by Firoozeh Dumas Complex 1 830L Overview Text Selection: In her memoir Funny in Farsi, Firoozeh Dumas (fi-roo-zay doo-mah) humorously recounts her early experiences as an Iranian immigrant in America and her later years adapting to life in her new country. In these excerpts from her memoir, Dumas explains how she was at first baffled by some Americans ignorance of Iran, and even at times became annoyed by it. Dumas responded in clever ways but ultimately recognized that the reception she and her family received was one of kindness. By reading and rereading these excerpts closely and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussions about the text, students will identify and analyze how Dumas uses personal anecdotes, tone, word choice, and shifts in purpose to express the various emotions she felt during her first years in America. When writing about the text, students will further explore how Dumas and her family were welcomed by the people in their new community and evaluate how Dumas reacted to some of the more bothersome kids. Workshop Connection: Like Jair Saenz, featured in Workshop Reading 1, and Melissa Milian, featured in the RDI 1 Stretch Text, Firoozeh Dumas immigrated to America and found the transition to her new life eased through the welcoming spirit of friendly neighbors and classmates. Words and Phrases to Know: Arabs, bucolic, Chevrolet, foreshadowing, Indo-European, Lawrence of Arabia, luxury, mangy, paparazzi, Persian cat, proximity, tabulae rasae, uncanny, upheaval Workshop Vocabulary: achieve, globe, journey, liberty, route TM & Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. LEXILE is a registered trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc. 1 Stretch 2 Reading
Lesson Overview: Whole Group: Small Group: Introduce the text. Have students silently read paragraph 1. (5 minutes) Read entire text aloud to students. (15 minutes) Lead discussion about paragraphs 1 2 using Guided Questions 1 4. (20 minutes) Use QuickWrite and Idea Wave to encourage active participation by all students. Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions Hand out the Student Packet. Announce the title and author of the text included in the Student Packet. Have students read independently. Ask students to read paragraph 1 silently. Point out that definitions are provided for underlined words and phrases. Read aloud the text. Read the entire text aloud to students, asking students to follow along. Use the Oral Cloze Routine to encourage students to read the text as you read it aloud. 1 I was lucky to have come to America years before the political upheaval in Iran. The Americans we encountered were kind and curious, unafraid to ask questions and willing to listen. As soon as I spoke enough English to communicate, I found myself... [read the intervening text] 12... me to their houses to show me what their rooms looked like. On Halloween, one family brought over a costume, knowing that I would surely be the only kid in the Halloween parade without one. If someone had been able to encapsulate the kindness of these second-graders in pill form, the pills would undoubtedly put many war correspondents out END of business. Whole-Group Instruction Day 1 a very big change that often causes problems 2 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 1 (Q1) QuickWrite Based on details in paragraph 1, how can you tell that this text is about the author s personal experiences? What is the author writing about? Provide sentence starters: o I can tell that this text is about the author s personal experiences because. o The author is writing about her experiences. Possible responses include: o of the author s use of the pronoun I o immigrating to America ; coming to America ; leaving Iran (Q2) What is the meaning of the word encountered? What context clues in paragraph 1 helped you determine its meaning? Help students define encountered as meaning met, or to have met. Guide students to recognize that the author uses the word encountered when describing the Americans who were kind and curious and unafraid to ask questions. The author must have met or encountered these people in order to determine those qualities about them. 1 I was lucky to have come to America years before the political upheaval in Iran. The Americans we encountered were kind and curious, unafraid to ask questions and willing to listen. As soon as I spoke enough English to communicate, I found myself being interviewed nonstop by children and adults alike. My life became one longrunning Oprah show, minus the free luxury accommodations in Chicago, and Oprah. a very big change that often causes problems something expensive that you may want but do not need 3 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 1 (Q3) When did the author come to America? Help students identify the detail in 1972. Guide students to recognize that even though the author doesn t specifically state that she arrived in 1972, she