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Summary
Summary
Amina’s Song is a 2022 APALA award winning novel about how Amina is learning to embrace both her American and Pakistani cultures in her life. After Amina returns from her trip to Lahore, Pakistan to visit family, she returns home to Greendale, Wisconsin where she struggles to find a way to share her exciting new memories with her friends. However, before leaving Pakistan, Amina promised her sick uncle that she would show others the beauty of Pakistan when she returned to America. Through Amina’s powerful school presentation and love for music, she is able to keep her promise with her uncle and share another side of Pakistan that no one has seen before.
Keywords/phrases: Culture, Pakistan, Family, Music, Discovery
Suggested Delivery: Read aloud
Key Vocabulary
Pakistan: A country in South Asia
Shalwar Kameez: A traditional outfit with a pair of loose pants that are only tight on the ankles and a long shirt or dress, that can be worn by women or men in South Asia.
Urdu: The official language of Pakistan.
Muslim: A person that believes in the religion of Islam.
Mosque: A Muslim place of worship.
Restoration: The process of repairing or renovating a building, work of art, vehicle, etc., to put it back to its original condition.
Impostor: A person who pretends to be someone else in order to trick others.
Terrorism: The unlawful use of violence and fear for political gains.
Taliban: A group of people that have a political movement for power in Afghanistan.
Injustice: A violation of the rights of others.
Refugees: A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, maltreatment, or natural disaster.
Reading Strategies
Before
Before
I will show visuals of Lahore, Pakistan to provide students with background knowledge of where the character Amina and her family are from as students will most likely be unfamiliar with the idea, which can support their comprehension.
During
During
As students are reading, they will have time to stop and create mental images based on specific details from the text using their prior knowledge and creativity, which will enhance their understanding of the novel.
After
After
Students will identify music that can add to or reflect the message of Amina’s Song by finding a piece that brings attention to concepts such as identity, culture, family, acceptance, injustice, etc., to support their comprehension of the novel.
Writing Activity
Reading Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 – Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Writing Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.8 – Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
Activity: Students will put themselves in Amina’s shoes and pretend they were in history class with her by answering, “Who is someone that has made a significant and positive contribution to history or society in some way?” Students will research their choice (an athlete, leader, writer, inventor, etc.) and gather information from multiple sources that are reliable, and will prepare a 5 minute presentation as if you were that person to share what you have learned.
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