Jonathan+Reece

American Born Chinese Rationale American Born Chinese is a text that offers students a wide variety of learning experiences. It is a vital text in answering the essential question of how culture affects our individuality. The class will explore the conflict between culture and identity by critically reading and writing about American Born Chinese.It allows students to experience a new genre. The high school content expectations clearly outline the need to explore new genres as well as contemporary fiction. Graphic novels are not a new genre but one that is becoming increasingly visible in the media. Exposing students to the genre will give them a higher comfort level should they encounter them later in life. The genre is a useful one for a many reasons. It expands vocabulary at all level. Using the images to search for context clues can allow students to do so in more wordy material such as novels or literacy criticism. The genre also appeals to reluctant readers. The images give students more chances to comprehend the text while also giving a deeper meaning as students must connect the images to the text. The themes in American Born Chinese are engaging to students. As ninth graders enter high school issues of self identity and self image often come to the surface. The characters in the text are making the same journey of self discovery that the students are making. The choices made by characters mirror those of students as they begin to understand the world and their place in it. Specifically looking at how a minority experiences assimilation and developing self image also falls into the content expectations. Students will gain insights into stereotypes and self image as they read the text. American Born Chinese also uses an important literary technique of using multiple narratives. Once again the images allow students who struggle with reading comprehension to tie the narratives into one another. Grappling with how three stories intersect is difficult in many texts and American Born Chinese does this in a compelling and accessible way. The content expectations for an English classroom expect students to be introduced to multiple plot structures and the multiple narratives is among the more challenging one structures. Students will explore these themes through writing about them in their writing journals as well as a longer paper on a topic of their choosing. Students will write about ideas that we have discussed in class as well as have the opportunity to expand on ideas that have already written about. They will be exposed to the writing process including prewriting strategies, how to compose and edit drafts, and consider the use of language and how it affects the presentation of their content. All of these ideas are essential elements of learning that students will adopt not only for this class but also for all of their future classes. American Born Chinese is a text that will engage a variety of students at varying levels of readiness. American Born Chinese offers a variety of important lessons for students. Firmly grounded in the content expectations for English classrooms this text offers valuable insights into literacy as well as personal growth. The graphic novel genre may at first seem out of place in an English classroom, however, it is a growing section of literature that many are encountering in one form or another. It provides a useful stepping stone to short stories and novels that will follow in the class.

Lesson Plans


 * Day One **: On the first day of the unit I will introduce American Born Chinese to the class. I will give a quick author biography on Gene Luen Yang. I’ll give students an introduction to the text and read aloud a passage.
 * Homework **: Students will read the first section of American Born Chinese.


 * Day Two **: Today I will discuss the readings from the first portion of the reading. I will cover the plot as well as the characters. I want students to discuss how they like or don’t like certain characters. This will tie into the mini-lesson about flat versus dynamic characters. I will briefly address how stereotypes fit into characterization. Students will work in groups and generate questions they have about the text. The questions can range from the plot to the themes in the text.
 * Homework **: Students will read the second section of American Born Chinese and fill in answers to their questions in their writing journal.


 * Day Three **: After students have read the second section of American Born Chinese I will discuss the reading. I want students to discuss the relevance of the Monkey King narrative. Students will work in groups and generate questions they have about the text. The questions can range from the plot to the themes in the text.
 * Homework **: Students will read the third and final section of American Born Chinese and fill in answers to their questions in their writing journal.


 * Day Four **: I will discuss the final portion of American Born Chinese and ask the students what they think about the ending of the graphic novel. I want to focus on the multiple narratives and clarify any of the questions they may have. Students will construct timelines of the three narratives and then share them with one another.
 * Homework **: None


 * Day Five **: Students will separate into three groups, one for each narrative from American Born Chinese. Each group will go through the text and find the “big moments” that they think convey an important idea relating to a theme from the text. Afterwards the three groups will present their findings to the larger class.
 * Homework **: Students will make a journal entry and talk about which theme in the text is the most interesting to them and explain why.


 * Day Six **: Students will share their writing journal entries with one another and explain what they wrote. I will have the class as a large group sort characters from the text into flat versus dynamic and offer their explanation as to why the feel this way.
 * Homework **: Students will make a journal entry about a flat versus dynamic character in another text they are engaged in. This can be a book, movie, or television series. Students will need to explain how the character is dynamic or flat.


 * Day Seven **: Today I will specifically address stereotypes and how they play into flat versus dynamic characters. I will bring in an outside reading to be read in class. I will ask students to compare the new text to Chin-kee and where the characters fall in the duality.
 * Homework **: None


 * Day Eight **: In class I will give a mini-lesson on assimilation and a brief lecture on the idea of the cultural mixing pot. I will ask students what they think about how outsiders assimilate into American culture. They will be encouraged to bring in examples from the text as well as outside examples. I will also discuss the idea of assimilation only working one way.
 * Homework **: Students will journal about the idea of assimilation working both ways. Specifically by looking at how other cultures affect American interests. I will ask students to find and discuss one activity or show they engage in that does not originate from the United States.


 * Day Nine **: Students will begin class by sharing their journal entries with their peers. Students will discuss how the characters in the text define themselves. What defines them, what the community’s role is in identity, and how stereotypes affect people?
 * Homework **: None


 * Day Ten **: I will introduce the essay students will turn in as the summative assignment for the unit. I will give topic ideas to the class and answer any questions they have. I will give them a general outline of the writing process.
 * Homework **: Brainstorm ideas for the essay in their journal and prepare to share them with their peers on Monday.