Love As Strong as Ginger, a literature-based unit study for the book by Leonore Look
Love as
Strong as Ginger
Author: Lenore Look Illustrator: Stephen
T. Johnson
Summary: Katie
longs to go with GninGnin's work, to crack a mountain of crabs alongside her at
the crab cannery. One day Katie gets her wish, but nothing is the way
she’d imagined it. Based on childhood memories of her Chinese immigrant
grandmother, the author beautifully recalls her story.
ISBN:
0-689-821248-5
Unit by: Debra
Tangren, with lessons added by Ami, Wende, and Celia
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Geography --
China: China is the largest country in Asia. Show your child
where China is on a map or Globe. Point out the Capital of
China---Beijing. China has the largest population of any country in the
world.
One of the vocabulary words is a dialect of the Chinese
language, Taishanese, and comes from a place in China. Find the Pearl
River Delta on a map of China. Find the Western portion of the area. This
is where the people live that speak this language and is where the grandmothers’
parents and family comes from.
Geography -- Seattle, Washington:
Washington was the 42nd state in the USA; it became a state on
November 11, 1889. Show your child where Washington State is on
a map or globe. The state of Washington was named after our first
president, George Washington. It is known as the "Evergreen State," for
its beautiful forests of Western hemlock and Douglas fir.
Mount Rainier is the tallest mountain in the Cascade mountain
range of Washington. It is really an active volcano! Mount St. Helens is another active volcano in the Cascade
range in Washington. In a catastrophic eruption in 1980, Mount St. Helens' height was
reduced over 1,300 feet. The ash from the eruption shot up into the
air and spewed into the atmosphere for hours. 540 million tons of ash
fell over an area of 22,000 square miles. This ash blocked the sun in some
places and drifted around the globe in about two weeks.
The capital of
Washington is Spokane, but it's largest city is Seattle. Point out both on
a map or globe. Our story takes place in Seattle. Note that it is
near the Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. Seattle is home to a famous
landmark--the Space Needle. It is a 605 feet tall. 500
feet up the tower is the famous Skyline Restaurant, where visitors can look out
over the city of Seattle. It was built for the 1962
World's Fair.
Geography -
Chinatowns in the United States: Has your student ever heard of
Chinatown? Did you know that many major cities in the United States have
a Chinatown? Chinatown is not a separate city, but a large area within a
city that caters to the Chinese Americans living there or nearby. American
cities that have a Chinatown include (but are not limited to): New York
City, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Honolulu.
Point out each of these cities on a map or globe.
Historically,
Chinatown arose from the places where the Chinese immigrants settled in the
1800s. The Chinese, like many of the various ethnic groups that came to
America, tended to live close to one another to have others who speak the same
language, share the same traditions, etc.
Chinatown is rich in
Chinese history, culture, arts, and entertainment. Chinatown celebrates
many of the traditional Chinese holidays, including the Chinese New Year and the
Autumn Moon Festival. Celebrations include traditional foods, parades,
dances, demonstrations of the martial arts, and more--all reflecting the
people's Chinese ancestry.
If you walk down the street of
Chinatown, you will see lots of signs in Chinese and signs that are decorated
with Chinese art. You will find tea shoppes; herbal medicine shops;
open markets, restaurants, and delis with traditional Chinese foods, etc.
Employees of restaurants, hotels, banks, and other businesses in China
Town speak Chinese. There might even be a school or hospital, where most
employees are fluent in Chinese.
Asian-Americans: An Asian-American is generally
defined as a person of Asian ancestry and American citizenship.
America is known as a "melting pot," in reference to the many different
people who immigrated to this country. Many come for religious
freedoms, better paying jobs, better government rule, more
opportunities, and a host of other reasons. It is not easy to immigrate to
a new country. For Asians, the language, both written and spoken, was so
vastly different than their own. Show your child some examples of Chinese
or Japanese writing. Worksheet
for writing Chinese numbers. (More about the Chinese language is the Language Arts
section below.)
Most immigrants continue to celebrate holidays and
traditions as they did before. These were passed down to their children.
Perhaps your child would like to read about the Chinese Moon Festival in
Round as a Mooncake or
about kites in A Fish in the
Air.
