The Arrival Assignment

So, because I love that Shaun Tan created a graphic novel which leaves much room for interpretation, I'm working on a design which I hope will inspire students to do the same through the use of music, comic strip drawings and writing.  First, I would "read" it as a class using the Underground Orchestra's composition as a backdrop.  I would use the laptop while the students looked at the book.  I like how the author and the composer worked together on this effort, showing pages from the book during the composition.  Students would be viewing this while we looked at the book for the first time.  Then I would have them break into groups and read the book.  They would be given some writing to do during this, with a 3-2-1 activity expected after meeting for 30 minutes together.  This activity asks them to write 3 things they learned from the reading/discussion, 2 things that they surprised them and one question they might have or one prediction they might make about the book. They could turn in a group writing from this activity, rather than individual.  After class discussion, students would have a choice of the next step in the assignment.  They could write a comic book about an immigrants' experience or assume the identity of a child from a photo of immigrants (provided) and write a letter to relatives/friends back home.