dates other events surrounding her arrival ( being interviewed nonstop paragraph 1; judging from the questions asked paragraph 2) as taking place in 1972. (Q4) Idea Wave What are some of the things the author tells Americans about Iran? Provide sentence starters: o One thing the author tells Americans about Iran is. o Another thing the author says is. Possible responses include: o to go south at the Soviet Union to get to Iran o that Iran is south of the beautiful Caspian Sea o famous caviar comes from Iran o caviar is fish eggs o Iran is near Afghanistan or Iraq Display a map of Iran and its surrounding countries. Have students find Iran and the other countries the author mentions on the map. 2 On the topic of Iran, American minds were tabulae rasae. Judging from the questions asked, it was clear that most Americans in 1972 had never heard of Iran. We did our best to educate. You know Asia? Well, you go south at the Soviet Union and there we are. Or we d try to be more bucolic, mentioning being south of the beautiful Caspian Sea, where the famous caviar comes from. Most people in Whittier did not know about the famous caviar and once we explained what it was, they d scrunch up their faces. Fish eggs? they would say. Gross. We tried mentioning our proximity to Afghanistan or Iraq, but it was no use. Having exhausted our geographical clues, we would say, You ve heard of India, Japan, or China? We re on the same continent. clean slates; an absence of ideas (singular: tabula rasa) of the pleasant aspects of country living nearness 4 Stretch 2 Reading
Lesson Overview: Whole Group: Small Group: Revisit the text. Revisit the text, then have students silently read paragraph 3. (10 minutes) Read paragraphs 3 5 aloud to students. (10 minutes) Lead discussion about paragraphs 3 5, using Guided Questions 1 4. (20 minutes) Use QuickWrite and Think (Write)-Pair-Share to encourage active participation by all students. Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions Remind students of the title and author of the text. Use the Summary Routine or ask a volunteer to summarize what they read the previous day. Provide sentence starters: o In the beginning of her text, the author explains that. o One amusing detail the author includes is. Have students read independently. Ask students to read paragraph 3 silently. Point out that definitions are provided for underlined words and phrases. Read aloud the text. Read paragraphs 3 5 aloud to students, asking students to follow along. Use the Oral Cloze Routine to encourage students to read the text as you read it aloud. 3 None of the kids in Whittier, a city an hour outside of Los Angeles, ever asked me about geography. They wanted to know about more important things, such as camels. How many did we own back home? What did we feed them? Was it a bumpy ride? I always disappointed them by admitting that I had never seen a... [read the intervening text] 5... us a picture of a beautiful, longhaired cat. It s a Persian cat, she said. That was news to us; the only cats we had ever seen back home were the mangy strays that ate scraps behind people s houses. From that day, when I told people I was from Iran, I added where Persian cats come from. That impressed them. Whole-Group Instruction Day 2 a breed of cat with long, silky hair shabby; in poor condition 5 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 12 (Q1) QuickWrite What did the American children the author met in 1972 think all people in Iran owned? Provide a sentence starter: o The children the author met thought that. (everyone in Iran owned a camel ) Be sure students understand that the author and her family did not own a camel in Iran ( I had never seen a camel in my entire life. ) Guide students to recognize that the idea that everyone in Iran owned a camel was so deeply ingrained in the children the author met, that they were shocked to hear she didn t have one. ( They reacted as if... the Mickey Mouse costume. ) (Q2) Why does the author list three questions in the middle of paragraph 3? Guide students to recognize that, even though the questions are not in quotation marks, these are the kinds of questions the other children would ask her about camels. Assist students in understanding that the author includes the list of questions to convey to the reader what it felt like for her to be asked about camels. She bombards the reader with three questions in a row so the reader can experience the barrage of questions that she experienced. 