One yummy thing immigrants bring with them are
their foods! Does your student like Chinese food? What about other
ethnic foods? Discuss with your student how the immigrants brought over
their recipes and continued making their traditional foods.
Being with
others who spoke the same language, at the same foods, and celebrated the same
events gave the Asian Americans a connection to their homeland, their
ancestry.
Human Relationships &
Genealogy (Grandmother-granddaughter): Draw a simple tree with your
child. Write their name on the trunk of the tree. On the bottom
branches of the tree write you and your spouses name (or names of the child’s
parents). Then on the above branches write each of your parents
names. Show the child that you are all related. Another Idea: Use
any genealogy form that you have available or find online to complete a Five
generation chart.
Employer-Employee relationship: Draw a
box and put the word Employee in it. Draw a building around the box and
write the word Company or Employer in it. Show that each worker works for
the employer to make the company a successful one. Take a trip around town
explaining that each person that works inside each business is an employee and
they work for their employer, the company.
Canneries/Docks: Canneries and Docks are
located in near Ocean ports. If you live by the ocean, take a trip there
to a town or city that has a port. Show the child what happens at the
port. Tell the child that this is where items from far away or from the
ocean come to your town, city or state. People take the items off the ship
and bring them to places that can package them to be either sold in stores or
sent further on to other places in the state or country. CHARACTER
Working Joyfully - Katie spent the day at
her grandmother's workplace, watching her cracking crabs in the very harsh
conditions of the chong. GninGnin needed this strenuous job, to make money to
live on and to help pay for Katie's college.
GninGnin is a strong,
dedicated woman and she found a way to pass the time and make her job more fun.
What did GninGnin pretend to be while she was working? She told Katie that she
was a famous actress just playing the part of a star in a movie about a crab
chong. Discuss with your child what motivates you or your husband to work hard.
Some factors most likely include love and devotion to family, wanting to pay for
food, shelter, and clothes, and/or to provide a nice life for our children.
Ask your child if he has ever had a particularly strenuous or boring
job. Are there any ways he could have made it more fun? Sometimes it is fun to
dance or race against a timer while cleaning the house, just to lighten a job
you'd rather not be doing. The next time you have a job you would rather not be
doing, remember GninGnin, and how even the most tiring, smelly job can be made
fun.
Copywork – “To be happy, don’t do what you like, like what you
do.” – Abraham Lincoln LANGUAGE
ARTS
Inspiration for writing a story:
At the beginning of the book, the author’s note says, “This story was inspired by my grandmother, who worked
in a Seattle cannery in the 1960s and 70s.” What does Lenore Look
mean when she says the story was inspired? Lenore’s grandmother’s
life gave her the idea behind this story and moved her to write this
story.
An author may find inspiration in many places - an
occurrence in history, a story passed down from ancestors, an episode from
childhood, a conversation overheard or event witnessed in public, etc.
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places or things!
A. A. Milne, the author of the beloved Winnie the Pooh stories, was
inspired by his young son Christopher Robin's stuffed animals!
He made up stories for his son about adventures Christopher
Robin had with his teddy bear. Little did he know what timeless classics
his stories would become!
Point of
View: The point of view is the vantage point from which the story
is told.
In first-person point of view, the story is told by one of the
characters. In third-person point of view, someone outside the story tells the
story.
Ask your child from what point of view Love as Strong as Ginger is told. Katie often
refers to "my grandmother." Who does the "my" refer to? Love as Strong as Ginger is told in
first-person point of view from the perspective of Katie. As you read
other stories to your child, he will now be able to recognize this literary
detail.
Chinese language—dialects
(Taishanese): China is a large country and so large that the people
that live there do not all speak the same way. A dialect is a different
version of the same language. People that live in certain areas usually
speak the same dialect.
More information (taken from the HSS
unit, A Fish in the
Air) Chinese characters are usually written left to right but they
can also be lined up vertically, with more than one character sometimes
representing a single English word. Each syllable has a character for it and
since most Chinese words have multiple syllables, the words are usually made up
of more than one character. In addition, there is a traditional as
well as a more simplified version of the characters. Mainland China has
adopted the simplified version where as traditional characters are still used in
Taiwan and Hong Kong. All of the Chinese dialects are written the same
way, but the pronunciation varies.
