A Step from Heaven

______________

Na, An. 2001. A Step from Heaven. Ashville, North Carolina: Front Street. ISBN: 1-886910-58-8. $15.95 (hardback).

A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America.

	Programming Idea: Selection for a J/YA book discussion
	Talk about Young Ju’s feelings of worthlessness and alienation, both in her family and in her school. Do you feel that way sometimes? When? How do her reactions differ from your own?
	Talk about the family’s move from Korea to America. What are the hardships immigrants typically face, past and present? Do you think those hardships and hurdles have changed in light of the attacks in New York? Why or why not?
	Discuss the gender differences and the differences in expectations the father had between Young Ju and her brother. Are the correct? Are the common? Are there things that males can do better than females, and vice versa? Why or why not? Do you see these distinctions in your schools? In your homelife?
	*Related books:* Golden Mountain series by Laurence Yep

	To extend the book, I would have children read A House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In a Booklist interview , An Na said that it was Cisneros who first inspired her to turn memory into fiction. “I felt those realistic vignettes were a terrific way to capture childhood and memories.” And in another interview An Na again stressed the influence of Cisneros on her own work.
	In terms of an immigrant story, I would definitely recommend Sandra Cisneros' THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET. Her vivid language and imagery are just amazing. My inspiration for STEP came directly from her. Also, Maxine Hong Kingston's THE WOMAN WARRIOR sits high on my list of amazing books. The way Kingston weaves together family tales, myths and teenage yearning is wonderful.
	The students after reading both novels could discuss their similarities and differences. What do the two novels have in common? In what ways did Cisneros influence An Na? I believe it is important for students to realize the various ways authors are connected with one another. (Writers can imitate -- or be influenced -- by one another.) And an understanding of both authors can help you appreciate the novel. by Rebecca Michelle Laney

As an introduction to one of first chapters entitled “Hair” I would share Janet Wong’s poem “Joyce’s Beauty Salon” from A Suitcase of Seaweed. Although Na’s experience as a young girl suffering through a beauty treatment is certainly not as “carefree” as the message conveyed in Wong’s poem, it provides a simple introduction to how Korean woman may view their hair. It also portrays the steps that Young Ju’s mother feels are necessary in order to be accepted in America.

Another chapter entitled “My Future” I would use as a writing prompt. I would encourage students to remember their first day of school, or another situation where they were confronted with people who intimidated them, whether due to language or just a sense of authority. The students would then journal their own feelings and impressions of the people who were present. They would share how they handled the situation, what defenses did they put in place to “get through” the ordeal. Then they would compare their experiences to those of Young Ju.
by Dorothy Duffy

This book was advance for elementary students. If I had a gifted fifth grade book club, I might consider this book. To make a comparison (something that 3rd grade TAKS introduces this year), I would have students cut out pictures out of a magazine of what Young Ju thought America would be like and what the reality of America was in the eyes of Young Ju. This would help students to further compare and contrast and spur discussion and writing from such representation.

There are some lesson plans listed with the below URL that might be helpful for using the book in the classroom.
http://www.allen-unwin.com.au/Teaching/trstepfromheaven.asp#5
by Ardis Freeman

	for 7th-10th grades
	This book has a lot of emotion over the main character's adjusting to her new life in American. One of the strongest points of the book is that she never feels a true part of anything- that she is never one thing or another. She is neither allowed to be all Korean nor all American. She is never treated as a child or as an adult, and she does not have a defined role as sister, daughter or even mother. Teens can related to the same feelings of in-between-ness.
	To really connect with the story, each student should write about when they felt town between two groups, cultures or decisions. They can write about this either before or after reading A Step from Heaven. Responses should be shared between students so they will be able to see as many points of view as possible, and realize that they are not alone in their feelings by Laurence de Decker

	for 8th-10th grades
	Have students put themselves into Yung Ju's shoes and write a diary entry for three incidents in her life. For example, you could write about the lottery ticket, or about going to the school fair. Remember that it's a diary entry, so everything should be in first person. by Jo Anna Patton

An activity that would connect with the characters in the story would be to create their morning meals. When Uhmma convinced the children to go to church, they were eating rice and seaweed soup for breakfast. Create a soup to resemble seaweed soup and actually clean the rice as they do in the book and cook it. Most young adults cannot visualize any other foods for breakfast other than the usual cereal, eggs, back, toast, pancakes, or last night's leftovers. By eating rice and soup for breakfast, students can grasp and understanding that any food can be eaten any time of the day when there are limited choices.
by Mary Barr

	Ages 8 and up
	As this story was set in 12th Century Korea, the teacher can give students some of the historical background of Korea, in order to help them understand the time period and culture. A good website discussing Korea's society and religious affiliations as well as the customs is: http://www.korea.net/learnaboutlorea/society/religion.html by Emily Chou

A good programming idea would be some type of writing activity. One activity could be to list and discuss the contrasts of family relationships and interactions of Young Ju and her immediate family, with those of her friend Amanda and her parents. Collaborative and cooperative discussions in small groups would precede the writing activity with each group reporting to the large group of its major discussion points. The writing assignment would be done on an individual basis after group presentations to the whole group. This would scaffold less capable writers and analyzers of characterizations by having them involved through verbally contributing or listening in discussions.
By Marlene M. Montgomery