Inside Out and Back Again Reading Guide

Inside Out & Back Again by
Thanhha Lai

Inside Out and Back Again is a New
York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor
Book, and a winner of the National Book
Award! Inspired by the author's
childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam
after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating
to Alabama, this coming-of-age debut
novel told in verse has been celebrated
for its touching child's-eye view of
family and immigration.
For all the ten years of her life, Hà has

only known Saigon: the thrills of its
markets, the joy of its traditions, and the
warmth of her friends close by. But now
the Vietnam War has reached her home.
Hà and her family are forced to flee as
Saigon falls, and they board a ship
headed toward hope. In America, Hà
discovers the foreign world of Alabama:
the coldness of its strangers, the
dullness of its food . . . and the strength
of her very own family.
This moving story of one girl's year of

change, dreams, grief, and healing
received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening,
poignant, and unexpectedly funny." An author's note explains how and why Thanhha Lai
translated her personal experiences into Hà's story. (From Goodreads)
Topics: family, coming-of-age, Vietnam War, refugees, food
Suggested Age Level (Native Speakers): 8 – 12 years
Suggested ESL Level: Low-intermediate
This Guide: I’ve broken this book down into six ~45 page sections, which is perfect if you
teach in a 7/8 week intensive program, or would also be good for one half of a full semester.
For each section, this guide contains: suggested vocabulary words, comprehension
questions, writing activities, and research/extension activities. There is also a previewing
section and a section for helpful links and cultural references.
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai: ESL Teacher’s Guide

Previewing

1. Have students preview the novel by describing the cover, reading the summary of
the book (either on the back for a paperback or inside the front cover for a
hardcover), and reading the author biography. You can also have students flip
through the book and talk about any words that jump out at them or discuss how
the book looks (since the book is written in poetry instead of prose, students can
discuss how this is different than their expectations of a book in English).

2. Inside Out and Back Again is the story of a girl whose family escapes from Saigon
(now Ho Chi Minh City) during the Vietnam War. Have students brainstorm
everything they know about Vietnam or the Vietnam War. They can create a KWL
chart (a chart that lists what students Know, what they Want to know, and what they
Learned). While reading the book, have them fill out the parts of the chart for things
they want to know and things they learned as they think of them.

Helpful Links

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-‐war

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/05/vietnam_war/html/build_up.s
tm

http://www.playagainstallodds.ca/game_us.html (Refugee simulation game)

http://www.state.gov/j/prm/ra/ (Information on refugees in the US)

http://stories.unhcr.org/

http://www.refugee-‐action.org.uk/refugee_voices

General Tips

Inside Out and Back Again is told in poetry instead of prose. These short excerpts are
great for reading out loud, by both you and your students, because of their relatively
short length. Reading out loud helps with pronunciation, thought groups, intonation,
and a variety of other skills. Experiment with students reading out loud, the teacher
reading out loud, choral reading, etc.

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016


Pages 1 -‐ 43

Suggested Vocabulary

bushel capture chide despite flick foretell
glutinous lunar moped papaya patrol persuade
podium pout ripen scold spy tolerable

Comprehension Questions

v When does this book take place? Why do you think the year is important?
v Why does Mother visit the I Ching Teller of Fate every year? What does he
predict for this year?
v Who is TiTi and why is she crying?
v Where is Hà’s father? What does she know about him?
v What is Mother’s job? What else does she do to make money? Does the family
have enough money to buy food every month?
v At the market, why does Hà order such a strange amount of food?
v What does Hà wish for on her birthday?
v Why do you think the school closed a month early? How do you think the
children felt about this? What about the parents?
v Who is Uncle Son and what does he discuss with Mother?

Writing Activities

1. Hà planted a papaya tree as a seed and is watching it grow. Write about a time
when you planted something and what your experience was like. If you have never
planted anything, write about something you might like to grow in the future.

2. At the beginning of this section, Hà and her family are celebrating the Vietnamese
New Year. How does Hà celebrate the new year? How do you celebrate a new year?
Compare and contrast Hà’s new year celebrations with your own new year
celebrations.

3. In this section, Hà explains what her name means, and why her parents chose her
name. Write about what your name means and why your parents chose it. Or, if you
use an English nickname, write about why you chose that particular name and what
it means to you.


