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Poem: "My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears" by Mohja Kahf

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Poem: "My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears" by Mohja Kahf

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The speaker faces a difficult situation, torn between two cultures, as her grandmother washes her feet in the sink of a department store for a ritual prayer and American matrons look on in disgust. The granddaughter who understands both languages of the American women and her traditionally Muslim grandmother is forced into the role of mediator. The matrons assume she speaks English because of her Americanized appearance and the grandmother speaks to her in Arabic, the family's language. In the end, the granddaughter does not speak but her actions speak volumes as she holds the door open for everyone.

Q: How does one's dual identity place them in a position of power?

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My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the... | Poetry Foundation

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My grandmother puts her feet in the sink to wash them in the ritual washing for prayer, because she has to pray in the store or miss the mandatory prayer time for Muslims She does it with great poise, balancing herself with one plump matronly arm against the automated hot-air

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Video: TedTalk: My Identity is my Superpower by America Ferrera

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Video: TedTalk: My Identity is my Superpower by America Ferrera

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America Fererra discusses the struggles she faced in her rise to stardom because of her ethnicity and confining stereotypes.

Q: What is identity? How do stereotypes play a role in the construction or deconstruction of identity?

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My identity is a superpower -- not an obstacle | America Ferrera | TED

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Children's Book: Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

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Children's Book: Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

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Alma grows curious about how she got her name and complains that it does not "fit" on paper. Her father reassures her it does fit and shares stories with how she received each part of her name. Through the stories, Alma learns she carries pieces of her ancestors with her in her namesake.

Q: What is the significance of a name? What is/are the story, or stories, of your name?

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Alma and How She Got Her Name (English) Read-Aloud

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Video: The Danger of a Single Story (TedTalk) by Chimamanda Adichie

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Video: The Danger of a Single Story (TedTalk) by Chimamanda Adichie

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Adichie explores how stories we tell of a group of people are powerful and, consequently, there is danger in retelling only a single story. People are more complex than what stereotypes convey.  Dig deeper.

Reflection Qs: Has someone else ever made an assumption about you because of some aspect of your identity? Was it a positive or a negative one? How did you respond?

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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YA Novel: House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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YA Novel: House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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Cisneros follows a young, Mexican-American girl, Esperanza, as she grapples with finding her place between two cultures. Her family wants her to fit the mold of a traditional Mexican women, but she wants to move beyond the confinements of her culture and explore opportunities allotted her in America, like becoming a writer.

Q: How is Esperanza’s identity shaped by her community? How does her identity shift throughout the vignettes?

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Article: For migrant kids, it takes bravery and hope to reach U.S.

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Article: For migrant kids, it takes bravery and hope to reach U.S.

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The immigrant experience is a unique one that many of the students in our classrooms today can either recall from first-hand experience or can retell from family member's stories.

Reflection Qs: Can you imagine what it would be like to travel to a new country all on your own as a kid? What emotions would you feel?"

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Newsela | For migrant kids, it takes bravery and hope to reach U.S.

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Immigrant children show bravery and hopefulness when crossing U.S.-Mexico border.

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The artwork below epitomizes how those with bicultural identities live between two cultures, feeling pressures to both (1) maintain the traditions and standards of their heritage and (2) live up to the societal expectations of being "American" enough.

Q: What do you see? How does this artwork make commentary on cultural identity?

https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/bicultural-identities

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Article: As one of the "third culture kids," she feels both rootless and worldly

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Article: As one of the "third culture kids," she feels both rootless and worldly

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Answering "where are you really from?" can be a conflicting questions for those with multiple cultural identities. Trying to answer the question can leave them feeling like an outsider searching for a sense of belonging. However, it can also be a liberating experience to belong to multiple cultures.

Q: How can bicultural identity influence one's sense of belonging?

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Newsela | As one of the "third culture kids," she feels both rootless and worldly

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Student Selected Read (SSR): I am Malala

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Student Selected Read (SSR): I am Malala

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Video: Ted Talk - "Biculturalism - two worlds in one person" by Anna Gricuk

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Video: Ted Talk - "Biculturalism - two worlds in one person" by Anna Gricuk

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Being asked, "Where are you from?" can be confusing to those with bicultural identities. Anna Gricuk explains her experience with the same question and how she grew to see her biculturalism as a position of power.

Q: How does one's dual, or bicultural, identity place them in a position of power?

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Anna Gricuk "Biculturalism - two worlds in one person" - TEDxYouth@2SLO

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Children's Book: I'm New Here by Anne Sibley O'Brien

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Children's Book: I'm New Here by Anne Sibley O'Brien

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Three immigrant students from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia struggle with speaking the language, participating in school activities, and communicating ideas - all things they did not struggle with in their home countries. Eventually, with the help of others, these students learn new things from each other and adapt together.

