There are many ways that teachers of children of all ages as well as facilitators of adult learning can use Rest in My Shade as a teaching resource. The book can be integrated into discussions about migration, refugees, displacement, environment, nature, world art, world poetry and other subjects.
For example, very young children may discuss how the tree felt about moving from the place she considered home. They can talk about a time when they moved and how they felt, and what helped them to settle in to their new place. This can be connected to local, national and global migration. Children of all ages are old enough to think about what it means to be a good host to someone who has moved, perhaps involuntarily.
Older students may want to study the phenomenon of deforestation and its effect on the climate. They may spend time under a tree and write creatively about deforestation from the perspective of a tree. They can also research the cultural meaning of trees in different cultures. They may consider the relationship of nature to human health and survival.
High schoolers may wish to learn about Palestinian history and culture including the symbolism of the olive tree, the relationship Palestinians have with land, and how displacement is expressed in the art and poetry of Palestinians.
Adults of all ages — in faith or interfaith groups, in library discussions, or involved in social action — may wish to read the book as the cultural component of public events, as the basis of discussion about the Palestinian Nakba, and in relation to laws and policy about immigration, asylum, deportation, past and modern day slavery, colonialism and indigenous rights, and more.
Please contact us for suggestions about how Rest in My Shade can be integrated into your educational or social justice work. You may also find some ideas in the syllabi and teaching resources listed below. If you are aware of other excellent resources, please let us know so that we can add them to our list.
Immigration
The Choices Program at Brown University
http://www.choices.edu/teaching-news-lesson/immigration-timeline/ (other units for purchase)
Catalyst Project: Immigration Justice Curriculum
https://www.collectiveliberation.org/resources/immigrants-justice-curriculum
Merseyside Maritime Museum Info Sheets on “Emigration” (from the UK)
Undocumented People
Interfaith Toolkit to End Family Incarceration & Separation and Keep Families Together
Migration/Refugees
Refugee Week 2019 Teaching Resources
Migration Policy Institute
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/topics/k-12-education
Forced migration toolkit KS 3 and 4
https://www.forcedmigrationtoolkit.co.uk/?mc_cid=9f1a8f9866&mc_eid=4e73276f92
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services
http://www.brycs.org/aboutRefugees/refugee101.cfm
National Education Union — including curricula, films, books (UK focused)
https://www.teachers.org.uk/equality/equality-matters/refugee
UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/teaching-about-refugees.html
NY Times Series on Climate and Displacement
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/multimedia/carbons-casualties.html
UCLA Ed & IS
https://reimaginingmigration.org
Episcopal Migration Ministries
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/world-refugee-day
Palestinian History
FAQ from BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
http://badil.org/en/publication/faq.html
Al Awda: The Palestinian Right to Return Coalition’s Fact Sheet
Facing the Nakba, an Educational Project of Jewish Voice for Peace
https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/facing-the-nakba/
Teach Palestine, with curricular materials curated by Middle East Children’s Association (MECA)
Zochrot’s Educational Materials (in Hebrew, Arabic and English)
http://zochrot.org/en/wrapper/9
Indigenous Resources
National Film Board’s excellent collection of short films by/about indigenous experiences including many aspects of displacement
https://www.nfb.ca/indigenous-cinema/?&film_lang=en&sort=year:desc,title&year=1917..2019
Curated Teacher Resources
Bringing the World to Your Classroom (free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans with linked content on all subjects)
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment
Note: Talking about traumatic events can be upsetting for some people. If there are people in your discussion group who are refugees, undocumented people or people who have experienced violence in their old or new place of residence, consider in advance how to incorporate them into your discussion as experts of their own experience without triggering them or anyone else. Provide emotional support whenever necessary. A good resource for educators to help protect undocumented children and families is at: https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/im_uac-educators-guide_2016.pdf.