Sentence Types (with
emphasis on Exclamatory Sentences) There are four main types
of sentences. You may want to introduce them to (or review them
with) your student or just focus on exclamatory sentences since there are
several in this story. Here is a brief overview of the four types of
sentences, then we will focus the lesson on exclamatory sentences.
Four
types of sentences and their correct punctuation:
Declarative -- makes a statement and
ends in a period.
Interrogative -- asks a question and ends with a question mark. Exclamatory -- makes a statement that
shows strong emotion and ends with an exclamation point. Imperative -- gives a direction
or a command or makes a request and ends with a period.
Let's discuss
exclamatory sentences. An exclamatory sentence communicates a strong
feeling such as anger, joy, surprise, excitement, urgency, awe, or
sincerity. When read aloud, they convey strong
emotion. Demonstrate reading some of the exclamatory sentences
in the story using strong emotion; have your student practice doing the same.
“I’ll crack a hundred crabs for you!”
“Every minute is another penny!” “Suddenly, a bell rang and we
hurried into a warm room filled with a zillion crabs!”
As writers,
we should be mindful of using exclamatory sentences when appropriate, but we
need to avoid the overuse of exclamatory sentences. When we
use too many exclamations, they lose their effect on the reader.
Descriptive Language This
story is classified as realistic fiction—a made-up story that deals with events
that could happen in real life. This story does seem like it could happen in
real life, doesn’t it? Part of the reason why is because the author
incorporates lots of details in her writing. She is a master of
descriptive language. Your student has probably learned about
similes, onomatopoeia, vivid verbs, and sensory details before; these devices
are all part of good descriptive language. Lenore Look uses all of these
and wraps them into one package to produce a real story – not a true story, but a story
in which we believe could really happen.
Similes: Beginning with the
title, Lenore Look uses an abundance of similes throughout this story.
Point out the title to your student. Love as Strong as
Ginger. What does it mean? Get some ginger from your spice
cabinet and smell it together. Is it strong? You bet! The
author takes an abstract idea (such as love) and gives it a concrete description
by comparing it to ginger. This is descriptive writing at its
finest. It takes the abstract and makes it tangible for the reader.
Here are some other examples of similes in the story:
~GninGnin
was covered with tiny cream colored hairs. She looked like a strange
bird. GninGnin is being compared to a strange bird.
~A
man with cheeks as orange as cooked crab shells and boots as tall as
trees stomped over through broken shell. His cheeks are compared to
with the color of cooked crab shells and the height of his boots were compared
with the height of trees.
Adjectives: In the examples
above, you should also note the use of adjectives. How did Look describe
the hairs? (tiny, cream colored) What about the bird
(strange). And the man didn’t just stomp through shell, he stomped
through broken shell. Adjectives are important in
writing. They help the reader visualize the people, places, and things in
the story. Adjectives can be tricky, though. You don’t want to go
overboard. Too many adjectives will leave the reader trying to sift
through to find the story. Remind your student to be choosy with
adjectives in her own
writing.
Onomatopoeia is the use of a word
whose sound suggests its meaning. In the crab chong, the readers get to
hear the Crack! Bang! of the mallets
coming down. Have your child think of other onomatopoetic words or phrases
such as Crash! or Buzz! and be on the lookout for them in other
stories.
Vivid
Verbs: Choosing the right word when you write, is as important as
using the right ingredient when you cook. Look at some of the verb choices
that are used in this story --
“Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.” Is
leaked a better word choice than fell? Why?
“I
slurped my soup.” Is slurped a better choice than ate?
Why?
“Rain misted our faces.” Why is misted a great word
choice?
Look for other vivid verbs used throughout this story and discuss
them with your student.
Other
Details: Any time you can give a reader a picture of what is
happening, you should! Look does this when she writes – “the sky was
pebble-dark” and “…We waited, hand in hand, for the bus.” What if she
would’ve just said, “we waited for the bus” What different feeling does
the sentence have? What does the hand holding show us?