Q. How can moving to a new place change your identity?

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I'm New Here by Anne Sibley O'Brien @StoryTimeWithMsMelange #booksreadaloud

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YA Novel/Movie (SSR): The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

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YA Novel/Movie (SSR): The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

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Children's Book: I Hate English by Ellen Levine

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Children's Book: I Hate English by Ellen Levine

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Picture book read aloud: I Hate English!

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https://www.sharpsolutions-indigenius.com/single-post/2016/05/29/cultureidentity-seeing-more-than-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-1

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Y.F. Chang moves from Shanghai to the U.S., after the communist takeover of China in 1949, to enroll in a New York university and pursue the American dream. When he arrives to enroll, he is immediately faced with obstacles because of the perception of immigrants in American. Cammy, the lady working for Foreign Student Affairs, asks Y.F. Chang for his name -- his English name. This leaves Y.F. Chang very confused as he contemplates the meaning of his new name, "Ralph" and how it fits his identity.

Q: Why does Ralph let Cammy choose an English name for him?  How is this symbolic of his new life in America?

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Excerpt from Typical American | Penguin Random House Canada

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From the beloved author of Mona in the Promised Land and The Love Wife comes this comic masterpiece, an insightful novel of immigrants experiencing the triumphs and trials of American life.

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Children's Book: Same, Same, But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

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Children's Book: Same, Same, But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

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Kostecki-Shaw follows Elliot in America and Kailash in India as they write to each other and share stories of their lives. Through their letters and shared experiences, Elliot and Kailash learn that they  are different, but still the same.

Q: How are Elliot and Kailash similar? How are they different? How do similarities and differences unite people?

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Storytime! Same Same But Different - Read Aloud Children's Books

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Pat Mora shares the story of a second-generation immigrant mother's lesson to her children. The mother uses the English language to discuss American ideals and she is invited to the capital to speak. When she gets onstage, she realizes she is the only Hispanic in the room and freezes. Though she did not speak that day, the speaker (child) reassures us that her voice does not go unheard and they will use their voices in upcoming generations to speak up for what they believe is right.

Q: How does the poem define the idea of culture, especially as it relates to identity? How do issues of immigration span from generation to generation?

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Newsela Article: From embarrassment to celebration of my bicultural identity 

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Newsela Article: From embarrassment to celebration of my bicultural identity 

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The article recounts a firsthand experience with juggling two cultures. Rudri Patel discusses how she would immerse herself in the Indian culture at home but disguise it when went to hang out with her American friends. As she becomes a parent, she worries her kids will experience the same cultural turmoil. However, her daughter proudly embraces her Indian culture and she celebrates her "other-ness."

Q: How can attitudes towards bicultural identity change from generation to generation?

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Newsela - Opinion: From embarrassment to celebration of my bicultural identity

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Author learns from daughter the importance of embracing one’s cultural identity

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Q: What do you see? How does this artwork comment on the concept of dual identity?

https://digital.utsa.edu/digital/collection/p15125coll11/id/74

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Excerpt: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 

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Excerpt: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 

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Arnold Spirit (Junior) transfers schools from one on the reservation to an all-white small-town school. The only other Indian at the school is,  ironically, the mascot. Junior grapples with finding his place in his new school environment and acclimating the rules and norms of the rez to those at the new school. This finds him in trouble often. Junior goes through identity crises as he tries to find how to blend the two cultures and figure out how he belongs.

Q: What is the significance of Junior’s/Arnold’s name distinction? How does his culture affect his identity?
Q: How do the Rearden students’ and teachers’ reactions to Junior’s presence influence his feelings about the school/belonging and being an Indian?

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Poem: "Two Names, Two Words" by Jonathan Rodríguez

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Poem: "Two Names, Two Words" by Jonathan Rodríguez

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Rodriguez explores the assumptions made about his identity because of his name. These assumptions make him feel conflicted between two worlds, but ultimately he is reminded of how proud he is to be himself and how hopeful he is to be able to write his own story.

Q: What does Rodrigues mean by, "two names, two worlds?" How do assumptions play a role in how Rodrigues defines his own identity?

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Newsela Article: What is intersectionality?

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Newsela Article: What is intersectionality?

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This article explains the concept of intersectionality, or how one's multiple identities interact and affect one's life. The article also explores how intersectionality influences power and privilege and can create a filter of oppression.

Q: How do you identify yourself?

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Examining the multiple identities people have can help teachers and students better understand each other.