As a person, I have always yearned for international travel. As a child, I did not do much travel outside of the United States. I had been to Mexico once and Canada once. During a portion of my student teaching process and early graduate program experience, I student taught in New Zealand. While I didn’t realize it at the time, this experience would help shape my future as a teacher. Some time later, I traveled around the UK with family. I was reminded again of my desire to see new places and experience new things.
While I have not accomplished as much as I’d prefer in the way of travel, I can admit that I have still traveled more than many of my students have or perhaps will. Books are vehicles that take us places. Even though many of my students have not done much travel- some not even far outside of Indiana- books can bring them around the world. While I may not be an expert for all that there is to know about every country, I can become a teacher researcher who is able to learn about the places that my students will “visit” so that I can encourage my students to also become researchers.
In my classroom, I have set up activities that support a variety of children’s literature set in other countries. So far, I have introduced and am using the following books for these activities:
“Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers” by Gloria Whelan
“Ruby’s Wish” by Shirin Yin Bridges
“One Plastic Bag Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia” by Miranda Paul
“Ada’s Violin” by Susan Hood
In making activities that link to the books, I often organize a list of tasks or discussion questions that are printed and glued onto a pronged folder, file folder, hanging file folder, or piece of construction paper. Then, any additional materials such as graphic organizers, templates, maps, craft pieces, etc. can be sorted into the folders. I’ve arranged some activity folders to be store in magazine files for easy storage. Some of the activities that require additional materials have been stored in larger crates. Then, you can use the hanging file folders to store your activity prompts and directions. Sometimes, activities stored in a basket with artifacts (real or crafted by me) make an inviting spread. Organization and presentation are both key to making these activities fun and appealing.
 |
| One aspect of culture: getting inventory of African Folktales |
 |
| Additional books and resources stored along with the mentor text inside a crate |
 |
| Activity prompts glued onto manilla folder |
Many students have been eager to learn about the different countries in which these books are set. They have enjoyed learning about the many aspects of culture as well. I find that it is so important when teaching with books set in other countries that the culture is preserved. It is crucial to choose books that portray realistic characters and storylines to avoid overgeneralizing the culture in a way that perpetuates stereotypes. Rather than having students research an entire country, for example, I ask for them to investigate a specific idea or concept. In “Ruby’s Wish”, the Chinese New Year and lantern festival are mentioned. In order to follow character motivations and the events of the plot, students can learn about the Chinese New Year to get a better understanding of the cultural importance. This, I’ve found, is a more authentic way to teach about the Chinese New Year opposed to doing a general report on China and briefly mentioning the holiday, for example.
So far, the students have really enjoyed being in a globally-minded classroom. They’ve been asking where we will travel next, what will our next destination be? As a teacher researcher, I have enjoyed being along for the ride!
 |
| Students investigating a set of activities to learn that "Africa is not a country" |
