Kaz and Cathy Miyata

Destination: Neys

Destination: Neys

Teaching Guide  ·  Grades 6-10

About the Book

Eleven year-old Tamiko Arima and her family have been travelling on hard wooden train benches for two days, without food or water, heading for an unknown destination. As a Japanese Canadian, she has already been held in internment camps for three years by the Canadian government and the war has been over for a whole year. Surely, she hopes, they are finally going home.

Little does she know her family is about to be ripped apart, humiliated, and starved in a German prisoner of war camp deep within the northern Ontario wilderness.

Does she have the grit to survive this? Would you?

Trigger Warning: This book deals with incarceration, injustice, sickness, starvation, racism, and death. As a historical novel it is based on the true-life experiences of survivors of this camp. Consider the life experiences of your students before exploring the text and be prepared to facilitate critical conversations.

Exploring Themes in the Novel:

Arrange students in small discussion groups. In the chart below is a collection of themes represented in the novel. Hand out one theme to each group. Ask students to discuss what the theme means to them. Have they ever experienced this? Instruct each group to share their ideas about their theme with the rest of the class.

POW Racism Stereotyping Propaganda Injustice Internment Oppression Intimidation

After the first discussion, hand out the next set of themes for discussion. Have they ever experienced these themes? As before, instruct each group to share their ideas about their theme with the rest of the class.

Resilience Support Hope Justice Adaptation Coping Identity Affirmation

General Discussion Questions:

Critical Thinking Exercises

Making meaning- In pairs or small groups identify-

POV- The book is written in Tamiko's viewpoint. Who's voice is not represented? Write a letter home from the viewpoint of another character: one of the veteran guards, the doctor, a Marathon Shop keeper, or a train conductor. What do you see, think, feel? Is it justified?

Identifying Acts of Oppression- Identify moments in the novel when Tamiko or her sister Naomi felt marginalized. Have you ever experienced these feelings? Make a list of suggested ways to overcome these feelings.

Creative Thinking Exercises

Response Writing- After each chapter write a brief "I believe…" or "I feel…" response to the events in the chapter. Share with a partner.

Writing in Role- Select a character from the novel. Write a reaction to an event in the novel from your new perspective. Describe what happened, how you feel about it, and what you intend to do next.

Movement Piece- Arrange students in pairs. Give each pair a set of themes identified under Exploring Themes in the Novel. E.g. Incarceration/Identity, Racism/Hope. Instruct students to create a movement for each word that represents the meaning of that word as expressed in the novel. Make the movements big and broad and use different levels. Students can face each other, stand side by side, or back-to-back when enacting the movements. Play music and instruct students to repeat their movements three times in a sequence. Now they have created a dance phrase. Ask half the class to perform their dance phrases (all at the same time, staggered across the space) while the other half of the class watches, then switch. Note: The tempo and mood of the music will affect the impact of the final work.

Corridor of Voices- Tell students they will be giving positive advice to a character in the story to assist them in their decision making or to praise them for something they did. Instruct students to stand in two lines facing each other, about 1 meter apart. Ask one volunteer to represent a character in the novel (Tamiko, the mother, the doctor, Mrs. Ono. the Major, etc.) As that character, the volunteer walks very slowly up the aisle. The students in the rows whisper advice to the character as they pass by. Ask student, (who played the character) to share how it felt and what was said. Repeat the exercise for other characters. This is very effective if done at the conclusion of a chapter.

Draw a Map- Create a map of the camp and the woods. Mark down areas where certain characters prefer to be. Be prepared to explain why.

Re-create the Bed- This exercise is fun to do outside on the grass. Purchase a bale of hay. Instruct students to bring in two pillowcases. Have students stuff their pillowcases with hay and overlap the ends together to form one large hay mattress. Tell students to lay on their mattresses and close their eyes. Ask them to systematically take an inventory of each of their senses: taste, touch, feel, hear, smell. Then repeat the inventory with their eyes open. Afterwards, write a description of what it would be like to sleep on this night after night.

Cultural Identity Exercises

Re-enact Tippy Tippy- In a small group, try to play the game Tippy Tippy. Then describe a game you played from your own childhood and teach it to the group. Is your game unique to your home culture (Canadian, Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Columbian, Korean, etc.) Are there any special words or rules the group should learn. Explain why you liked this game.

Create a Komishibai Story- In the novel, Tamiko tells a story using a traditional storytelling technique- story cards. Select a story from your own home culture (Canadian, Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Columbian, Korean, etc.). This can be a nursery rhyme, a fable, or a folk tale. Keep it short and simple. Create picture cards for that story (3-6) and tell the story, using the cards, to a small group of children in a younger grade. Afterwards, describe the children's response to the story to a partner.

Oral Histories- Interview an older family member or a friend about a special event, trip, their immigration story, or something special they made, built, or have kept for a long time. Remember the details to make it sound interesting. Retell this story to a partner at school the next day. Explain why this was important to your storyteller.

Looking Beyond the Novel

Social Awareness and Responsibility Exercises

Events Leading to the Internment
Examine the main events in Japanese Canadian history as outlined in this website under the tab Chronological History of the Japanese Canadian Internment. Identify three of the most significant events that affected the lives of the Japanese Canadians. Justify your choices.

Research Assignment
Twenty-six Japanese Canadian internment camps were established across Canada; some in British Columbia, some in the prairies, and some in Ontario. Locate and compare two internment camps from two different provinces. Describe the camps and list the different hardships experienced in each site.

Debate
In 1988, Prime Minister Mulroney apologized to the surviving Japanese Canadians for being incarcerated in internment camps for seven years. Their homes, businesses, property, and bank accounts were confiscated and never returned. As compensation for this, each survivor of the internment was offered $21,000. Fair or not fair?

About the Authors:

For detailed information about the author's lives and why they co-wrote this book, please refer to their website www.cathymiyata.com

Further Resources for Teachers: