Lesson by John McNamara and Ron Nash
Essay by Michael Jin, University of Illinois Chicago
Grade Level: 7–12
Number of Class Periods: 3
Primary Theme: Asian American History
About This Lesson Plan Unit
The three lessons in this unit explore the twentieth-century history of Japanese Americans, particularly in regard to immigration and citizenship status. Students will examine and assess primary sources, including legislation, legal decisions, and sketches. You will assess students’ understanding through their participation in small-group and whole-class discussions and their written responses to critical thinking questions and the essential questions.
Lesson Plan Authors: John McNamara and Ron Nash
Historical Background Essay by: Michael Jin, University of Illinois Chicago
Additional Information About This Unit
Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSSELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
CCSSELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions
CCSSELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3: Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (eg, how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered)
CCSSELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (eg, visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem
CCSSELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain
CCSSELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on [grade-level] topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively
CCSSELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1 and 11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
What policies limited Japanese immigration to the United States?
What challenges did Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans confront?
How did Japanese Americans advocate for equal rights?
Documents
Documents
A Letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to Victor Howard Metcalf, Secretary of Commerce and Labor, November 27, 1906, on the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907
Immigration Act of 1917
“Map Showing Asiatic Zone Prescribed in Section Three of Immigration Act, the Natives of Which Are Excluded from the United States, with Certain Exceptions”
Takao Ozawa, Naturalization of a Japanese Subject in the United States: A Brief in Re Ozawa Case
US Supreme Court Decision in Takao Ozawa v. United States, 1922
Mine Okubo’s Sketches of Her Experiences in Japanese Internment Camps during World War II