Remember to let the reader see, smell, touch, taste, and hear the story.
Activity
to go with this lesson: Make a list of people/things/places
in the story, then record the words used to describe each one. Here are
some ideas (this is not all inclusive) to get you started (don’t let your
student see this list!).
~Shells- jagged ~GninGnin’s skin- baggy around the
fingers; delicate like the rice paper around candy ~Gloves- smelled of the
sea; thick with patches from a tire repair kit ~Kitchen- salted butterfish
and flounder hung like laundry above our heads ~Chives- floated like confetti
among the shrimp ~Crab- tastes like hard word, creamy-orange hard
shell ~Ladies on the bus ~Crab Chong
Vocabulary Words
Mallet—a
hammer having a head of wood or rubber Profit—the amount received for goods which
exceeds the sum originally paid for them Employee—one who works for another in return
for a salary Employer—the person or
business that employs persons for a salary Dialect—a manner of speech characteristic of
members of a certain nationality, class, trade, or profession. Singsong—monotonous rhythm in speaking or
reading Startle—to excite
suddenly Starched—stiffened with a
white, odorless, tasteless carbohydrate called starch Confetti—small pieces of colored paper thrown
at celebrations Immigrants—immigrants are people that
leave their country that they were born in and move to another country to start
a new life
Glossary Words
Chiubungbung (CHEW bung bung):
Stinky-stinky. Since Chinese words repeat for emphasis, this means a very
bad smell.
Chong: A cannery or
factory.
Chowing: Frying food
quickly in a little fat.
Doong: A
sticky rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves, often filled with pork, salted duck
yolk, peanuts, or red-bean paste.
GninGnin (NYIN NYIN): Paternal
grandmother. Literally translated means “person-person”, or the fullness
of two people.
Taishanese: A
southern dialect from the western Pearl River delta region of
China.
MATH Story Problems The book says that GninGnin tries
to crack 200 pounds of crabmeat per day in order to generate enough money for
bus fare and fish for dinner. Have your student figure the math on the
following:
How many pounds of crabmeat would GninGnin crack in two
days? (200 x 2 = 400 pounds)
How many pounds of crabmeat
would GninGnin crack in five days? (200 x 5 = 1000
pounds)
How many pounds of crabmeat would GninGnin crack in one
week? (200 x 7 = 1400 pounds)
If GninGnin makes .03 per pound and
bus fare is $2, how much will she have left for dinner? (.03 x 200 =
$6.00 $6.00 - $2.00 = $4.00 left for
dinner)
What if GninGnin makes .04 per pound and bus fare is
$2.50. How much will she have left for dinner? (.04 x 200 =
$8.00 $8.00 - $2.50 = $5.50 left for
dinner)
Have your child make up his own word problems to stump
you!
Income: Income is
something that you receive from your employer in the form of a paycheck or
cash. Gather a handful of coins, counting out the pennies, nickels, dimes,
quarters etc. IDEA: Give your child a “job” for the week. Tell them
how much income they are going to receive for their job. After completing
their job for the week give them their income for that week. You can
discuss taxes etc, if they are old enough and show that as well. Give them
a paystub! Here is a link to print your own Monopoly
Money
Measurements: Set out measuring spoons
and measuring cups. Show your child the different amounts that these give
you. Have them measure sugar or flour into a bowl. If you have a sandbox
them have them use the measuring spoons and cups (or get them a set of their
own) to scoop into buckets. This is a start to fractions. Show them
how two ½ cups equals the same as 1 cup. Also show a ruler that can
measure the length of something, which is different then the amount something
holds. Again show that 2 --½ inch equals 1 inch. SCIENCE
Physics -- Positive, Negative, and Neutral
Buoyancy: At the crab chong, a lady gave the crabs
baths. When she stirred salt in the bath, the meat floated and the shell
pieces sank. This helped separate the meat from the
shell.
Some objects
sink when placed in water, others float, and some neither sink nor float.
How well it floats refers to an object's buoyancy. Buoyancy is the upward
force that keeps things afloat. An object will float if its buoyancy is
greater than its weight. An object will sink if its weight is greater than
its buoyancy.
