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Other Words for Home written by Jasmine Warga centers around new beginnings as Jude and her mother migrate from Syria to America in the hopes of a bright future for Jude's unborn sibling. Through their journey, Jude recognizes the importance of culture, family, and identity as she grows up in a new country. Other Words for Home demonstrates the strength and perseverance of family across any distance and shows young readers that there is beauty in rediscovering and learning more about yourself at any age.
Other Words for Home written by Jasmine Warga centers around new beginnings as Jude and her mother migrate from Syria to America in the hopes of a bright future for Jude's unborn sibling. Through their journey, Jude recognizes the importance of culture, family, and identity as she grows up in a new country. Other Words for Home demonstrates the strength and perseverance of family across any distance and shows young readers that there is beauty in rediscovering and learning more about yourself at any age.
Written by Jasmine Warga
Published in 2019 by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books
Genre: fiction
Reading level: grades 4-7
Suggested delivery: whole class
2020 Newbery Honor
Big Ideas (key words):
Personal growth
Perseverance
Family
Change
Identity
Culture
Common Core State Standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
Teaching Strategies:
Building schema before reading:
Introduction or refresher on poetry since the book is written in poetry verse
Use of maps to show geographical locations in the book
Where is Syria located in the world?
How far is Syria from the United States?
Brief overview of war or conflict that can cause groups of people to migrate or relocate to another country
Discussion of Syrian culture
Display images of houses/buildings that mirror the book cover
Display images of women wearing hijabs and discuss the importance of hijabs in Middle Eastern culture
During reading:
Cover essential vocabulary terms as they arise in the story:
Hijab: a headscarf worn by Muslim women
Habibti: Arabic for "sweetheart"
Marhaba: Arabic for "hello"
Revolution: the overthrow of a government by those who governed
Mosque: a Muslim place of worship
Muezzin: an official who calls from the tower of a mosque when it is time to pray
Stability: a constant order, especially of society
Transcend: to go beyond the range or limits of
Discrimination: the unjust treatment of different people
Example discussion questions to drive comprehension:
What kind of discrimination does Jude face in the story? How does she overcome this?
In what ways does Jude's character grow in result of her experiences in America?
How do the other main characters (Mama, Papa, Issa, Uncle Mazin, Aunt Michelle, Sarah, Layla, Miles, etc) develop over the course of the story? Choose one and describe how they've changed through the experiences they face in the story.
The story revolves around family, culture, and identity. How are these concepts illuminated throughout the story?
After reading:
Students will be given the task of being TV reporters, and collaborating with their peers to give a report to the class on a scene from the book (of their choosing) as if it was happening "live"
Supporting the Text:
This video by Unicef offers insight into the scary reality of the Syrian Civil War that causes Jude and her mother to move to America in Other Words for Home.
Extension of the Text:
The author of Other Words for Home, Jasmine Warga, discusses her book and emphasizes the importance of sharing this book with young audiences.
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