In Andal's House

In Andal’s House by Gloria Whelan
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Copyright: 2013

Citation: Whelan, G., & Hall, A. (2013). In Andal's house. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.

 
Reading Level:
Interest Level: Ages 7-10
Reading Level: Grade 5
Lexile: 790

-Original description of the book
The incredible folk art illustrations that are a combination of crayon and watercolor ink are perfect for In Andal's House, creating the bright, smooth look and is an approach to illustration that Amanda Hall developed herself. The result reflects the color and vibrancy of not just the Diwali festival but of everyday life in India as well. The story of Kumar and Indian culture is a powerful and moving story that shows how life in India differs from life in the United States.

-Corresponding Common Core State Standard
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. (Activity that addresses the standard: Inferential Writing Comprehension Activity)

-Suggested delivery
1) Read Aloud
2) Independent read

-2 electronic resources
1) Teaching about different cultures of the world is important because it shows students that there are many more types of cultures and celebrations than they have experienced. The following lesson will support the teaching of different cultures and let students pick and investigate the culture of their choice.
2) This ReadWriteThink website has a detailed lesson plan that teaches students about different cultures through Folk Tale literature.

-3 teaching suggestions for grades 4-6
1) I would use this book as a history review about the caste-system that had always existed in India until reformers like Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambecker helped eliminate the discriminatory system. From there, students could look at the different hierarchies that countries had and how, or if, they were abolished.

2) In Adal’s House, Gloria Whelan and Amanda Hall have created a book that imitates the Diwali celebration. Teachers can take this book and introduce students to the many types of celebrations that are experienced in different countries.

3) This book also brings up prejudice issues that Kumar has to face. Student can look at America’s history and discuss the many different prejudices that immigrants, Native Americans, African Americans, and more ethnicities had to face while living in the United States.

-Key vocabulary
1) Diwali: an official five-day holiday celebrated in India; also called the “Festival of Lights”; there are fireworks and the lighting of little clay lamps, a symbol of the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil
2) Dowry: a gift given by the family of a bride to the family of the groom
3) Monsoon: a storm with powerful wind and rain that occurs from June through October
4) Caste: a social rank or division into which Hindu society is divided
5) Brahmin: the highest Hindu caste
6) Rangoli: an ancient art of India, and a Diwali tradition, where colored powders, grains, or beads are used to form designs on floors or sidewalks
7) Sari: a long length of cloth, wrapped to make a skirt and then draped over the should and the head

-An inferential comprehension writing activity
Students will pick a character from the book and create a character map that shows how characters reacted to the events and changed. If the story doesn’t show the reaction of the character in the events, have the students write how their character would have reacted and how that may or may not have changed their character.

-Before Reading Comprehension Activity: Using an anticipation guide students can activate their prior knowledge and build curiosity about the book. Before reading, students listen to or read several statements about key concepts presented in the text.

-During Reading Comprehension Activity: Students can free write their thoughts and emotions to the events or people that are in the book. By doing this, students can create text-to-self connections by what is occurring in the book.

-After Reading Comprehension Activity: To assess students’ comprehension when finished with the book, have students create their own story on Storyboardthat that is similar to In Andal’s House. Students can research real life events or people if they decide to base their story on real life events.