If an object floats, we say that it is positively buoyant. If it sinks, it is
negatively buoyant. If it neither
sinks nor floats, it is neutrally
buoyant.
Understanding Check: Ask your
student if the crab meat was positively, negatively, or neutrally buoyant?
(positive) Ask the same for the shells. (negative)
The kind of
fluid in which an object is placed makes a difference as to whether or
not the object will float. Something that floats in water, might not
float in oil. Even the kind of water also makes a difference.
Salty water is more dense than regular water because the salt makes it heavier.
Because freshwater is not as dense, things tend to sink easier.
That means salty water makes things tend to float better. Has your
child ever been in the ocean? Ask him if he found it easier to stay afloat
in the ocean, as opposed to in a pool.
Let's demonstrate the difference
in buoyancy for fresh water and salt water.
Activity:
Materials 1 egg (may be hardboiled or uncooked,
but it must be fresh) a wide mouth jar (or similar tall,
see-through container with a large enough opening to allow you to add the egg to
the bottom without breaking it) salt (get a container of
it, not just the salt shaker) a long-handled slotted spoon
taller than the jar
Steps
1. Gently place the egg in bottom
of the jar, without breaking it.
2. Add fresh water, until it is
about 1.5 inches from the top. (The egg should NOT float...it is does,
the egg is old. Remove it and use a fresh one instead.)
Understanding Check -- Ask
your student: What type of buoyancy is the egg in fresh water?
(negative)
3. Remove the egg from the water with the spoon
and set it aside.
4. Add quite a bit of salt (1 to 2 cups) to the
water and stir thoroughly. You want to add so much salt, that it does not
dissolve in the water anymore. Keep adding salt, a half a cup at a
time, and stir thoroughly until you can see that the salt granules are no longer
dissolving.
5. Place the egg on the spoon and gently lower it into
the water. If you have indeed mixed enough salt in the water, the
egg will now float. (If not, remove the egg and stir in more salt and
repeat until it floats.)
Understanding check -- Ask your
student: What type of buoyancy is the egg in salt water? (positive)
Why is the egg more buoyant in the salt water? (The salt that was
added to the water made the water more dense, allowing the egg to more easily
float.)
Research
Opportunity: Your student may be interested in researching
Archimedes, the mathematician in Ancient Greece who first discovered this
important law of physics.
Water
Cycle: Water is a liquid. It can change into many forms. It
can become a solid by changing into
ice. How do you change water into ice? Place water into an ice tray or
bowl. Place this container in the freezer. Check on it in one
hour. Has it changed at all? Check back in 2 more hours. Has
it completely changed into a solid? After the water has completely changed
into ice take the ice out of the freezer. Place it in a bowl and watch it
melt. To speed up the process, place a student desk lamp over top of it
and turn the light on, shining down on the bowl of ice. See it changes
back into water. Water takes the shape of the bowl or container it is
in. Water can also become a gas. Place water in a pan and place it
on the stove. Turn on the heat and have child “safely” watch the water
boil and turn to steam. Another way—but takes a day or two to see the
difference, is to place water in a see through plastic bowl. Mark on the
side of the bowl the level of the water. Place the bowl in a sunny window
and have the child check the bowl every day. They will notice that the
water disappears or the level goes down. It is evaporating. When the water evaporates
it is changing form again, into a gas. Water vapors go into the sky and
make clouds. When the clouds get heavy with many droplets of water vapor
it falls as rain or snow.
In Washington state, it rains a lot
there. Find the National news online or watch the Weather Channel.
Have the child find Washington State on the TV or a map. Have the child
note the weather that is happening there. This is something that the child
can do months later…..just ask the child to find how the weather is doing in
Washington that day.
Pacific Ocean: Find the Ocean on a globe
that separates China from Washington State (or the USA), the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest
of the oceans and is 15 times larger than the United States! It is also
the deepest of the oceans, with the Marianas Trench being over 11,000 miles
deep. More than half of the world's fish catch comes from the Pacific
Ocean.
