Entry #5

The two books I reviewed with cultural aspects for ELL students in mind were Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard and James Marshall  and Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day:  One aspect that really sticks out with this story is the way the students behave. In some countries they may not understand the humor of the students being disrespectful to their coach.  Pointing out what is happening in the pictures and having the students say what is normal and what is not normal student behavior may help then understand that the students are being naughty.   The adults are also portrayed in a silly manner, like they can't handle the students.  In countries where adults have an automatic authority, that may not be something the students pick up on right away.  Even for students that struggle with language, the pictures show the coach standing on a table looking crazy, and the principal hiding under the desk. Pointing out the silly way the adults are handling the situation and talking about how adults really would handle the situation may help. Providing pictures of school and having students make a chart with how adults behave and shouldn't behave (this can also be done with the children's behavior) may begin to help them see that this is just a silly story.    A third aspect that may need to be addressed is background knowledge of American football. Although it does not go into too much depth, the basic idea of a football team and what it is may be necessary.  Showing a short clip of a football game, bringing in a football, a whistle, a jersey and any realia that could go with it and get a conversation going about the basics of the sport.  Most countries understand football to be soccer.  The concept of putting on a disguise and pretending to be another person might need to be addressed.  Especially in the case of Miss Nelson.  It gets confusing, in this story, who Viola Swamp really is.  Perhaps reading the first Miss Nelson, Miss Nelson is Missing, would be a great springboard into dressing up and becoming someone else.  There is a bit of inferring that has to go on to figure out who is Miss Swamp.  The person in the first story is not the same as Miss Swamp in the second story.  Reading the first and then comparing Miss Swamp in the first story with Miss Swamp in the second story may help them see that Miss Swamp is not a "real" person.  Someone in both stories is pretending to be Miss Swamp to get the students to behave. 

Pink and Say:  The first concept in this story that may be challenging for ELA students and affect their comprehension is the Civil War.  This story takes place during that time and has some deep messages embedded within.  A brief description of the Civil War, perhaps with pictures to help students understand the cause of the war can help build some background knowledge so they are able to understand the setting of the story. Another concept that culturally they may not be able to understand is the lack of respect for life that occurred during that era.  In the story Pink dies because of this.  Making a chart of respect and disrespect, the teacher could show carefully chosen pictures to help students understand this concept.  They could sort the pictures into one of the two categories.  This would also allow the teacher to tie this chart back into the story so students could build understanding of how Pink and Say did have a deep respect for each other and their country even during this challenging time. The third concept that may need to be addressed is the idea of passing stories down.  Although many cultures pass stories down throughout the generations, it is important for students to understand that this story has been passed down.  It is not made up, although it is considered historical fiction.  Patricia Polacco writing this story is a way to preserve history.  It would also be a great springboard into the discussion of historical fiction and what elements of the story are true.  Many stories that are passed down are fiction.  The teacher could even bring in texts from the students' native countries that have been passed down.  They could then decide if those stories have elements that could have happened.   The last concept that could be addressed to ensure culturally ELA students have a good understanding is the dialogue that occurs.  The characters in the story are from the south.  Much of the dialogue that occurs is the way people would talk from that part of the country.  This may be confusing to students that are still trying to figure out vocabulary and dialect.  To help the ELA students, the teacher could pull some of the dialogue that might be difficult for students to gain meaning from when they are reading.  She could then introduce these sentences and talk about meaning and how authors do this to help the reader hear the voice of the character.  The students and teacher could create a quick sketch and act out the sentence for the meaning to scaffold the students when they get to that part in the story or to clarify the meaning if they have already read through it.