3 None of the kids in Whittier, a city an hour outside of Los Angeles, ever asked me about geography. They wanted to know about more important things, such as camels. How many did we own back home? What did we feed them? Was it a bumpy ride? I always disappointed them by admitting that I had never seen a camel in my entire life. And as far as a ride goes, our Chevrolet was rather smooth. They reacted as if I had told them that there really was a person in the Mickey Mouse costume. an American brand of car 6 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 12 (Q3) What does the author say is the source for much of the misinformation Americans had about Iran? Help students recognize that the author begins paragraph 4 by stating that she and her family wondered why Americans had such a mistaken image of Iran. Guide students to recognize that the author provides an answer in the next sentence ( we were offered a clue ). Help students identify that the clue is the movie Lawrence of Arabia. The author thinks that this movie gave Americans of the time many misconceptions, or false ideas, about Iran. Ask students what they can infer about the movie based on details in paragraphs 1 3 (Lawrence or another character in the movie had a camel ). Show students photos from the movie online that depict characters with camels. Assist students in recognizing that the movie had nothing to do with the author s life in Iran (she had never heard of him and thus had never heard of the movie; the movie takes place in Arabia, not Iran; her father explained that they were not Arabs ). People had seen a movie about Arabia and thought all of the Middle East was like that. 4 My family and I wondered why Americans had such a mistaken image of Iran. We were offered a clue one day by a neighbor, who told us that he knew about Iran because he had seen Lawrence of Arabia. Whoever Lawrence was, we had never heard of him, we said. My father then explained that Iranians are an Indo- European people; we are not Arabs. We do, however, have two things in common with Saudi Arabia, he continued: Islam and petroleum. Now, I won t bore you with religion, he said, but let me tell you about the petroleum industry. a classic movie about a British soldier and writer who helped the Arabs revolt against the Turks in the Middle East people from Europe and northern India; Farsi is an Indo- European language people whose language is Arabic and whose families come from, or originally came from, the Middle East or North Africa 7 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 12 (Q4) Think (Write)-Pair-Share What details in paragraph 5 give the text a humorous and informal tone? Provide sentence starters: o One detail that gives the text a humorous and informal tone is. ( my father, with his uncanny ability to forge friendships ) o Another detail that contributes to the tone is. ( seeing our puzzled expressions ; that was news to us ; from that day, when I told... I added where Persian cats come from ; that impressed them ) Help students understand that the author displays a positive attitude toward all the questions and misinformation she faced about Iran after first arriving in America. Be sure students understand that the author is being ironic when she writes his uncanny ability to forge friendships about her father. The neighbor clearly likes cats. She asks the author s family about them. The author s father responds curtly with They are dirty. This might have been insulting to the neighbor. He didn t endear himself to the neighbor. The author is making an ironic observation about her father he is curt or terse and doesn t actually forge friendships quickly. 5 Another neighbor, a kindly old lady who taught me how to take care of indoor plants, asked whether we had many cats back home. My father, with his uncanny ability to forge friendships, said, We don t keep pets in our homes. They are dirty. But your cats are so beautiful our neighbor said. We had no idea what she was talking about. Seeing our puzzled expressions, she showed us a picture of a beautiful, longhaired cat. It s a Persian cat, she said. That was news to us; the only cats we had ever seen back home were the mangy strays that ate scraps behind people s houses. From that day, when I told people I was from Iran, I added where Persian cats come from. That impressed them. very strange and difficult to explain a breed of cat with long, silky hair shabby; in poor condition 8 Stretch 2 Reading
Lesson Overview: Whole Group: Small Group: Revisit the text. Revisit the text, then have students silently read paragraph 6. (10 minutes) Read paragraphs 6 10 aloud to students. (10 minutes) Lead discussion about paragraphs 6 10, using Guided Questions 1 5. (20 minutes) Use QuickWrite and Think-Pair-Share to encourage active participation by all students. Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions Remind students of the title and author of the text. Use the Summary Routine or ask a volunteer to summarize what they read the previous day. Provide sentence starters: o In the section we read yesterday, the author shares how. o The author also tells how. Have students read independently. Ask students to read paragraph 6 silently. Point out that definitions are provided for underlined words and phrases. Read aloud the text. Read paragraphs 6 10 aloud to students or have a confident student reader read the paragraphs aloud. Ask students to follow along as you read the text aloud. 