Projects
Use a picture books as an anchor text to move into inquiry based projects.
This is the story of two girls who share a pair of used sandals at a refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Set in an Afghan refugee camp near Peshawar, a Pakistani city near the Afghan
border. Since the early 1980s, Afghan refugees have fled to Pakistan to escape war. In this story, two girls named Lina and Feroza live in a refugee camp. When foreign aid workers bring used clothing to their camp, ten-year old Lina is thrilled to find a shoe that fits her foot perfectly. Then she sees that another girl, Feroza, got the other shoe. The girls decide that sharing the shoe is better than each girl wearing only one. The girls become friends, going about their daily chores together and sharing the sandal.
BEFORE READING ALOUD:
Students must understand the current world-wide refugee crisis. While this story is set in Pakistan, the poor conditions in the camp could reflect could be anywhere. In discussing the refugee crisis students need to know why the refugees are fleeing their home country and what the camp conditions are like when they get there. It would also help them to understand what the opinions of people in the host country, as well as political and economic issues the host country faces because of the refugee camps. Also, students have likely heard about refugee camps in the news, so giving them a background to the current events will help them to see that this is an ongoing issue that won't be easily solved.
In Four Feet, Two Sandals Lina and Feroza are excited to find a pair of used sandals donated by relief workers. Access to sturdy, clean shoes is a real struggle for people in refugee camps and impoverished areas around the world. Even if they are not refugees, finding appropriate shoes and socks are a continuing problem for homeless people around the world as well.
Pair this picture book with Shannon Jenson's video on her photography project using Sudanese shoes to bring awareness to the water crisis in South Sudan and shows lots of photographs of the shoes the Sudanese walk miles in to get their water each day.
Project #1: What are the stories contained in our own shoes?
Have students line their shoes up and take pictures of the shoes. Write the “stories” of the shoes. Alternatively, have students take a picture of another person’s shoes and have them find out the “shoes’” story…where have these shoes been? What have these shoes heard/seen/etc.? Have the students print the shoe pictures along with the shoe’s story for an impactful writing piece.
Pair this video with Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water.
Project #2: What can you do to help? Research a company or organization that gives back.
TOMS is a company that
A Better Way To 'Buy One, Give One' article.