On Other Resources for Educators

Follow Mia & Simon’s Journey! (Spoiler Alerts!)

Posted by Shadow Guide on Oct 5, 2018 in Novel: In the Shadow of the Sun, Novel: North Korea, On Other Resources for Educators | Comments Off on Follow Mia & Simon’s Journey! (Spoiler Alerts!)

This Lit Trip was created collaboratively by librarian Jen Bishop, her middle school students, and me. Here’s how we did it.

Student Projects in Maine Coastal Schools

Posted by Shadow Guide on Sep 13, 2018 in Novel: In the Shadow of the Sun, Novel: Tools for Educators, On Events & Presentations , On Other Resources for Educators | Comments Off on Student Projects in Maine Coastal Schools

In May 2018, I had a lovely tour with Island Readers & Writers, which serves schools on Maine islands and in Washington County. At tiny Charlotte Elementary School, the class of 6th-8th graders responded to In the Shadow of the Sun with creative projects, including a video (still to come, I’m told). I was delighted by this wonderful diorama depicting the moment that Mia and Simon attempt to cross the border, complete with the hole in the fence and the Great Wall in the background:

At Deer Isle Stonington, a middle school English teacher dove into deep waters of content and theme with her students, in relation to a unit of study in which they were examining courage, resilience, and perseverance:

• Can you tell us more about the famine in the 1990s?

• Have you ever tasted snake meat?

• Could you still feel the tension between North and South Korea when you were growing up?

• What was your motivation to write the book?

• Some of the plot points seem like “little miracles.” Do you think those points were possible?

• What can you tell us about your experience with North Korea that touches on courage, resilience, and perseverance?

It was exciting to see scenes from the book recreated in concrete form, and to engage in discussion in response to student inquiry. I’m constantly amazed by what students can do when they’re invited to explore by a creative teacher!

Book Tour in Korean International Schools

Posted by Shadow Guide on Sep 11, 2018 in Novel: Tools for Educators, On Events & Presentations , On Other Resources for Educators, On Travel to Asia, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Book Tour in Korean International Schools

In January-February 2018, I spent a month back in Korea on an author tour of nine international schools, seven in Seoul and two on Jeju Island — including Seoul Foreign School, which I attended for part of 2nd grade, all of 3rd, and all four years of high school. There I got to see myself on the cafeteria wall with other winners of the Seoul Foreign School Award. 

The trip offered wonderful opportunities for explorations of the content, themes, and process of creating In the Shadow of the Sun, with students from fourth grade through high school. 

At Branksome Hall Asia, a girls’ K-12 English-language immersion school on Jeju, I explored creating fictional characters with high school students who were also writers. 

In high school English classes at  St. Johnsbury Academy on Jeju, we talked about identity — how racial and cultural identity develops, the difference between minority- and majority-group identity, the experience of being bicultural and “third culture” — and did free-writing. 

After the sessions, the librarian invited students to reflect on the experience if they chose, asking about their favorite comment, their favorite idea, what inspired them, and about personal connections they made. She was deluged with wonderful responses. Here are a few:

• The talk was very captivating. I plan to read your book about North Korea. I was also inspired by your idea of writing a notebook with random ideas. I think it is similar to a diary, with a lot more freedom. I didn’t have an opportunity to actually meet a writer before, so the entire experience was very exciting for me. Personally, I can’t imagine writing as a job…..^^; DHK
• 1. Ideas come the best when doing a free writing. 2. My favourite idea we’ve discussed was about the technique and benefit of free writing before doing actual writing. 3. When she said that a perfect writing always come after constant revisions, I was hugely inspired by it. 4. My grandfather was a North Korean defector before the war broke out. He told me about the suffering and adversity he have been through in North Korea. When you were talking about the book that you have written, I could somehow relate it to my grandfather’s experience. It was great to hear from you. Thank you. DKG
• I really liked the concept of your book, ‘In the Shadow of the Sun’ and wanted to read the book. It was not a usual opportunity to see a foreigner who can speak both Korean and English came to make a speech or lecture, and it was fascinating. Especially, the metaphor you used to explain writing habit, Composting, was mind-blowing. I still keep the note that I wrote about my identity, and will use them whenever I have to write something or when I have to organize my thoughts. GWK
• My class discussed about when we feel that we are Korean. In this process, the Guest Author commented ‘Keep writing, do not stop writing.’ which was my favorite comment. This comment inspired me. When she asked us to write about when do we feel that we are Korean for 5 minutes, when I ran out of ideas, I tried to just think about what to write and not stop writing. YSO
• I liked to discuss about bi-cultural behavior. Also, I liked to share what kind of culture did you experienced and what did you learn about it. EG
• Listening to her story made me recognize the cultural diversity in the world. This helped me to learn the fact that it is important to respect everybody who has each unique culture. HJC
• She talked about multi-cultural perspective which is topic that we usually can sympathize. It is because we are in the international school. After the presentation, I could think about myself. Thank you for giving wonderful speech to us. Maybe I will try your book soon. JHK
• When I first met her in the history class, I could heard about the third culture, which I had never hear before. Her presentation inspired me to think about my identity. Think about my background, surroundings, and the variables in my life. Also, I could learn that our own culture could be constantly changed by the various experiences. NEJ
• The favorite comment was about 3rd culture kid which is a mixture of two or more culture. This came to my mind because I have also experienced multi culture and believed myself that I am a 3rd culture kid. Favorite idea discussed was ‘free writing’ which actually helped me a lot in reshaping my thoughts. I have spent nearly three years in New York and the concept of Mrs. Ann’s speech which was basically about cultural mix. I truly agreed when she said that the 3rd culture kids feel like home in many places but at the same time “never home.” JHK

Activity Guide from Island Readers & Writers

Posted by Shadow Guide on Sep 18, 2017 in Novel: In the Shadow of the Sun, Novel: Tools for Educators, On Events & Presentations , On Other Resources for Educators | Comments Off on Activity Guide from Island Readers & Writers

In October I’ll be traveling from my own Maine island to make author visits at three schools on the islands of Islesboro, North Haven and VinalHaven, hosted by Island Readers & Writers (IRW).

