Girl in Translation

lit vocab for 2014 summer reading: Girl in Translation and God Grew Tired of Us

Girl in Translation, a novel by Jean Kwok, speaks to many topics that are of pressing concerns to students and teachers today. These include immigrant rights, workplace exploitation, and urban poverty; race, culture, and identity formation; and the challenges faced by immigrant youth in school and family and peer relation. (Primary Source, Inc.)

In four different assignments you will explore Historical Research and Google Earth, Analysis of NYT article from 1989, a Chinatown Video from 1986, and Sweatshop and Child Labor

Click the picture as an active link to a video of Kwok talking about her novel.

I. Historical Research & Google Tour

  • You will be divided into two groups. Brainstorm or take a few minutes to go through the book and list all the important locations such as cities, countries, major historical sites that were visited in the novel. Each member of the group should select one of the locations.

  • Find two images from the 1980s and contemporary times that show the location

  • Take notes for each image that can be used to explain what life was like in each image.

  • Create a Google Earth tour of the location featured in the novel to provide historical context for the book.

  • Meet with your 'pair' in the second group. Collaborate and conjoin your efforts to present your findings to the class in the most efficacious way.

II. NYT article from 1989

"Year of Snake Marks Decade of Change in Chinatown"

  • Either read online or print a copy for yourself.

  • Hi-light the information that supports Kim's experience in Girl in Translation

  • Star any information that seems to contradict the story and to write down any question the article raises for you about the book.

  • Be ready to share these responses with the class

III. YouTube Video

  • Read the following pages in Translation in which Kim talks about Chinatown in the 1980's: pp. 3-4; 14-17; 28-30; 197-203.

  • Jot down words you would use to describe Chinatown based on Kwok's narrative

  • Watch the following video and create a second list of descriptive words : NYC Chinatown 1986 Original footage It is ~10 minutes long and some is repetitive.

  • What do you know about Chinatown in the 1980s based on the reading and video?

  • What can you infer about life in Chinatown?

  • What questions do you have that you didn't from just the reading?

IV. Sweatshop and Child Labor

Below are three informative sites about the exploitative labor practices that Kwok describes in her novel. You will be numbered 1-3 and assigned to one site. Prepare notes to report your findings:

  • Read pp 13-27 of PDF: Every child counts new global estimates on child labour 2002 (To read, you must copy and paste the title in a browser since this is a PDF). Determine a couple of key facts learned that you should write down to share in class.

  • There are three reports on The Department of Labor (DOL) site: Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor; the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor; and the List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor. Explore one of the reports, take notes, if necessary, and be ready to report out on your findings: International Labor and Forced Labor

  • Behind the Label is a multimedia news website dedicated to raise public awareness about sweatshop labor. Check out one of the links or watch the video " A wage you can live on" to report-out what you learned.

Discussion Questions