Student Projects in Maine Coastal Schools
In May 2018, I had a lovely tour with Island Readers & Writers, which serves schools on Maine islands and in Washington County. At tiny Charlotte Elementary School, the class of 6th-8th graders responded to In the Shadow of the Sun with creative projects, including a video (still to come, I’m told). I was delighted by this wonderful diorama depicting the moment that Mia and Simon attempt to cross the border, complete with the hole in the fence and the Great Wall in the background:
At Deer Isle Stonington, a middle school English teacher dove into deep waters of content and theme with her students, in relation to a unit of study in which they were examining courage, resilience, and perseverance:
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Can you tell us more about the famine in the 1990s?
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Have you ever tasted snake meat?
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Could you still feel the tension between North and South Korea when you were growing up?
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What was your motivation to write the book?
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Some of the plot points seem like “little miracles.” Do you think those points were possible?
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What can you tell us about your experience with North Korea that touches on courage, resilience, and perseverance?
It was exciting to see scenes from the book recreated in concrete form, and to engage in discussion in response to student inquiry. I’m constantly amazed by what students can do when they’re invited to explore by a creative teacher!
Read MoreBook Tour in Korean International Schools
In January-February 2018, I spent a month back in Korea on an author tour of nine international schools, seven in Seoul and two on Jeju Island — including Seoul Foreign School, which I attended for part of 2nd grade, all of 3rd, and all four years of high school. There I got to see myself on the cafeteria wall with other winners of the Seoul Foreign School Award.
The trip offered wonderful opportunities for explorations of the content, themes, and process of creating In the Shadow of the Sun, with students from fourth grade through high school.
At Branksome Hall Asia, a girls’ K-12 English-language immersion school on Jeju, I explored creating fictional characters with high school students who were also writers.
In high school English classes at St. Johnsbury Academy on Jeju, we talked about identity — how racial and cultural identity develops, the difference between minority- and majority-group identity, the experience of being bicultural and “third culture” — and did free-writing.
After the sessions, the librarian invited students to reflect on the experience if they chose, asking about their favorite comment, their favorite idea, what inspired them, and about personal connections they made. She was deluged with wonderful responses. Here are a few:
- The talk was very captivating. I plan to read your book about North Korea. I was also inspired by your idea of writing a notebook with random ideas. I think it is similar to a diary, with a lot more freedom. I didn’t have an opportunity to actually meet a writer before, so the entire experience was very exciting for me. Personally, I can’t imagine writing as a job…..^^; DHK
- 1. Ideas come the best when doing a free writing. 2. My favourite idea we’ve discussed was about the technique and benefit of free writing before doing actual writing. 3. When she said that a perfect writing always come after constant revisions, I was hugely inspired by it. 4. My grandfather was a North Korean defector before the war broke out. He told me about the suffering and adversity he have been through in North Korea. When you were talking about the book that you have written, I could somehow relate it to my grandfather’s experience. It was great to hear from you. Thank you. DKG
- I really liked the concept of your book, ‘In the Shadow of the Sun’ and wanted to read the book. It was not a usual opportunity to see a foreigner who can speak both Korean and English came to make a speech or lecture, and it was fascinating. Especially, the metaphor you used to explain writing habit, Composting, was mind-blowing. I still keep the note that I wrote about my identity, and will use them whenever I have to write something or when I have to organize my thoughts. GWK
- My class discussed about when we feel that we are Korean. In this process, the Guest Author commented ‘Keep writing, do not stop writing.’ which was my favorite comment. This comment inspired me. When she asked us to write about when do we feel that we are Korean for 5 minutes, when I ran out of ideas, I tried to just think about what to write and not stop writing. YSO
- I liked to discuss about bi-cultural behavior. Also, I liked to share what kind of culture did you experienced and what did you learn about it. EG
- Listening to her story made me recognize the cultural diversity in the world. This helped me to learn the fact that it is important to respect everybody who has each unique culture. HJC
- She talked about multi-cultural perspective which is topic that we usually can sympathize. It is because we are in the international school. After the presentation, I could think about myself. Thank you for giving wonderful speech to us. Maybe I will try your book soon. JHK
- When I first met her in the history class, I could heard about the third culture, which I had never hear before. Her presentation inspired me to think about my identity. Think about my background, surroundings, and the variables in my life. Also, I could learn that our own culture could be constantly changed by the various experiences. NEJ
- The favorite comment was about 3rd culture kid which is a mixture of two or more culture. This came to my mind because I have also experienced multi culture and believed myself that I am a 3rd culture kid. Favorite idea discussed was ‘free writing’ which actually helped me a lot in reshaping my thoughts. I have spent nearly three years in New York and the concept of Mrs. Ann’s speech which was basically about cultural mix. I truly agreed when she said that the 3rd culture kids feel like home in many places but at the same time “never home.” JHK
Activity Guide from Island Readers & Writers
In October I’ll be traveling from my own Maine island to make author visits at three schools on the islands of Islesboro, North Haven and VinalHaven, hosted by Island Readers & Writers (IRW).
In preparation, IRW has created this wonderful activity guide for In the Shadow of the Sun, including discussion questions, art and writing prompts, companion titles and resources for further exploration.
Here’s one prompt:
Write up a pack list of items you would bring with you on a harrowing trek through the North Korean countryside. Based on Mia and Simon’s experiences, what would be some of the most important supplies to have?
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Readers & Educators: Tracing the Journey
Plotting IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN with Google Earth Maps
It’s possible to trace Mia and Simon’s entire journey in In the Shadow of the Sun.
I plotted it on Google Earth as I was researching and writing it.
Note that I did add the stairs down which they escape at Mangyongdae, and the park along the river in Sinuiju.
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