The document narrates the experience of Ying Ying, a scared 3-year-old who didn't speak English and was reluctant to attend preschool. His breakthrough came during circle time when Malika, a confident classmate, led a lively chant that captivated him, leading to a newfound friendship and appreciation of their different cultural backgrounds. Through supportive interactions, both children learned to value each other's cultures and strengthen their bond.

1. PRACTICAL APPLICATION CASE – Chapter 5
Boba
Rebear
and Salty Green Paper
The day Ying
Ying
started preschool he was only 3 and very scared. He didn’t
know a single word of English. He needed open-heart surgery in
an English-speaking hospital, and his doctors urgently needed
him to attend preschool to learn some English before the
surgery. But poor Ying
Ying
didn’t like the doctors, the hospital, or the preschool, so he
cried—oh, how he howled, endlessly it seemed.
The teachers tried patiently to interest him in the soft white
bunny in the science center, the wonderful block center, even
the food preparation center, but he just sobbed inconsolably. He
didn’t want to be hugged. He didn’t want to be touched. He just
cried.
After several days, at circle time, it was
Malika’s
turn to lead the group in a chant. Well,
Malika
was an amazing child, a beautiful, confident African-American
child who loved the spotlight. Of course, she picked her cultural
folk favorite, a jazzed-up rhyming version of “The Three
Bears.”
Malika
-style, she sashayed right up to the front of the circle and led
her chant with uninhibited charm, energy, and talent (not to
mention pizzazz):
Once upon a
time
in a little log

2. cabin
Lived the three bears—CHA, CHA, CHA.
One
was the papa,
one
was
the mama
And
one
was the
wee
bear—CHA, CHA, CHA.
One day they went a
walkin
’
in the cool woods a
talkin
’
And
along came a
girl,
a girl with long
hair
.
Her name was
Goldilocks
and upon the door she
knocked,
But no one was
there;
no, no one was
there
.
So she

3. walked
right in and she had herself a
chair,
‘
Cause she didn’t care, the
girl
with long hair.
Then
home,
home,
home
came the three bears.
Someone’s been sitting in
my
chair, said the papa bear.
Someone’s been sitting in
my
chair
,
said the mama bear.
Hey
Boba
Rebear
,
said the little
wee
bear,
Someone has broken my
chair
—CRASH!
Then Goldilocks she
woke
up, she

4. broke
up the party,
And she
beat
it out of there; she
beat
it out of there,
And
that
is the story of the three little bears
Boba
Re
,
Boba
Re
,
Boba
Ra
Ra
Ra
!
Of course the class responded gleefully, heart and soul, and the
classroom fairly rocked with this bebop chant. Ying Ying’s sobs
were completely drowned out by the ruckus. When the chant
ended, it dawned on everyone that Ying
Ying
wasn’t crying anymore. He was standing there looking amazed
and actually grinning.
Malika
yelled out, “Hey, Ying
Ying
likes it. He stopped crying. Let’s do it again.”

5. Apparently, Ying Ying’s Chinese cultural background had in no
way, shape, or form prepared him for a roomful of children
cheerfully boogieing down to a jazzy version of the three bears.
Malika
lead the
class in the rhyme again. This time Ying
Ying
shook with laughter. He laughed till he cried.
The children enthusiastically “
Boba
Reed” and “
Boba
Rood” with every jazzy bone in their bodies over and over.
Well, that is when Ying
Ying
fell in love with
Malika
.
Malika
took Ying
Ying
under her wing and he became her constant shadow. Soon he
had mastered her cocky walk and learned to speak English,
making sure to pronounce his words with an African-American
edge just like
Malika
. He was her “BFF” buddy.
One day when Ying Ying’s mother, Mrs. Sung, came to pick
him up from school, he was at
Malika’s
side. Mrs. Sung opened her purse and gave Ying
Ying
a small rectangle of crinkly green tissue. Ying
Ying
instantly and eagerly popped it into his mouth.
Malika

6. shrieked, “Teacher! Teacher! Ying Ying’s mama fed him green
paper!” The teacher visited with Mrs. Sung and then said, “
Malika
, in Ying Ying’s country this is a great treat for children. It is
made of seaweed and it tastes salty. Would you like to taste?”
Nothing in
Malika’s
cultural background prepared her for eating crinkly green
paper. The teacher and Mrs. Sung talked some more with Ying
Ying
and
Malika
and decided to wrap some laver (dried, edible seaweed) for
Malika
to take home to show her parents.
At home that evening,
Malika’s
parents loved the idea of her trying the laver. They even tasted
it too.
Malika
loved the taste of the laver so much that she thought Mrs. Sung
should bring more of it one day for all the children at preschool
to have a taste of “green paper.”
Malika
and Ying
Ying
came from totally different cultural backgrounds, but with the
help of supportive teachers and parents, they learned to
appreciate, respect, and value each other’s cultural background.
CASE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
What would have happened if the teacher had insisted that the
children calm down, sit with their legs “
criss
-cross applesauce,” and sing “nicely” with an “inside” voice?

7. 2.
What would have happened if
Malika
had been sent away from the circle for yelling out at circle
time?
3.
What would have happened if
Malika
had called Ying
Ying
a baby and told him to leave her alone and stop following her
around all the time?