Ask the question, “How can your history influence your future?” and “How will you continue to share your story?”

Learners can consider how their history might shape their future.

Invite learners to share this information with one another or to another family member to continue their own story.

Provide learners with books and technology to research a country of origin to investigate how their family story connects with information from that culture, geographical region and societal norms.

Suggest that learners interview members of their family and friends they have known over time to unfold deeper understandings.Invite learners to begin an inquiry process with their own family members to understand the story of their own family.How much do we really know about our family history? How far back in history can we imagine? How is the story of your family history conveyed over time? Islandborn Lesson ActivityĪASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Think V.A.3 Engaging in inquiry-based processes for personal growth. Note: This book is also available in Spanish under the title “Lola”. Throughout this story, Lola starts to understand the truth of her abuela’s words: “Just because you don’t remember a place doesn’t mean it’s not in you.” It is a story of sharing, imagination and the importance of our stories. To bridge the past with the present, Lola’s family brings the “The Island” to her, by sharing all kinds of memories – from the wonderful to the heartbreaking.

She cannot remember “The Island” that she came from, since she left when she was a baby. In an age when immigration is a debate in our nation and tops the headlines each day, we consider the story of Lola, who immigrated as a baby. How do we keep our family history alive? In this insightful and poignant book, Junot Diaz examines just how we keep our stories alive.

Islandborn by junot díaz