32% of our school's students are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, yet they hardly ever get to see literature that reflects their own cultural backgrounds. I have been taking graduate classes to learn more about literature from the Pacific and have been actively working to incorporate more Pacific literature in my English Language Arts classes. One book that I recently discovered through one of these classes is "One Truth, No Lie" by Lehua Parker--a Native Hawaiian author from Hawaiʻi! The novel is the third in her "Niuhi Shark Saga," which adapts Native Hawaiian moʻolelo to a contemporary setting. In this third book, main character Zader reckons with discovering his biological family and a big family secret that takes him away from everything he has ever known.
Through reading and discussing "One Truth, No Lie," students will not only learn the ELA content standards, but also learn in a way that is rooted in Native Hawaiian values.
I plan to ground our discussion of the novel in the Hawaiʻi DOE's Nā Hopena A‘o framework, which focuses on strengthening students' senses of belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha, total well-being, and Hawaiʻi. Reinforcing these values in the classroom setting will help students to grow as well-rounded citizens who can be successful beyond the walls of our classroom.
"One Truth, No Lie," provides many rich opportunities for students to observe these skills through the characters in the novel, such as when Zader learns to see from his estranged sister's perspective (belonging) or when his brother Jay bounces back from an injury and uses his experience to help others (excellence/total well-being). After reading the novel, students will be challenged to find ways to demonstrate the Nā Hopena A‘o components in their own lives.
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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