6 I tried my best to be a worthy representative of my homeland, but, like a Hollywood celebrity relentlessly pursued by paparazzi, I sometimes got tired of the questions. I, however, never punched anybody with my fists; I used words. One boy at school had a habit of asking me particularly stupid questions. One day he inquired... [read the intervening text] 10 Often kids tried to be funny by chanting, I ran to I-ran, I ran to I-ran. The correct pronunciation, I always informed them, is Eerahn. I ran is a sentence, I told them, as in I ran away from my geography lesson. Whole-Group Instruction Day 3 photographers who chase celebrities to get photos of them 9 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 13 (Q1) QuickWrite How has the author s tone changed in paragraph 6? Provide sentence starters: o In paragraph 6, the author s tone becomes. (weary, annoyed) o One detail that helps me conclude this is. ( I tried my best to be a worthy representative of my homeland ; I sometimes got tired of the questions ; I never punched anybody ) Prompt a volunteer to explain that even though the author tried to have a good attitude about the Americans questions, after a while, she grew tired of correcting the misconceptions. (Q2) What does the author mean by I, however, never punched anybody with my fists? Help students understand that the use of the word however suggests that she means she expressed her annoyance, or punched in another way. Guide students to recognize that she punched figuratively, or fought back with words, not her fists. Assist students in identifying that when the author told one boy that her family had camels, she was not telling the truth. She was lying to him to set him up to look like a fool. This was her way of fighting back. 6 I tried my best to be a worthy representative of my homeland, but, like a Hollywood celebrity relentlessly pursued by paparazzi, I sometimes got tired of the questions. I, however, never punched anybody with my fists; I used words. One boy at school had a habit of asking me particularly stupid questions. One day he inquired about camels, again. This time, perhaps foreshadowing a vocation in storytelling, I told him that, yes, we had camels, a one-hump and a two-hump. The one-hump belonged to my parents and the two-hump was our family station wagon. His eyes widened. 7 Where do you keep them? he asked. 8 In the garage, of course, I told him. photographers who chase celebrities to get photos of them indicating or hinting about a future event 10 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 13 (Q3) How did the boy react after realizing that the author had fooled him? Help students identify that the boy was very angry but he never asked her another question. Guide students to recognize that the author s tactic of punching with words, not fists, was successful. She stopped the questioning. (Q4) What is the correct way to pronounce the country that the author is from? Help students find where the author spells Iran phonetically as Ee-rahn. Ask students to pronounce the word. (Q5) Think-Pair-Share How does the author use the mispronunciation of Iran to make a joke? Provide a sentence starter: o The author uses the mispronunciation to make a joke by saying. ( I ran away from my geography lesson ) Be sure students get the joke. The author is suggesting that if the other kids had paid attention in their geography class, they might know how to pronounce Iran and they might know more about it, such as where it is located. 9 Having heard what he wanted to hear, he ran off to share his knowledge with the rest of the kids on the playground. He was very angry once he realized that I had fooled him, but at least he never asked me another question. 10 Often kids tried to be funny by chanting, I ran to I-ran, I ran to I-ran. The correct pronunciation, I always informed them, is Ee-rahn. I ran is a sentence, I told them, as in I ran away from my geography lesson. 11 Stretch 2 Reading
Lesson Overview: Whole Group: Small Group: Revisit the text. Revisit the text, then have students silently read paragraph 11. (10 minutes) Read paragraphs 11 12 aloud to students. (10 minutes) Lead discussion about paragraphs 11 12, using Guided Questions 1 4. (20 minutes) Use QuickWrite and Think-Pair-Share to encourage active participation by all students. Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions Remind students of the title and author of the text. Use the Summary Routine or ask a volunteer to summarize what they read the previous day. Provide sentence starters: o In paragraphs 6 to 10, the author describes how. o One important detail she includes is. Have students read independently. Ask students to read paragraph 11 silently. Point out that definitions are provided for underlined words and phrases. Read aloud the text. Read paragraphs 11 12 aloud to students or have a confident student reader read the paragraphs aloud. Ask students to follow along as you read the text aloud. 