Visit http://www.learningpage.com/ to find a 15 page ocean
mural that can be printed out and colored and hung. (You will need to
register, but it is free—there are other great ocean lesson plans here as
well.)
Crustaceans -- Crabs and
Shrimps: Crustaceans
are a class of invertebrate (no
backbone) animals. They have a hard outer skeleton called an exoskeleton, legs that are jointed, and a
segmented body. Crustaceans are the most numerous animals in the oceans.
Crabs have 10 legs (four pairs of legs and two legs that have claws) and
can walk (or run) sideways. Some crabs have long legs and almost look like
spiders. Others have polka dots or blue feet! A crab's exoskeleton
is thick. Most crabs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and
animals. Crabs are eaten by octopus, otters, sea turtles, and other
species of crabs.
Shrimp have an exoskeleton that is almost see-through.
They are also omnivores. Shrimp are eaten by fish, birds, octopus,
and man.
Crustaceans grow, but their exoskeleton does not. So they
have to shed their exoskeleton periodically. This sis called molting. When a crustacean molts,
the tissue under the exoskeleton detaches and a new exoskeleton begins to grow,
so for a time a crab or shrimp has two skeletons. When the new one is done
forming, the old exoskeleton splits and the crab or shrimp with a new and larger
exoskeleton emerges.
Life cycle of the Crab: After a
female crab lays eggs and they hatch,
the crab goes through four stages. After the egg hatches, the tiny crab
is called a zoea (zoh-ee-uh) and
it looks nothing like a crab! After a month or so, it molts and becomes a
megalops, where it begins to look more
like a crab. The next stage (which occurs after molting) is the juvenile crab stage, which in turn grows into
a mature (or adult) crab. Here is a
picture of the life cycle of a crab.
Life cycle of the Shrimp: The
eggs that are laid by a female hatch
about 24 hours later into tiny nauplii
(nop-lee-eye). The nauplii feed on a yolk within their body until a
few days later, when the nauplii then undergo a metamorphosis into
zoea. Just a few days later, the
metamorphosize again int a third stage where they become myses (my-sees). Finally they look like
tiny shrimp! Three or four days later, they metamorphosize a final time
into postlarvae, where they have all the
characteristics of an adult shrimp, just smaller. Postlarvae grow and
mature until they are adult shrimp.
A good show that shows the fisherman catching the crab is
Discovery Channel's Deadliest
Catch. Parents are advised to watch as well.
If your child
likes to color on the computer and you are a member of Enchanted Learning, you
might allow him to color crustaceans on-line. They also have a worksheet
for both crabs and shrimp to learn more about their anatomy.
If your
student is particularly interested in crustaceans, you may wish to purchase some
brine shrimp or triops for further learning and investigation and
fun.
Dermatology—Cause of Aging
Skin: There are, in fact, two distinct types of aging. Aging
caused by the genes we inherit is called intrinsic (internal) aging. The other type of
aging is known as extrinsic (external)
aging and is caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to the
sun’s rays.
Intrinsic
Aging Intrinsic aging, also known as the natural aging process, is a continuous process
that normally begins in our mid-20s. Within the skin, collagen production slows,
and elastin, the substance that enables skin to snap back into place, has a bit
less spring. Dead skin cells do not shed as quickly and turnover of new skin
cells may decrease slightly. While these changes usually begin in our 20s, the
signs of intrinsic aging are typically not visible for decades.
Extrinsic Aging A number of
extrinsic, or external, factors often act together with the normal aging process
to prematurely age our skin. Most premature aging is caused by sun exposure.
Other external factors that prematurely age our skin are repetitive facial
expressions, gravity, sleeping positions, and smoking.
Let's look at a
primary cause of premature aging: the Sun. Without protection from the
sun’s rays, just a few minutes of exposure each day over the years can cause
noticeable changes to the skin. Freckles, age spots, spider veins on the face,
rough and leathery skin, fine wrinkles that disappear when stretched, loose
skin, a blotchy complexion, actinic keratoses (thick wart-like, rough, reddish
patches of skin), and skin cancer can all be traced to sun exposure.
