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The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
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Dear parents, grandparents, and guardians:
Reading with your child can be fun and exciting. It is also an important way to support your child's learning at school. Family members and children can learn new things when they read a story together. You can learn about one another, your community, and the world. This guide contains important information for you and activities you can do with your child.
About the Book
In this story, Halmoni and the Picnic, Halmoni is a Korean immigrant grandmother who goes on a trip with her granddaughter's class for the first time. Everyone in the story learns something new when they have a school picnic together.
Reading Activities List
There are many activities you can do with your child as you read the story together. If you would like, you can check off each box after finishing the activity.
1. Before Reading the Story
Look at the title of the book (Halmoni and the Picnic) and picture on the front. Before you begin reading, it is fun to guess what will happen in the story. Ask your child:
You can also make a guess and share your idea with your child.
2. Read Together
Read the story together with your child. There are different ways to read together:
3. After Reading the Story
After you and your child finish reading the story, you can answer the following questions together:
4. Make the Story Personal
Stories can be fun and meaningful when you relate them to your own life. Ask your child the following questions to help make the story more personal:
5. Fun Family Activities
Here are some fun activities to do with your child after reading the story. You can try these activities or make up your own!
Talking With the Teacher
This story shows the wonderful things that can happen when family members meet the child's teacher. Your role as a parent, grandparent, or guardian is very important in your child's success at school. Talking with your child's teacher helps you and the teacher to support your child better.
Before you talk with the teacher, you can plan some things to tell the teacher about your child and family.
Make a note of some things you can tell the teacher about your family, your culture, and important things about your child. This information will help the teacher to teach your child better.
When you meet with the teacher, these are some questions you can ask.
You can ask the teacher about activities such as school events or school trips.
You can ask the teacher about food, music, or stories that you and your child can share with the class.
Choi, S. N. (1993). Halmoni and the picnic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. In the story, a student worries that her classmates will make fun of her Korean grandmother, Halmoni, who has agreed to chaperone the class at a picnic in Central Park in New York City. With help from the teacher, students learn to address Halmoni according to Korean customs and to appreciate the unfamiliar food she brings to the picnic.
Illustration from Halmoni and the Picnic by Sook Nyul Choi, illustrated by Karen Milone Dugan. Text copyright © 1993 by Sook Nyul Choi. Illustration copyright © 1993 by Karen Milone Dugan. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Developed by Elaine Hou, May 2004
© 2016 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College
Published by Harvard Family Research Project