In preparation, IRW has created this wonderful activity guide for In the Shadow of the Sun, including discussion questions, art and writing prompts, companion titles and resources for further exploration.

Here’s one prompt:

Novel References & Recommended Reading

Posted by Shadow Guide on Jan 20, 2017 in Novel: North Korea, Novel: Research & Process, On Korean Books & Culture, On Other Resources for Educators | Comments Off on Novel References & Recommended Reading

These books and films emerged as some of the most significant for me as I wrote In the Shadow of the Sun, especially in illuminating the variety of contemporary life experiences of North Korean people. I encourage readers to seek out primary sources, to learn from authentic North Korean voices speaking about their own experiences. (Resources appropriate for younger audiences are marked with an asterisk.)

The Bradt Travel Guide, North Korea * (2003, 2007, and 2014 editions) by Robert Willoughby, the “only major standalone tourist guide to North Korea.” The guidebook Mia brings with her is based on the 2005 reprint of the 2003 edition.

“Camp 14: Total Control Zone,” a filmed interview with Shin Dong-Hyuk, the only person known to have been raised in and to have escaped from a no-release North Korean prison camp. Shin has since admitted that not all details of his account were accurate, in both the film and a book about his experiences — for instance, that he was not born in the camp but sent there with his family as a young child. But observers seem to agree that as his story is similar to accounts of other former adult inmates and guards, it still provides important and accurate information about
the realities of prison camp life.

Dear Leader: My Escape from North Korea (Atria, 2015) by Jang Jin-sung, a rare account from the elite perspective of a poet laureate to Kim Jong-il.

Every Falling Star* (Amulet Books, 2016) by Sungju Lee and Susan Elizabeth McClelland, a young adult memoir of a boy, born into a privileged family, who spent five years scrounging on the streets as a “flower swallow” before escaping to South Korea.

The Girl with Seven Names (William Collins, 2015) by Hyeonseo Lee, a richly detailed memoir of growing up in a high-status, relatively affluent family and crossing the border into China as a willful teenager, an unwitting defector.
(Ms. Lee, now an activist on behalf of North Korean defectors, has a popular 2013 TED talk.*)

“My Daily Life in North Korea (MYSTERIOUS 7 DAY TRIP)”* (2016), a 14-minute video by “digital nomad” Jacob Laukaitis that takes the viewer along for a typical DPRK tour.

North Korea Confidential (Tuttle, 2015) by Daniel Tudor and James Pearson, the most up-to-date and comprehensive account of the astonishing changes that North Korean society is currently undergoing.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Spiegel & Grau, 2009) by Barbara Demick, a rare picture of daily life in the northeast and the devastating impact of the 1990s famine, based on interviews with defectors.

“A State of Mind”* (2004), a documentary film that follows two young gymnasts in Pyongyang as they compete for the privilege of performing in the Mass Games.

Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America (HMHC, 2015) by Joseph Kim with Stephen Talty, a memoir of a North Korean childhood, from comfort to deprivation to street life, before escaping as a teenager.  (See also his TED talk.*)

Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea’s Elite by Suki Kim (Broadway Books, 2015), an account by a Korean American investigative reporter posing as an English teacher at a Pyongyang school run by foreign missionaries.

For details of North Korea tours, I consulted numerous online blogs and photo essays. NKNews.org (by subscription) offers a comprehensive source of news about the DPRK.

Story First: Using Children’s Books to Explore Korean Culture & Identity

Posted by Shadow Guide on Aug 30, 2015 in On Events & Presentations , On Korean Books & Culture, On Other Resources for Educators | Comments Off on Story First: Using Children’s Books to Explore Korean Culture & Identity

At the National Association of Korean Schools Teacher’s Conference

Once again I participated in a National Association of Korean Schools teachers conference – the second in a week – this one the New England chapter, in North Andover, MA. (It’s a complete coincidence that I did them back-to-back; this invitation came through another Korean acquaintance.) Annual gatherings like the two I attended offer teachers (mostly volunteers) from across a region the chance to connect and to gain new knowledge, skills and inspiration to improve the effectiveness of their instruction.

 

Korean schools usually meet on Saturdays or on Sunday afternoons after church, when Korean American families bring their children to study reading, writing and speaking as well as to learn more about Korean culture. The schools also attract families formed by interracial adoption or marriage, and a surprising new trend is non-Korean teens showing up motivated to learn the language based on their love of K-pop and anime!

It’s interesting to note the similarities in the two events: Korean churches as venues; a preponderance among teachers of recent immigrants whose first language is Korean, rather than 2nd- or 3rd-generation members; and opening with the singing of both the “Ae-guk-ga” – the Korean national anthem, and “The Star- Spangled Banner”. These traits seem typical of that segment of the Korean American community whose adult members are foreign-born; it’s Korean-language-based, centers around Protestant churches, and claims both Korean and American allegiance.

My presentation (in Korean again, but this one benefited from last week’s warm-up) focused on using books in Korean language school classrooms to help children absorb culture, strengthening their connection to Korea and their bicultural identities. I featured two of my titles, The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea, and What Will You Be, Sara Mee? by Kate Aver Avraham, which I illustrated, as examples of how books can be used, and shared a list of titles, most by Korean American authors, for further exploration.