“Photoaging” is the term dermatologists use to describe this type of
aging caused by exposure to the sun’s rays. The amount of photoaging that
develops depends on: 1) a person’s skin color and 2) their history of long-term
or intense sun exposure. People with fair skin who have a history of sun
exposure develop more signs of photoaging than those with dark skin. In the
darkest skin, the signs of photoaging are usually limited to fine wrinkles and a
mottled complexion.
Senses—smell and taste: Review the 5
senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste).
Activity: Play What Scent is
This? Gather four or more different objects with different scents,
like vanilla, mint, lemon, popcorn. Blindfold the child, then place the
object close the the child's nose, and ask the child to smell it and try to
identify what it is.
Activity: Play What Taste is
This? Gather four or more different food objects with different
tastes, Skittles can be used. Blindfold the child, then ask the child to taste
the food, and ask the child to taste it and try to identify what it is.
Note: If doing this with a group, remember that some children
may have allergies or diet restrictions, please keep these in mind when choosing
items for children to taste. Find out from parents before hand if there
are any known allergens that should be avoided.
ART:
Medium—pastel and watercolor:
Illustrator Stephen T. Johnson used watercolor and pastels for his
illustrations. Can your student identify these two mediums? The
watercolor is smooth and flowing. The pastels look more like
scribbles. Allow your student to paint with watercolors, and let it dry
overnight. Then have him use pastels (or chalk) to go back over his
painting to add details.
Homemade
Paper (and a bit of the history of paper): Have your student study
the paper surrounding the illustrations, as well as the pages with the text.
Does he notice anything about the paper? Doesn't it look like there
are tiny threads in some of them? It has the look of homemade paper!
Does your student know that it is believed that the Chinese
invited paper-making? You may have studied how the Ancient Egyptians made
parchment from papyrus (which is where we get the word paper). They peeled
strips of the papyrus plant, layered them, and pounded them into sheets.
Parchment paper was made in this manner for about 3,000
years!
According to historical accounts, in 105 AD, during the Han
Dynasty, a government official named Ts'ai Lun (also seen as Cai
Lun) presented to Emperor He Di paper that he had created
by mixing mulberry bark, bamboo fibers, and hemp from rags with water.
He then poured the mixture through a piece of coarsely woven cloth to
drain the water. Once it dried, he had a piece of paper.
It was many years before other countries learned of
this method. (If desired, read The Cloudmakers by
James Rumford. This picture book is one author's rendition of how
the Chinese secret of making paper might have been first told to
others.)
Activity:
Make your own paper
There are many sites on the Internet
that tell how to make paper, so instead of listing the instructions here, I will
make a list of sites to check out. This is such a fun activity and I
highly recommend doing it with your children! Pioneer
Thinking
Spices—Ginger: In China, for example,
ginger has been used to aid digestion and treat stomach upset, diarrhea, and
nausea for more than 2,000 years. Since ancient times, ginger has also been used
to help treat arthritis, colic, diarrhea, and heart conditions. In addition to
these medicinal uses, ginger continues to be valued around the world as an
important cooking spice and is believed to help the common cold, flu-like
symptoms, headaches, and even painful menstrual periods. Native to Asia where
its use as a culinary spice spans at least 4,400 years, ginger grows in fertile,
moist, tropical soil. Ginger is a knotted, thick, beige underground stem
(rhizome). The stem extends roughly 12 inches above ground with long, narrow,
ribbed, green leaves, and white or yellowish-green flowers.
Spices--Chives (Allium
schoenoprasum): Chives are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and
North America. They are referred to only in the plural, because they grow in
clumps rather than as individual plants. Allium schoenoprasum is also the only
species of Allium native to both the New and the Old World. Its species
name derives from the Greek skhoinos
(sedge) and prason (onion). Its
English name, chive, derives from the French word cive, which was derived from cepa, the Latin word for onion.
Culinary uses for chives involve shredding its leaves (straws) for use as
condiment for fish, potatoes and soups. Because of this, it is a common
household herb, frequent in gardens as well as in grocery stores. It also has
insect-repelling properties which can be used in gardens to control
pests.
Fun foods make with your
child.
Gingersnap
cookies
Makes 2 dozen cookies. 25 minutes total time and 10
minutes preparation time.
