Hello, Saigon

A Telecollaborative Project to be completed while reading

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Objectives of our classroom:
Students will read and discuss the book, Inside Out and Back Again, and
become familiar with Vietnamese culture.
Objectives of the project:
Students will collaborate with classmates and other students outside
of their classroom in order to discuss and analyze Inside Out and Back
Again and gain a deeper understanding of the book.
Students will learn about another culture and experience a day in the
life of peers from around the world.
Students will write about, photograph, and discuss their daily lives in
order to share their lives with others.
Technical Needs:
I-earn account
Student access to computers and internet
Kidblog accounts for teacher and students
Video/photo/word processing capabilities on the computers
Detailed Unit Plan:
Standards:
I.S.T.E. 2.a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, and others
employing a variety of digital environments and media.
I.S.T.E. 2.b. Communicate information and ideas effectively, to multiple
audiences using a variety of media formats.
I.S.T.E. 2.c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging
with learners of other cultures.
I.S.T.E. 5.a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of
information and technology.
I.S.T.E. 5.b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology, that supports
collaboration, learning, and productivity.
RL1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text
says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text

RL2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text;
summarize the text.
RL10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including
stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 45 text complexity band
proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
W1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with
reasons and information.
W2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas
and information clearly.
W4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
W6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including
the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and
collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding
skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
W7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through
investigation of different aspects of a topic.
W9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
W10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences
SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts,
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g.,
presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate
(e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task
and situation.
Procedure:
Before Reading:
1. Discuss students prior knowledge about Vietnam and watch a trailer
of the book Inside Out and Back Again to prepare students for what
we will be reading.
2. Direct students to the KWL chart from Read, Write, Think and have
them complete the first two columns.
3. Give students time to discover more about the author of the book,
Thanhha Lai, by listening to an audio interview, reading a short
biography, and/or reading The Mini Page.

4. Discuss the authors quote: If someone is different from you go

stand next to her and observe. That person just brought another
world to your door without you having to travel. Give students time to
post/share their understanding of the quote on the Padlet.
5. Allow time for students to research Vietnam through the links on the
website: Time for Kids, a National Geographic Kids, A Day in the Life of
a Vietnamese Child, or watching Discovery Education videos.
During Reading
6. Students will read Part One of Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha
Lai.
a. Assign sections of the book for the students to read each day
(about 10 poems a day).
b. Teacher Model: Summarize the first few poems in the book and
complete the organizer together. Explain that students will be
responsible for completing the organizer for the poems that
they read each day. This will help them to keep track of their
thinking, feelings, and reactions towards the novel so that they
are prepared to have discussions with their reading groups.
c. Teacher will meet with reading groups on a daily basis in order to
monitor comprehension and facilitate discussions.
d. To wrap up part one of the novel, students will choose three out
of six questions to respond to via Kidblog (see questions below).
Teachers should find another class within their district or around
the country that is also reading this novel in order to connect
with and invite to join their Kidblog discussion page. After creating
their own post, students will respond to at least two
classmates posts and two posts from students in another
class.
Discussion Questions for Part One:
Hs story is told in a series of poems. What do you think
about that? Find examples of different types of poems:
For instance, find one that tells a story and another that
paints a picture. Some of the poems have a specific date
at the end, but others say every day. Why do you think
that is?
What did you know about Vietnamese culture before
reading the story? What are some of the things you
learned as you read?

Sometimes H is angry about being a girl. Why does she

make sure to tap her big toe on the floor before her
brothers wake up on the morning of the new year?
Why does Mother lock away the portrait of Father after
chanting in the morning (p. 13)? What do you think you
would do if you were H or one of her brothers and
someone close to you passed away? What would you say
to Mother?
What does H mean when she talks about how the poor
fill their childrens bellies (p. 37)? What is Mother trying to
do when she talks about how lovely yam and manioc taste
with rice? Why do you think Mother finally decides to leave
Saigon?
Why does H love papaya so much? What might the fruit
represent for her? How is that the same as or different
from what the chick means for Brother Khi?
7. Read Part Two of Inside Out and Back Again. Direct students to
continue with their new Part Two organizer and reading group
discussions. Continue meeting with reading groups to facilitate
discussions and monitor comprehension of the novel.
8. The students will respond to two questions through Kidblog and
respond to at least two classmates posts and two posts from
students in another classroom.
Discussion Questions for Part Two:

On the ship, H touches the sailors hairy arm and Mother

slaps her hand away (p. 95). Why does H take a hair? How
is her behavior on the ship similar to or different from that
of the kids at school in Alabama when they notice Hs
features?
Why would sponsors prefer applications that say
Christians (p. 108)? Do you agree with Hs mother that all
beliefs are pretty much the same (p. 108)? Do you think
she did the right thing by saying that the family is Christian?
9. Read Part Three of Inside Out and Back Again. Direct students to

continue with their new Part Three organizer and reading group
discussions. Continue meeting with reading groups to facilitate
discussions and monitor comprehension of the novel.
10.
The students will respond to two questions through Kidblog and
respond to at least two classmates posts and two posts from
students in another classroom.

Discussion Questions for Part Three:

H describes her American town as clean, quiet
loneliness (p. 122). How is life in Alabama different from
Saigon? Describe each setting and the differences
between the two. Are there any similarities?
What do you know about the cowboy who sponsors the
family? Who do you think he is, and what are some
reasons why you think he might have become a sponsor?
What about Mrs. Washington: Why might she have
volunteered to be a teacher for H?
H says that the cowboys wife insists they keep out of
her neighbors eyes (p. 116). Why would she do that?
Why would neighbors slam their doors when Hs family
comes to say hello (p. 164)?
Read Part Four of Inside Out and Back Again. Direct students to

11.
continue with their new Part Two organizer and reading group
discussions. Continue meeting with reading groups to facilitate
discussions and monitor comprehension of the novel.
12. The students will respond to three out of four questions through
Kidblog and respond to at least two classmates posts and two posts
from students in another classroom.

Discussion Questions for Part Four:

Why is it so important to Hs mother that her children
learn English? If your family moved to a foreign country
right now, would you be eager to learn the language? Why,
or why not?
H struggles to learn English and hates feeling stupid. She
asks, Who will believe I was reading Nht Linh? and
then, Who here knows who he is? (p. 130). What do you
think is behind her frustration? What does she want
people to understand about her and her family?
Brother Quang says that Americans generosity is to
ease the guilt of losing the war (p. 124). What is he
talking about? Why doesnt he take their generosity at
face value?
What does Mother mean when she tells H to learn to
compromise (p. 233)? Is she talking about dried papaya
or something else? Give an example of a compromise
that Mother has made.

After Reading
13.

Introduce the students to iEARN.org

1. The teacher will share blogs, forums, albums, and videos from
iEARN to introduce this project to the students.
2. Have the students complete a scavenger hunt to help them
become more familiar with the iEARN website.
3. Share information with the students about One Day in the Life
telecollaborative project. Discuss how this project connects with
our novel.
14. Begin participating in One Day in the Life project.
o Post #1: Create an introduction to our city, state, and school. The
students will decide what type of technology to use to share this
information.
o Post #2: Provide information about a day in their lives. Students will
make a photo/video diary or a journal entry about their assigned
part of the day.
o Post #3: Write a narrative about their own family.
o Post #4: Explain a part of their culture or a custom they celebrate.
o Post #5: Share videos/photos/journal entries about food, weather,
recreational activities, or schooling in their country.
Instruct students to reply to two posts from Vietnamese
students. They should compare the lives of these students to
their own lives.
They should respond to any replies they have received from
their previous post.
15. After learning about the Vietnamese culture students will complete
the final column on their KWL chart.
16. To wrap up the project, inform students that they will share a blog
post including the information below:

Their thoughts about participating in these telecollaborative

activities
What did the students learned from these telecollaborative
activities
How their perspective of Vietnam has changed
17.Explain the extension activities from the Discussion Guide to the
students. Inform them that they will choose one activity to
complete and share with the class.

Contingency Plan:
Problem
Language Barrier

Solutions
Translator on I-Earn

Vietnamese War (perspectives,

lack of information since the
students werent alive at the
time)

Limit of 40 users on Kidblog

page.

Teach students to be sensitive to

others perspectives (remember
how Brother Quang felt about USA)
If the students want information
that the Vietnamese student
cannot answer it will become short
focus research.
Click here for more information on
how to provide access to users in
other Kidblog classes.

Closure
Students will complete one of the five extension activities from the
Discussion Guide from Harper Collins Publishers.
Evaluation Plan
Completed KWL chart
Evaluate responses to discussion questions and blog comments using
Kidblog Rubric
On-going assessment of students understanding through reading
group discussions and organizers for Parts 1-4.
The final blog post that the students make will show if they valued
the project.