TAH Lesson Template

*Please expand the length of the template in each section for your own needs

Title: Chinese Immigrants
Teacher Course/Subject: US History
Grade(s): 9-12 #students # with IEP, 504
Days of Class
Enduring Understandings
• Americans come from many places for many reasons.
• When people move, they take their cultures with them.
• When people move they face challenges.
Essential Questions
1.  In what ways has immigration shaped Boston?
2.  In what ways have Boston shaped immigration to Boston?
3.  How did prejudice and racism shape the development of Boston’s Chinatown?
Students will understand the experience for Chinese immigrants.
Students will analyze the role of racism in the formation of Chinatown.
Learning Standards and historical thinking skills
• USII.3 Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern and Eastern
Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese to America in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, and describe the major roles of these immigrants in the
industrialization of America. (H)
• USII.30 Describe some of the major economic and social trends of the late 20th
century. (H, E)
C. major immigration and demographic changes such as the rise in Asian and
Hispanic immigration (both legal and illegal)
2. Historical Comprehension
D. Evidence historical perspectives.
G. Draw upon visual, literal, and musical sources.
3. Historical Analysis and Interpretation
B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors,
and institutions.
E. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation, including the importance of the individual, the influence of ideas, and the role of chance.
J. Hypothesize the influence of the past.
4. Historical Research Capabilities
C. Interrogate historical data.
5. Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making
A. Identify issues and contemporary issues.
E. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue.
F. Evaluate the implementation of a decision.
Materials/Resources Needed
Computer with Internet and projector
Historic images of Chinatown
Current Images of Chinatown
The Chinese in America and Boston ppt
Primary Sources
SIGHT worksheet
Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
-Written diary entries using primary source information
Learning Activities/Plan
1-  Initiator: Check for Prior Knowledge
Have students brainstorm what they know about Chinese immigration and Chinatown. Ask students to hypothesize why Chinatown developed and its effects on immigrants.
2-  Introduction to class activity
Provide a brief background of Chinese immigration and the racism they endured throughout the country.
If students are not familiar with the SIGHT procedure, demonstrate using “Rough on Rats” advertisement on slide 9 with teacher guidance.
3-  Group work
Divide the class into small groups (2-3 per group). Assign group roles (ie leader, writer, and time keeper). Tell students that will be receiving an image illustrating the racism that the Chinese experienced after immigrating that they will analyze using the SIGHT method. Circulate around to each group to hear analysis and discussion. Have the groups share their analysis of their image. (Images are also on slides 10-15 if you would like to analyze them as a class.) After the groups have presented, continue the PowerPoint about the experience of Chinese immigrants in Boston. Go through the remaining slides. After providing the background have the students analyze the packet of images of Chinese life in Boston Chinatown. See additional info for more resources for finding images of Boston’s Chinatown.
Closure (Summarize, Review, Homework, Preview Next Day)
Have students share their observations about life in Chinatown with the class. Pass out the homework assignment. Explain that students will write a detailed journal entry from the point of view of a Chinese immigrant living in Boston using information from class.
Additional teacher information (other resources, websites, etc.)
If you would like more images of Boston’s Chinatown to provide a more thorough depiction of the life of the Chinese living in Boston, Chinese in Boston: 1870-1965 by Wing-Kai, To and the Chinese Historical Society of New England. It has a large number of images that show daily life in Chinatown. Chinese in Massachusetts: Their Experiences and Contributions by Doris Chu would also provide additional images if you’d like.
If you would like to extend this lesson or include video, PBS has a wide variety of resources located Becoming American: The Chinese Experience. Here you will find video clips, audio recordings, images, and first person accounts.
http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/index.html