2 cups flour 1 tablespoon ground ginger 2
teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup
margarine or butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg ¼ cup
molasses
Instructions: Cream margarine, gradually add sugar and beat
until fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Add dry
ingredients and blend well. Form into small balls and place on a cookie sheet
covered with parchment paper. Flatten with the bottom of a
glass. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until tops are
slightly rounded, crackly and lightly browned.
Shrimp Soup Recipe Yield: 4
Servings
1 md Onion; chopped 1 lg Carrot; chopped 1/2 c
Dry white wine -=PLUS=- 1 tbsp Dry white wine 1 tbsp
Water 3 c Hot beef bouillon 1 tsp Sage 1 tsp
Tarragon 10 oz bag of Frozen peas Salt and pepper to
taste 12 oz Medium shrimp; cooked 1/4 c Evaporated
milk
Place onion, carrot, 1 tb. wine, and water in Dutch oven. Cook
over medium heat until onion is soft. Add bouillon; simmer for 12 minutes. Add
sage, tarragon, and peas. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
Puree in blender or food processor and return to pan. Season with salt and
pepper. Add shrimp and simmer for 2 minutes; do not boil. Stir in remaining wine
and evaporated milk. Simmer until heated through and serve.
Crab Spring Rolls and Dipping Sauce
recipe
Chili and grated ginger add a hint of heat to these
sensational treats. Serve them as a starter or with other Chinese dishes as part
of a main course, serves 4 - 6
Ingredients 1 tbsp groundnut
oil 1 tsp sesame oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 fresh red chili, seeded
and finely sliced 1 lb fresh stir-fry vegetables, such as bean sprouts and
shredded carrots, peppers and mangetouts 2 tbsp chopped coriander 1 in
piece of fresh root ginger, grated 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry
sherry 1 tbsp soy sauce 12 oz fresh dressed crab meat (brown and white
meat) 12 spring roll wrappers 1 small egg, beaten oil, for
deep-frying salt and ground black pepper lime wedges and fresh coriander,
to garnish
For the dipping sauce 1 onion, thinly sliced oil, for
deep-frying 1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves,
crushed 4 tbsp dark soy sauce 4 tsp lemon juice or 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp prepared
tamarind juice 2 tbsp hot water
Instructions 1. First make the sauce.
Spread the onion out on kitchen paper and leave to dry for 30 minutes. Then
half-fill a wok with oil and heat to 375°F. Fry the onion in batches until crisp
and golden, turning all the time. Drain on kitchen paper. 2. Mix together
the chili, garlic, soy sauce, lemon or tamarind juice and hot water in a
bowl. 3. Stir in the onion and leave to stand for 30 minutes. 4.
Heat the groundnut and sesame oils in a clean, preheated wok. When hot, stir-fry
the crushed garlic and chili for 1 minute. Add the vegetables, coriander and
ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Drizzle over the rice wine or dry sherry
and soy sauce. Allow the mixture to bubble up for 1 minute. 5. Using a
slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Set aside until cool, then
stir in the crab meat and season with salt and pepper. 6. Soften the
spring roll wrappers, following the directions on the packet. Place some of the
filling on a wrapper, fold over the front edge and the sides and roll up neatly,
sealing the edges with a little beaten egg. Repeat with the remaining wrappers
and filling. 7. Heat the oil for deep-frying in the / wok and fry the
spring rolls in batches, turning several times, until brown and crisp. Remove
with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep hot while frying the
remainder. Serve at once, garnished with lime wedges and coriander, with the
dipping sauce. HOME
ECONOMICS
Proper work
attire: Discuss the use of proper work attire: apron, hair
net, tall rubber boots and gloves Extras: Dreams
(discuss dreams and what they are) this can also be turned into goals—goals for
the future in what we want to be when “we grow up”. Have the child write
down 5 things that they would like to do in the next year. Have them write
down 5 things that they would like to do when they grow up and are an
adult.
Field Trip ideas:
Cannery, grocery store, bus ride, making of a movie---actresses and actors, go
to a community theater and watch a performance—ask to speak with an actor after
the performance.