11 Older boys often asked me to teach them some bad words in your language. At first, I politely refused. My refusal merely increased their determination, so I solved the problem by teaching them phrases like man kharam, which means I m an idiot. I told them that what I was teaching them was so nasty that they would have to promise never to repeat it to anyone. They would then spend... [read the intervening text] 12... one family brought over a costume, knowing that I would surely be the only kid in the Halloween parade without one. If someone had been able to encapsulate the kindness of these second-graders in pill form, the pills would undoubtedly put many war correspondents out of business. END Whole-Group Instruction Day 4 12 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 14 (Q1) QuickWrite What is the problem the author describes in paragraph 11 that she needed to solve? How did she solve it? Provide sentence starters: o The problem was. (that the author didn t want to teach the older boys bad words, but they kept asking her to do so) o She solved the problem by. ( teaching them phrases like man kharam, which means I m an idiot ) Help students recognize that this is another way the author punched with words and not fists. (Q2) What did the author make the boys promise they would never do? Help students identify that the author made the boys promise never to repeat [the phrase] to anyone. She made them promise as a way of convincing them that the phrase was nasty even though it really wasn t. Guide students to recognize that the author didn t actually think the boys would keep their promise. She knew that if they thought it was nasty, they would want to say it. She was right. The boys ran around, further revealing their ignorance as they yelled, I m an idiot! in Farsi. 11 Older boys often asked me to teach them some bad words in your language. At first, I politely refused. My refusal merely increased their determination, so I solved the problem by teaching them phrases like man kharam, which means I m an idiot. I told them that what I was teaching them was so nasty that they would have to promise never to repeat it to anyone. They would then spend all of recess running around yelling, I m an idiot! I m an idiot! I never told them the truth. I figured that someday, somebody would. 13 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 14 (Q3) What evidence does Dumas include in paragraph 12 to support her claim that almost every person who asked us a question asked with kindness? Help students identify evidence such as the same children... shared their food and one family brought over a costume. Guide students to recognize that the author basically had a good experience after arriving in America. She was asked a few questions about camels and was pressured to teach nasty phrases. But she handled those situations with humor and generally felt welcomed by Americans. (Q4) Think-Pair-Share What does the last sentence of the text mean? Provide a sentence starter: o The last sentence means. (that if everyone in the world were as kind to each other as her American neighbors were to her, there would be no war) Be sure students understand that to put out of business is an idiom that means to stop. Explain that war correspondents write articles about war and conflict. The war correspondents would be stopped or out of a job, if the kindness could be put in pill form because there might be no wars. 12 But almost every person who asked us a question asked with kindness. Questions were often followed by suggestions of places to visit in California. At school, the same children who inquired about camels also shared their food with me. I bet you ve never tried an Oreo! Have one, or My mom just baked these peanut butter cookies and she sent you one. Kids invited me to their houses to show me what their rooms looked like. On Halloween, one family brought over a costume, knowing that I would surely be the only kid in the Halloween parade without one. If someone had been able to encapsulate the kindness of these second-graders in pill form, the pills would undoubtedly put many war correspondents out of business. END 14 Stretch 2 Reading
