A NOTE FROM ZAPOURA
A Map for Falasteen broke my heart and activated it all at once. In the author's note, Maysa Odeh explains the meaning of the main character's name for non-Arabic speaking readers: "For Palestinians, all of historic Palestine is their homeland, which is called Falasteen in Arabic." The fact that Falasteen is a both the young girl in the story learning about how to fight erasure and to find strength within AND simultaneously the name of her homeland is so powerful. This is just a taste of how multi-layered this story is -- asking us to consider homeland, genocide, settler colonialism, identity, family, and so much more.
This is a book that can seed so many conversations that build all of our justice capacity. Recommended for all ages. The curriculum has been written with a target age of 3rd grade and up; it works well for adults, too!
BOOK SUMMARY
When Falasteen’s teacher leads the class in a lesson about where they are all from, Falasteen makes a sad and worrying discovery – her homeland is not represented on the map. When she asks her teacher why Palestine is not represented, her teacher ignorantly replies that there must be no such place. Distressed and confused, Falasteen goes home and talks with her Jido, Teta, and Mama, who share maps, stories, and support validating her homeland and her identity. The most important message – even when we are forced away from our home, we carry our homeland within us.
BOOK THEMES
PALESTINE, HOME, MAPS, IDENTITY, JUSTICE, TEACHING, FAMILY, RESISTANCE, LOVE
ABOUT STORYSEED SOCIAL JUSTICE CURRICULUM
Our curriculum and ongoing practices are rooted in emergent strategy: “the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions.” The interactions we have with books, among reading partners, inside classrooms, and within reading communities are relatively simple. What is cultivated from those interactions is something much more complex – lifelong, daily abolitionist, decolonizing, heart/body-centered, and anti-racist practices. These include learning how to make the ground more fertile for ongoing identity, healing, discussion, action, and imagination practices in ourselves and with each other.
Each curriculum includes section summaries, discussion questions, additional learning resources, and a list of books to read next.
A MAP FOR FALASTEEN CURRICULUM SNEAK PEEK
This is a literal snapshot of the curriculum or this book. I hope it gives you a little taste and leaves you wanting more!
GET THE CURRICULUM HERE
Click below to purchase the curriculum for A Map for Fallasteen. Thank you!