Extension Activities

1. Hà introduces quite a few Vietnamese words in this section. These are great
practice for determining word definitions through context because they won’t be in
a dictionary. Have students go through this section and highlight/underline
Vietnamese words, and they can work individually or with a partner to determine
meaning. They can share their definitions of the words as well as the context clues
they used to determine meaning.

2. In this section, Hà uses a lot of imagery to describe her family and life in Saigon.
Have students use Padlet (a free online bulletin board creation tool) to create a
mood/image board of pictures that represent Hà and Saigon. They can use pictures,
videos, gifs, etc to express their ideas. In addition to images, students can post
interesting information related to Hà, such as a guide to growing papayas in a
container. Students can work in partners, groups, or individually, and can share
their Padlets with the class. Students are also able to make comments on other’s
Padlets.



Pages 44 – 86


ancestral chick clump flecked formal gaunt
hatch hush linger lunge mat monsoon
nudge pinky ration sliver spill twist


v When Mother asks the family about leaving Saigon, what are their reasons
for staying? What are their reasons for leaving?
v Why did Mother cry about a potato?
v What happens on April 21st? Why is this event important?
v What goes into each pack? What is Hà’s special item?
v What things did the family leave behind?
v In your own words, describe Hà’s experience with getting on the boat.
v Why does Hà eat the rice so slowly?
v What do Hà’s brothers do while on the ship?
v What are some of the things that Hà misses from home?

Writing Activities

1. In this section, Hà has to leave home and decide which special item to take with
her. If you had to leave home, which three items would you take with you, and why?

2. Now that Hà and her family are on a ship leaving Saigon, imagine what might
happen next. Where will they go? Who will they meet? What is going to happen?

Extension Activity

At this point in the story, Hà and her family are refugees. Have students discuss why
someone might become a refugee vs. staying in their country, or what they think
happens after someone becomes a refugee. They can do some brief research on this
topic, including looking up personal stories from real refugees (you can find some
helpful links earlier in this guide). Have students share in groups or as a class
discussion what they learned.



Pages 87 – 130


amethyst anchor cowboy crispy deck engine
exception fuzz generosity giddy honk master
picky sauce sponsor stain tent tow


v Why did the commander change the rations?
v The poem on page 91 is called ‘A Kiss’. What does this mean?
v What is life like in the refugee camp in Guam?
v Why do you think the fish sauce is so important to everyone?
v On page 103 – 104, what does Brother Quang mean? Why did he say that?
v In Florida, how do people leave the refugee camp?
v What does Hà’s sponsor look like? How does Hà feel about him?
v How does everyone in Hà’s family react to fried chicken?
v How does Hà react to the new house?
v What is the sentence ‘Jane sees Spot run’? Why is this sentence important?

Writing Activities

1. Choose one of the other characters in this section, and imagine one of the events
from their point of view. Rewrite the poem or event with what the character might
be thinking and feeling.

2. In this section, Hà talks about several different English rules. How does she feel
about these rules? How does she feel about English? How is her experience learning
English and your experience alike? How is it different?

Extension Activities

1. Have students use Google Maps to chart Hà’s journey across the ocean. Using
Google Maps, they can drop pins in important places and add pictures and text to
the pins. They can write about Saigon, the river they used to escape, the Pacific
Ocean, Guam, Florida, and Alabama. Have them create a map/timeline of Hà’s travels
in the book so far.


2. Hà says that her family’s sponsor looks like a cowboy, and she instantly likes him.
Have students discuss what they know about cowboys. Then, students can do some
brief research/discovery on American cowboy movies. Have students look up John
Wayne and Clint Eastwood. You could even show clips of cowboy movies. Students
should discuss why cowboys are popular, and why Hà was so excited to see that her
sponsor looked like a cowboy.



Pages 131 – 176


agreeable chant curious diacritical explode glide
gown hide horizon neigh neighbor plump
shatter signal sniffle startled switch whistle


v Why does Hà ask about horses? How does she feel about this?
v What happens when Hà meets her teacher?
v What does Hà do at lunch on her first day? How does she feel about the food?
v What is Hà going to learn from brother Vũ?
v What are some things that Hà wishes for?
v What happens with neighbors?
v Who is Miss Washington?

Writing Activities

1. Hà becomes sad when she learns that her sponsor does not own a horse because
she expected cowboys in America to have horses. Before you came to America, what
is something you thought you would see or experience in the US? Did your
expectation come true nor not?

