The Magic Fish

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In what contexts have you heard the word “refugee”? Based on that context, what do you think the difference is between the terms “refugee” and “immigrant”? In what kinds of situations or conflicts might each term be used?

Teaching Suggestion: The question might be adjusted to account for sensitivity measures for individuals in your classroom. Both Hiền and Tiền’s identities as Vietnamese refugees affect their everyday lives. Their respective experiences coming to and living in the United States are part of their characterization, and it’s important for students to understand the difficulties of their journey. From a definitional standpoint, you can plant the seed for this thought in discussing how “refugee” is connected to seeking “refuge” and is a more specific subset of immigrants and migrants even more generally. By framing this introduction through “refuge,” you can also help students think about the dangers associated with making the trip to the United States such that Hiền and Vinh were looking for a safer life in the US. Information from these or similar resources can help students develop additional context on the topic.

• The UN Refugee Agency has an informational page defining various migrant statuses.
• In 2015, the BBC published an interactive article on the Syrian refugee journey that explains some of the difficult choices refugees are forced to make.

2. Graphic novels have gained popularity, especially due to the prevalence of superhero films, though the medium has also been used to tell other types of stories. What graphic novels have you read in the past? What is different about the reader’s experience with a graphic novel?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may be familiar with graphic novels about popular superhero publishers like Marvel or DC, but it’s important to introduce them to the format and its storytelling conventions. Use this question as a jumping-off point to discuss why students like reading graphic novels (regardless of whether their experience is solely with superheroes). Is it the visual elements? The action? Does it help them to get a better sense of the characters? Use follow-up questions like these to help students think about translating images into the messages they take away from reading graphic novels.

• The Bespectacled Librarian introduces graphic novels as a format, including the layout and other important elements.
• Reading Rockets offers insights into how graphic novels contribute to children’s literacy as well as other examples.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What fairytales stood out to you when you were younger? Why did these catch your imagination? What lessons do you think you took away from these stories?

Teaching Suggestion: This question introduces students to the text’s motifs of communicating through fairytales and stories as a special language.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who may be visual learners might opt to draw portrayals of the stories they heard as children.