Betty Tillman Samb uses a cultural studies approach to help students understand The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday. She asks students to use family photographs to contextualize the familial experience of Momaday's work, and to respond through creative writing. Students then work in groups to conduct Web research on Kiowa culture.


Session 6: Cultural Studies: Russell Leong

In this lesson, Bobbi Ciriza Houtchens uses a cultural studies approach to immerse students in Asian American culture as they study Russell Leong's poem "Aerogrammes." During a class trip to Chinatown in Los Angeles, Leong shares his poetry and guides students as they have a Tai Chi lesson, eat in a Chinese restaurant, and work in groups to create Japanese renga poems describing their experience.

Lesson Plan 1