2. In this section, Hà meets Miss Washington, who gives Hà a piece of candy or fruit
when she learns a new word. When you started learning English, how did you learn
new vocabulary words? Did you ever give yourself a reward for learning? Write
about your experiences.

Extension Activity

In this poem Wishes, Hà talks about several things that she wishes were different.
Have students write their own wish poems. Brainstorm sentences that with ‘I wish
that…’ or ‘I wish for’. Their wishes can be silly or serious! Have them break up their
statements and rewrite them so they look like one of Hà’s poems. Students can share
their poems on your class website and comment on each other’s poems.



Pages 176 – 218


braid confession dash dissolve escort flip
framed gift hoist horror knot pancake
porch pretend principal scream somersault squat


v What kinds of gifts does the sponsor give to Hà and her family?
v Why does Miss Washington get upset about Hà’s lunch?
v Who are Pink Boy, Pam, and Steven?
v Who is the ‘Busy One’? What does he do?
v Why is Hà upset about pancakes? Who does she tell about this?
v What book did Miss Washington show to Hà? Where did Miss Washington get
this book?
v Why do you think Pink Boy makes fun of Buddha?
v What are some things that Hà confesses to her mother?

Writing Activities

1. How is the relationship between the sponsor and Hà’s family? Is their relationship
good or bad? Use specific examples from the novel to support your opinion.

2. In this section, Hà’s sponsor brings gifts to the family. After studying in the US, are
you going to bring gifts home for your family? What kinds of gifts will you get? Also,
if you wanted to give an American friend a gift from your home country, what would
you give them and why?

Extension Activity

When Miss Washington shows negative pictures of Saigon to Hà’s class, she gets
very upset because those are not the things she loves about her country. Have
students brainstorm some things that other people may think about their country,
and brainstorm things they like about their country that others may not know
about. Then, have them use Padlet to create a bulletin/mood board of all the things
they like about their country. They can share their board with the class or a small
group.



Pages 219 – 260


altar avoid butcher calves compromise consult
effect embarrassment escape fist flannel helpless
lean rumor squish strip waver whim


v What happened on page 219 and 220? How do you think Hà felt after this?
v What is Brother Khôi’s plan? Why does he need a plan?
v How does Hà feel when Pink Boy falls?
v How does Brother Vũ’s motorcycle change Hà’s life at school?
v What does Hà do with the dried papaya?
v What did Pam give Hà for Christmas? What does Hà want to give her in
return?
v What does Hà wear to school after Christmas? How do people at school
react? What does Hà do?
v How does Mother feel when she loses her amethyst ring?
v What jobs do the brothers want to do in the future?
v What does Hà hope for at New Year’s?

Writing Activities

1. In this section, Hà and her family celebrate many different holidays, including
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Vietnamese New Year. While studying in America,
how do you celebrate holidays? Do you celebrate American holidays and holidays
from your country? Write about your experiences celebrating holidays while being
away from home.

2. Inside Out and Back Again starts and ends with Hà’s family celebrating the New
Year. Compare and contrast their New Year at the beginning of the book with their
New Year at the end of the book.

Extension Activity

1. At the end of the novel, the author tells readers that they should sit down with
loved ones and ask them to tell a story. Have your students read the note at the end
of the novel and choose one family member to interview about their childhood. The
students can write these stories, share them orally, or create a Padlet board for
them.


2. Throughout the novel, Hà and her family are refugees fleeing from war in their
country. In the past few years, there has been a surge of refugees fleeing from
various countries to Europe, the United States, and Canada. Find out if there is a
refugee organization in your city, and see if there’s anything your students can do to
help the refugees or volunteer in some way. For example, one of the refugee
organizations in my state needs volunteers to help set up refugee housing (which
can be a one time thing), show people how to use city transportation, help with
learning American culture, and tutor children after school. Some of these might be
more appropriate for ESL students with a higher level of English, but everyone can
help in some way!


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For all the ten years of her life, Hà has

This moving story of one girl's year of

Topics: family, coming-of-age, Vietnam War, refugees, food

Suggested Age Level (Native Speakers): 8 – 12 years

Suggested ESL Level: Low-intermediate

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

©ESL Literature Lesson Plans, 2016

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