Ask Me About Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

Today we began learning about our family heritage.  We read a beautiful new book by Faith Ringgold called We Came to America.  This book is about immigration, and how everyone except the Native Americans came to America from somewhere else. The book is very lyrical, and has a few simple ideas expressed through words and pictures.  People came to America, some by choice and some in chains or to escape injustice. They brought with them different traditions, songs, dance, music, food, and beliefs.  The book ends with these lines, "In spite of where we came from, Or how or why we came, We are all Americans, Just the same."  I encouraged the children to talk with their families about what they know about how their family came to America.  Some know well because it was in their recent family history, but for others it may not be known.  Over the next couple weeks we will be talking more about our family, traditions, and what makes us unique.
We also read a book called Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw.  This book is about two children who are pen pals, one from the United States and one from India, who share letters and pictures. Through their letters and pictures, they find that although their world is different, they are very much the same.  It's a Ask me to tell you how their lives were the same and what was different.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!
Juliet
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