Tiffany+The+Land+I+Lost

Huynh, Q. N. (1982). The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam. New York City: Harper Collins Publishers **//Summary://** The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam is a story about the author’s upbringing in Vietnam in the 1950’s. The story depicts, based off of Huynh’s memory, his family, their source of food and income, and the wild and sometimes dangerous animals the people in his village encountered. Huynh’s buffalo and cousin play a main role in the book and many of the adventures are centered on these three characters. The book is a compilation of short stories so that the reader can end at a chapter and reflect on the events (great for classroom use), or read the book as a novel **//Critique://** Although this book is a great learning tool, it was based in the 1950’s in a time that young adolescents do not have experiences with. In order for this book to be meaningful in a middle school level classroom a teacher would really have to invest in his/her lessons (which they should anyhow) to ensure that connections were made between their students, the world they live in now, and how it may relate to a country a world and 60 years away. **//Ideas & Different Content Areas//**
 * Language Arts: Students can use the different characters to compare and contrast, as well make inferences while reading the text. Comprehension skills may be built by using the novel as a series of short stories and breaking the chapters into individual lessons. There are also several vocabulary words that can be pulled from each chapter. Student can compare and contrast their lifestyle and Huynh’s as well as the different years. Students could also make prediction about how each chapter may end.
 * Social Studies: Student can learn about Asian culture, their economy, population, and an entire unit could be developed to teach about the Vietnam War and its effect on Vietnam as well as the effect it had on the United States, which could lead into another Unit.
 * Science: The rice fields in the book play a pertinent part in the family’s life. In a science unit, lessons could be developed explaining how rice plantations are cultivated (what tools, animals, etc.), the way gravity may be used to water rice fields, types of animals native to Vietnam (their habitat, their food, their purpose, etc.).