
This site includes facts about Chinese culture today.
http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinatown/resourceguide/index.html
This site includes facts about Chinese immigration to America, and Chinatown communities in major cities.
http://www.explore.org/videos/player/china-the-great-wall?gclid=CL2jypGZjKkCFUaK4AodBgIUpA
This site includes a video about the Great Wall of China.

Chinese Picture Books: An Annotated Bibliography

Chen, Young. A Gift. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2009. Print.

A Gift is a beautiful story about a family that lives oceans apart. The family is unable to be together during the most important holiday in China which is Chinese New Year. This is one of the most important holidays in the Chinese culture. It is common during this holiday for family and friends to spend time together. Although Amy’s aunt and uncles live in China and are unable to make a new-year visit, they have sent their niece a special gift that expresses their love and their wish to keep the family together. It is a dragon necklace. In the back of this book is an author’s note which explains during this holiday it is important for the family members that live outside of China to stay in touch with their families by sending letters, talk by telephone, and send gifts like the one Amy received from her aunt and uncle. The significance of this necklace is that the stone is made from the motherland and represents a piece of home. The once symbol of the emperor of China was the dragon. The dragon has now become the symbol of China itself. Chinese consider red a color of luck which is why the string holding the dragon is red. The necklace Amy’s family sent to her also represents love and a wish for a good fortune.

Hall, Bruce E. Henry and the Kite Dragon. New York: Philomel Books, 2004. Print.

This story is based on true events that happened in 1920’s. Two rival groups of children representing two different cultures come face to face, and when they do they find they share much more than just the same sky. As the book jacket describes this is a beautifully told and brilliantly illustrated celebration of diversity and acceptance.
Mr. Chin is an elderly man and all of the children in Chinatown call him Grandfather. This shows a sign of respect for his age. This story is remarkable for its historical and cultural detail as well as its level of cross-cultural sensitivity. The story is about two groups of children. One group is Chinese and the other group is Italian. The leader of the Italian group Tony Guglione is a tough boy and when he and his friends are in the park the Chinese children dare not venture into the park. The Chinese boy and his friend Thelma Fung help Grandfather Chin make beautiful authentic kites from packing crates and cardboard. The kites are then painted by Grandfather Ching in beautiful, vibrant colors. Grandfather Chin would bring the kites to life as they chased the pigeons that flew by the buildings. The pigeons were scared of these creatures (the kites) and would fly away as quick as their wings would carry them.

On Louie, Therese. Raymond’s Perfect Present. New York: Lee and Low Books Inc.,
2002. Print.

This is a sweet story about a little boy Raymond and his mom who is sick. He is not able to play outside like other children his age. Instead, he has to stay inside because his Mom is very sick and his neighbor doesn’t want her to worry about where her son is. Raymond passes the time by watching people outside the window. He wants to do something special for his Mom since she is sick. He looks out his window and sees a man give a woman flowers and her reaction with a smile. Raymond very quickly decides that flowers for his Mom would make her feel better. She also told Raymond about when she was a little girl she lived on a farm and loved the flowers that grew there and the birds that would tap on her bedroom window. Raymond goes to the florist to buy flowers for his Mom, but does not have enough money. He decides to buy seeds instead and grow his own flowers. His plan is working and just as they begin to bloom his Mom gets sicker and has to go to the hospital. The flowers begin to wilt and die a few days before Raymond’s Mom is scheduled to come home from the hospital. He begs and pleads with the flowers to hang on so his Mom can see the beauty as she looks out of her bedroom window. The flowers die and Raymond’s Mom does not get home in time to see the flowers. Raymond is disappointed because now he has nothing special to show his Mom.

Look, Lenore. Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding. New York, Atheneum, 2006.
Books. Print.

Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding is told from the perspective of a young girl, his niece named Jenny, who is Uncle Peter’s number one girl. They do everything together, but when the day comes for Uncle Peter to get married, everyone is happy for Peter except Jenny. She is Uncle Peter’s number one girl and now that is about to change as he is planning to marry Stella. This is a heartwarming story of how Jenny is not losing anything at all, but instead is gaining a new aunt who loves her very much.

Yang, Belle. Hannah Is My Name. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2004. Books.
Print.

Belle Yang writes this story based on her own personal experience of her parents moving to San Francisco when she was a little girl. She said on the book jacket that she missed her friends and teachers for a short time. She counts it a privilege to come to the United States. She also adds that she and her parents never looked back.

Belle Yang tells an immigrant story about a little girl and her parents that come from Taiwan, an island off the coast of China. They desire to make America their home. They quickly desire the American dream and for their daughter to be anything she chooses. Like all parents Hannah’s parents want only the best for her and that is why they come to America they want to be free. They come to San Francisco and move into an apartment. They go and apply for a green card. Baba which is Father goes and finds a job working at a hotel. He washes dishes when the diner is closing. They always have to watch their back because inspectors make a surprise visit to make sure all the employees have their green card. It is interesting how at the beginning of the story Hannah does not like the man in a uniform and a cap that often peeks in through the glass as her father works. Little does she know that this man the doorman will save her father from getting caught by the inspectors when they make a surprise visit to the hotel. He helps them escape so they are not sent back to Taiwan. Every day with great anticipation, Hannah and her family wait for the green cards to arrive in the mail so they can stop living their life in secret. Hannah is so excited once they receive their green cards because now she realizes that they no longer have to stay quiet or make themselves small. They also can now call America their home.

Materials
Paper dolls, scissors, glue, tape, colored paper, fabric, yarn, crayons, and markers.

Plan for Shared Writing
We will write a “Wow” nonfiction book about our community, which will be mailed to our exchange group along with the rest of our materials.

I Poetry
We will have the students write an I poem as part of our project.

Links to NCSCOS
FIRST GRADE NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD

Competency Goal 1: The learner will analyze how individuals, families, and groups are similar and different.

1.01 Describe the roles of individuals in the family.

1.02 Identify various groups to which individuals and families belong.

1.03 Compare and contrast similarities and differences among individuals and families.

3.03 Compare and contrast past and present changes within the local community and communities around the world.

6.02 Describe how people of different cultures work to earn income in order to satisfy wants and needs.