TEACHERS TAKE NOTE

Who Belongs Here

Margy Burns Knight

Illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien

Paperback, $8.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-169-0

11 x 8.5, 40 pages, color illustrations

Children / Multicultural; Grades 3-6

¿Quien es de Aqui?

Spanish Translation by Clarita Kohen

Illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien

Paperback, $8.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-159-1

11 x 8.5, 40 pages, color illustrations

Children / Multicultural; Grades 3-6

Who Belongs Here? Teacher's Guide

Margy Burns Knight and Thomas V. Chan

Paperback, $9.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-111-9

8.5 x 11, 48 pages

Given the nature of wars occurring around the world, students everywhere will benefit if they develop an understanding of the complicated issues faced by refugee families. Who Belongs Here? is a nationally acclaimed book which effectively introduces students to this important subject. The teacher's guide written to accompany the story offers a variety of thought-provoking activities. Author Margy Burns Knight also encourages teachers to round out their depiction of the refugee experience by balancing the grim side of these children's lives with the joyous side. After all, kids everywhere do share the same basic needs for family and friends, and they thrive when given opportunities for education and the chance to participate in games, sports, or the arts.

Who Belongs Here? will help inspire classroom conversations about:

• The effects of war on children and families
• Refugees and relocation processes in the U.S.
• Cambodian culture
• U.S. History and attitudes towards immigration
• Bullying and intolerance
• Conflict-resolution skills

Activity: An Exercise in Discussing "Who Doesn't Belong Here?"

Adapted from: Who Belongs Here? A Teacher's Guide by Margy Burns Knight and Thomas V. Chan (Tilbury House).

Activity Intro: This book asks, "What if everyone who lives in the United States was told to leave? Who would be left? Who belongs here?" Simply put, other than the indigenous peoples who have inhabited North and South America for thousands of years, all of the people who have lived on these continents either came from other parts of the world, or have ancestors that did.

"Who belongs here?" is, of course, a rhetorical question. But its corollaries, "Who doesn't belong here?" and "Who should not be here?," are real questions that have been debated again and again in legislatures, courts, the media, and classrooms.

Every nation has policies governing the admission of newcomers. Most of these policies are based upon pragmatic reasons aimed at protecting the overall welfare of citizens, although discrimination may have played a part in some immigration policies.

"Who doesn't belong here?" is an interesting topic to explore with students. The question forces us to examine our unspoken fears, affinities, unchallenged beliefs and misguided prejudices.

• Guided Discussion: Lead your students in an open discussion of the following questions. Record students statements on a large sheet of paper.
  • Who should be allowed to come to the U.S.?
  • Should anyone be made to leave?
  • If there aren't enough jobs, homes and food for everyone, then how do we decide who gets to live here?
• Assignment: Give your class the address of your local immigration office. Assign them to research policies governing refugee admission, particularly rules of exclusion (who should be kept out of the country).
• Concluding discussion: The advantages and disadvantages of life in a pluralistic society. Divide a sheet of chart paper with the words "pros" and "cons" written at the top. Lead the class in a discussion of the challenges of living in a pluralistic societies, in which peoples of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, races, ethnic groups, and religious beliefs live together.
• Connecting activity: Visit the Talking Walls page on the website and review the activity on Understanding Stereotypes.