SC-ELA: SC.ELA.8.OE.1, SC.ELA.8.OE.2,
SC.ELA.8.OE.3,
SC.ELA.8.OE.4, SC.ELA.8.OE.5, SC.ELA.8.OE.6, SC.ELA.8.AOR.1.1, SC.ELA.8.AOR.2.1,
SC.ELA.8.AOR.7.1a,
SC.ELA.8.C.5.1,
SC.ELA.8.C.8.1,
SC.ELA.8.C.8.1a,

SC.ELA.8.C.8.1b

STANDARDS

OBJECTIVES

• I can analyze the text to understand the main character's emotions and experiences as a refugee adjusting to a new life in America.

• I can identify and explain themes of identity, isolation, and cultural adjustment.

• I can use textual evidence to answer comprehension questions, engage in a collaborative discussion, and write a personal response.

Essential Question

How does Thanhhà Lai use Hà’s experiences to illustrate the challenges refugees face when adapting to a new culture?

INTRODUCTION

In many ways, the first novel by Thanhhà Lai (b. 1965) mirrors her own childhood experience. Like the main character, Hà, in Inside Out & Back Again, Thanhhà Lai witnessed the harsh reality of the Vietnam War, had a father who was missing in action, and fled with her family to America. Through Hà’s character, Lai captures many of the universal feelings refugees experience in an unfamiliar place. In the four excerpts here, written in verse as first-person journal entries, Hà feels a rush of emotions as she repeats the fourth grade in her new home—Alabama.

Guided Reading and Analysis

Read the excerpt aloud with students, pausing to discuss Hà’s feelings and reactions to her new environment
(e.g., confusion about school, differences in appearance, discomfort with new foods).

Collaborative Conversation

• Divide students into small groups and assign each group a line from the excerpt.

• Each group will answer one of the following questions, using textual evidence to support their response:

• On paper

• Groups will present their findings to the class, emphasizing the emotions Hà experiences and how Lai’s descriptions help convey these feelings.

​You Do (Independent Practice in Small Groups):

Independent Writing

You Do (Individual Practice):

4. • Students will write a personal response to the following prompt in their notebooks or on a digital device:

     • Reflect on a time when you felt out of place or had to adapt to a new situation. How did you handle it? What emotions did you experience, and how did they compare to Hà’s in the text?

   • Encourage students to use specific details to illustrate their feelings, just as Thanhhà Lai does with Hà.

Closing

Exit Ticket:

• On a sticky note or small piece of paper, students will answer:

  • What is one way Hà tries to fit in, and why is it challenging for her?

HOMEWORK

ASSESSMENT

COMPLETE ASSESSMENT IN STUDY SYNC: INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN.
1. QUIZ
2. WRITE
DUE: FRIDAY 08, NOVEMBER 2024.