Apple Pie, 4th of July Craft Lesson

This book mainly discusses different cultures and traditions. First we have the American Tradition of celebrating the 4th of July, while we also have the contrast of Chinese culture and food.

For older children...

We could begin by asking the kids what types of things we do to celebrate the 4th of July, such as parades, fireworks, eating hot dogs, etc. Then we can look at the Chinese traditions mentioned in the story, such as the different foods, as well as the fact that they have to work instead of take a day off. However, the book also mentions that fireworks are Chinese. We can use this to incorporate the two cultures together, as fireworks are something the Americans took from Chinese Culture. This can help children to understand where traditions come from, especially since most American traditions originated elsewhere.

ACTIVITY

Kids could look up other traditions that may have come from other cultures, such as games, stories, or foods. This can help the children to see the similarities that we might share with other countries, as well as to see the origin of where things came from.

For younger children...

This book uses a lot of visuals, sounds, and uses ways to manipulate the senses. We are able to hear the parade, "boom boom boom", smell the apple pie cooking upstairs, as well as the chow mien in the kitchen. Even for those who cannot read yet, this book uses alot of expression through the pictures to convey events, such as the fireworks. The text also lets us know that after sitting out all day, the noodles feel like "shoe laces". We can ask children if this makes the story more real to them by hearing or seeing the descriptions.

We can use this information to ask the children if they understand the events of the story. You can ask questions such as "How does the character feel in the beginning of this story?" Is she sad, mad, frustrated.... We can also ask the children what her dilemma or hopes are, does she want to be part of the 4th of July Celebration, or does she want to be in her parent's store working? And finally, How does the story end? Does the character finally get what they want? And how does the character cope with her situation?

Asking these types of questions should help the readers to think about what is going on in the story. This can help the children to become involved with reading and use these skills for critical thinking in future reading adventures.

ACTIVITY

After our discussion, have then children create their own short story or even draw a picture about something they may have been frustrated about. While the children may not know how to create the visuals like in Janet Wong's book, the kids could create their own sound effects for the story. The idea is to simply make the story their own by relating to the events, as well as to incorporate description by using the senses.