"Cross the river, take off your shoes, flee from your country, yield your status"

-- hmong proverb

Introduction "LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!!" Well okay there's no lions, but Picture coming face-to-face with tigers or a Southeast Asian bear walking down a dusty road or through the jungle and . . .
What about snakes the size of trees!
Imagine being forced to marry someone just because your parents demand it of you! Do these things sound familiar to you? Probably not, however. . . these are all actual experiences that could happen to you if you were a Hmong child from Laos. This webquest is going to take you on a journey through a beautiful, fascinating, and culturally unique country that is unfamiliar to most Americans. We hope you have a wonderful time writing a story about a culture that is becoming more and more familiar to us in this country. HAVE FUN!

	Task
WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY!!!! The United States Ambassador to Laos has invited schools from your state to participate in a cultural exchange. The only drawback is that only one team from each state can participate. His solution, each class that works on this project will be divided into groups of four or five students. After you have completed the project, a group of legislators from your state will pick the one group that will represent your state for a week of exchanging ideas and cultural background in Laos. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to travel to the other side of the world and experience Hmong culture first hand, as well as having your project presented to the Hmong people, at a special showing, for their reaction. To successfully complete this project, the Ambassador has chosen to use literature. You will be adapting the story “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Anderson, into a story with a similar moral, but one that incorporates what you’ve learned about the Hmong culture through your group’s research. You want your story to become a story that Hmong people will feel comfortable telling their children for generations to come! GOOD LUCK, YOUR STATE IS COUNTING ON YOU!

Process
	Read the story "The Red Shoes".
	After reading the story, each member of your WebQuest team must choose a role. Your team will consist of a Geographer, Spiritual Advisor, Home Economist, and a Gender Equity Specialist
	Read through the information provided to you for your role and as you research your topic make sure that you take notes or print out important information to share with the other members of your group.
	Be prepared to apply your expertise to a powerpoint story when preparing your adapted version of "The Red Shoes". Be sure to pay attention to the moral of the original story and be creative with your story!

LAOTIAN GEOGRAPHER:

HOME ECONOMIST:

SPIRITUAL ADVISOR:

GENDER ROLES SPECIALIST:

RESOURCES:

Multicultural Tales
“THE RED SHOES”
Macintosh CD-ROM
Italtoons Corporation/WGBH Boston
Directed by Michael Sporn
Tale by Maxine Fisher
1990 by Michael Sporn Animation/Italtoons Corporation
(This video is an excellent example of an adaptation of a story)

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT
STANDARDS ADDRESSED

CONCLUSION

CREATED BY

TOP

SONG: NATIONAL ANTHEM OF LAOS

Home Economist, Spiritual Advisor, and Gender Roles Specialist Photographs courtesy of Andy Carvin and Suzanne Cornwall:

The Children of Southeast Asia: Susanne and Andy