Lesson Overview: Whole Group: Small Group: Revisit the text. Revisit the text. (5 minutes) Preview the writing prompts. (5 minutes) Have students read silently, marking up the text. (10 minutes) Guide students to select a writing prompt and prepare for writing. (20 minutes) Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions Remind students of the title and author of the text. Use the Summary Routine or ask a volunteer to summarize the entire text. Provide sentence starters: o This text is about Firoozeh Dumas s experiences. o Overall, she views these experiences. Preview the writing prompts on page 17. Read both writing prompts aloud for students. Remind students of the purposes of explanatory and opinion writing. Have students read independently, marking up the text. Ask students to read the entire text silently. Have them mark up the text or make notes on a separate paper with questions and observations about the text as they read, keeping the writing prompts in mind. 1 I was lucky to have come to America years before the political upheaval in Iran. The Americans we encountered were kind and curious, unafraid to ask questions and willing to listen. As soon as I spoke enough English to communicate, I found myself... [intervening text] 12... me to their houses to show me what their rooms looked like. On Halloween, one family brought over a costume, knowing that I would surely be the only kid in the Halloween parade without one. If someone had been able to encapsulate the kindness of these second-graders in pill form, the pills would undoubtedly put many war correspondents out of business. END Whole-Group Instruction Day 5 a very big change that often causes problems 15 Stretch 2 Reading
Day 15 Unlock the writing prompts. Reread the writing prompts aloud to students. Make sure students understand the type of writing they would use to answer each prompt. Help them recognize the audience/purpose for each writing prompt. Ask students if they have any questions about either writing prompt. Guide students to select a writing prompt. Ask students what they find interesting about each writing prompt. Then have them choose a prompt. Brainstorm. Ask students to review the reading and the notes they made during Whole Group. Have students use their notes to list ideas, create an idea web, or make an outline, to help them narrow the focus of their writing. Prompt students to discuss and share their ideas for their writing. 1 I was lucky to have come to America years before the political upheaval in Iran. The Americans we encountered were kind and curious, unafraid to ask questions and willing to listen. As soon as I spoke enough English to communicate, I found myself... [intervening text] 12... me to their houses to show me what their rooms looked like. On Halloween, one family brought over a costume, knowing that I would surely be the only kid in the Halloween parade without one. If someone had been able to encapsulate the kindness of these secondgraders in pill form, the pills would undoubtedly put many war correspondents out of business. END a very big change that often causes problems 16 Stretch 2 Reading
Choice A: Explanatory Paragraph The author describes her early experiences of being in America with great affection. How were people kind or welcoming to her and her family? Write one paragraph explaining some of the kindnesses. Begin your paragraph with a controlling idea that makes your point about the topic. Include three relevant facts or examples from the text to support your controlling idea. End your paragraph with a concluding sentence that sums up the topic. Writing Prompts Choice B: Opinion Paragraph The author was annoyed by some of the wrong ideas other kids had about Iran. Do you think she responded to these kids in a clever or mean way? Write one paragraph giving your opinion about how she responded. Start your paragraph with a focus statement that gives your opinion. Support your opinion with three reasons, examples, or facts from the text. Include a reason, example, or fact from one of the Workshop Readings, if possible. Conclude your paragraph by restating your opinion and making a recommendation to readers. TM & Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. 17 Stretch 2 Reading
Extension Activities Extension Reading Extension Research Extension Project Take students to the library and help them look up books and articles about other children who have immigrated to America. Encourage students to look for similarities and differences between the experiences of the children they read about in the library materials and Firoozeh Dumas s experiences moving from Iran to California. Help students recall that Firoozeh Dumas writes that she came to America years before the political upheaval in Iran. Explain to students that the upheaval she means was a revolution. Have students use print and digital resources to research basic facts about the revolution, including: who was in power before the revolution took place when the revolution occurred who was in power after the revolution took place Remind students that after first arriving in America, Firoozeh Dumas encountered many people who did not know where Iran was located. Have students create a digital or print map of the Middle East. Direct them to include labels for Iran and the countries that surround it. Encourage them to label major rivers, lakes, and bodies of water as well. Have students present their maps to the class. Have students summarize their findings in a brief essay or report that they present in front of the class. TM & Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. 18 Stretch 2 Reading