Click above for our video.

Enjoy!

We are fifth graders, learning about social justice and the right to freedom for all people.
We hear hurtful stereotypes and misunderstandings, and we try to solve these problems.
We see racism proceeding globally, and we try our best to fix it.
We understand that if you love something or someone you have to be able to let them go.
We wonder why people have been segregated, and we try to solve the equation of broken justice.
We say injustice is a disease that spreads from person to person.
We dream of a cure for this disease – of a world where everyone has equal rights.
We try to solve these issues of hatred calmly.
We hope everyone can be friends and get along… because no matter where you are from, we’re all people.
We used to fear what we did not understand.
But now we understand and we are not afraid.
We are fifth graders who understand and believe in social justice.
We are the future of the world.

Got Justice?

Click below for our video.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=102839&title=Got_Justice&vpkey=6318406aa0

We are fifth graders together, but individually we represent: Pakistan, the Philippines, Mexico, Appalachia, and many other cultures—We are a melting pot of people.

We hear people from different backgrounds getting along—No matter where you are from, we are all part of our World’s Big Family. We hear the voices of others saying Think Before YOU ACT

We say anyone from any country can become anything.

We believe we all have civil rights…no matter our age, race, gender, beliefs or religion.

We dream of a world free from war, stereotypes and prejudice…we dream of peace and prosperity for everyone.

We wonder why people continue to perpetuate these problems…could this lead to another World War? We SAY NO! FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!

We try to learn in even the worst of situations and to love instead of hate.

We WANT an equal union—world peace.

We WON’T tolerate narrowmindedness and bullying—we say, “Dude, don’t go there.”

We hope to encourage others to step up and stand up for what you believe is right without harming others…one person can make a difference!

We say stand up for social justice by combating racism, stereotypes and prejudice.

We used to believe there was only one answer.

But now we seek alternative solutions.

We are fifth graders spreading the words…stand up for justice and initiate change.

WE ARE ONE.

Poston Restoration Project

PLEASE CHECK THESE OUT!

Hannah and Mitch, hope these help!

We are

We hear

We see

We understand

We wonder

We say

We dream

We try

We hope

We used to

But now

We are

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=103104&title=I_Am_Frank&ref=Hashla

I am Frank

I am a Mojave Indian, a friend of Sumiko and Tak-Tak.

I live in a mud and thatch house on a reservation segregated from the rest of the United States.

I wonder if Sumiko and Tak-Tak will have a nicer life if they leave and I wonder if Joseph will come home from the war with the Japanese.

I hear sandstorms rustling around and I hear others pummeling me and yelling stereotypes, as Sumiko whirls the stick in the air.

I see the fence dividing my Mojave family from the Japanese-Americans.

I want Sumiko to be fulfilled.  She should emerge from the shadows of camp because her future is somewhere else.

I am a Mojave Indian, a friend of Sumiko and Tak-Tak.

I question why we don’t have the land that we once had.

I feel curious about who is winning the war because we’re not well informed by news flashes.

I touch Sumiko’s tender wrist as I gently place the silver bracelet on it.

I worry that our Mojave homeland will be taken away from us.

I cried when my older brother Henry, my role model, died in battle.

I understand that we are not the only people to lose things.

I am a Mojave Indian, a friend of Sumiko and Tak-Tak, and the head of my household.

I say “the more people who are free in the world, the better it is for Indians.  It’s better for everyone.” (246)

I believe you can’t judge a person based on the way they look or where they are from.

I dream of seeing Sumiko again someday when all of the Japanese Americans are free.

I try to survive the duststorm, as dirt painfully stings my face.

I hope for a time when the Mojave Indians have the same right to vote as other United States citizens.

I once was ________(COMING SOON!)_____________

But now I _________(COMING SOON!)_____________

I am ____________________________

Mrs. B’s class,

You did a wonderful job today crafting this magnificent poem!  As you work on your lines and illustrations tonight, remember that you can expand and revise your line until it sounds just right!  Also, what would you like to use for the last line of your beautiful poem?

Share your ideas tonight by leaving comments on our blog!

Click below for our video. 

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=102838&title=I_AM_SUMIKO

I am a lonely Japanese American girl.

I cry alone on the bench pondering why I was uninvited to Marsha’s party…humiliated with haji (shame).

I touch kusabana flowers (weedflowers) as I fragilely display them for sale at the flower market.

I lived in California on my Uncle’s old flower farm with my extended family until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and F.D.R. issued Executive Order 9066.

I wonder why my family and I were forced to relocate to the Poston Arizona Internment Camp…our dirty dust-pelted  jail. Forced against our will, we were herded like cattle on a warm winter day.

I hear that we are dangerous, wasteful and other hurtful stereotypes…unwelcome in my own country.

I want to return to my kusabana and smell my favorite flowers.

I am a lonely Japanese American girl.

I question the US Government’s decision to move us into Internment Camps: protection or prejudice…Shikata ga nai (this cannot be helped)…or can it?

I see dirt and sandstorms—my eyes are dried by mucous and dust.

I feel confused about Mojave Indians not having the right to vote in Arizona…until 1948.

I worry that Uncle and Jiichan will be tortured by our own people. I worry if we leave, we will be discriminated against.

I taste the delicious fried snake with shoyu (soy sauce)—It tastes like unagi (eel).

I understand that “in the world of change you accept the changes that can’t be helped. You suffer so you can learn…”

I am Sumiko and I am a melancholy and confused Japanese American girl.

I say Frank has abandoned me, but then I come to a conclusion that friendship is complicated and requires sacrifice.

I believe in Japanese Americans getting their homes, land, and lives back after the war.

I dream of my transformation from a farm girl to a flower shop owner.

I try to understand and cultivate my friendship with Sachi, Mr. Moto, and Frank.

One day, I hope to own my own flower shop with delicate stock, carnations, and my uncle’s flowers, the future of America.

I was once a lonely farm girl who lived on my Uncle’s flower farm and didn’t know what friendship was.

But now I am a girl with family, friends and a future who wants to own a flower shop.

I am Sumiko and I AM a PROUD Japanese American.

• What did you think of the book Weedflower?
• What are your final thoughts?
• What messages or themes do you think the book captures best?
• What would you like for other kids to know about this book and connected topics?
• Please reply with your comments.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=39261&title=Japanese_Internment_in_WWII