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Farewell to Manzanar Educational Kit (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Memoir, Drama, History
Coming of age, Displacement, Evils of racism, Family - blessing or curse, Growing up - pain or pleasure, Injustice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Power of the past
Limited availability

In 2003, the Farewell to Manzanar Education Initiative distributed 10,000 copies of the Farewell to Manzanar Educational Kit to California public schools and public libraries. The kit consists of the book, Farewell to Manzanar and Related Readings (1998), a teaching guide for the book (1998), a VHS cassette of the Farewell to Manzanar made-for-television movie (1976) with an additional 35-minute classroom version, and a video study guide (2002). Separate elements of the kit are available for purchase (except for the video study guide).

A Teacher's Resource for Farewell to Manzanar (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Grades 7-9, Grades 9-12
Coming of age, Displacement, Evils of racism, Family - blessing or curse, Growing up - pain or pleasure, Identity crisis, Injustice
Widely available

This study guide developed in 1999 by Facing History and Ourselves with Voices of Love and Freedom is part of the "Witness to History" series that examines a literary work confronting the complexity of history particularly around issues of prejudice and discrimination. It is based on the 1973 edition of Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. In this memoir, Wakatsuki Houston traces her family experiences during World War II, when because of their Japanese ancestry, they are incarcerated at Manzanar, a concentration camp in the California desert.

The Experience of Japanese Americans in the United States: A Teacher Resource Manual (curricula)

Curricula
Pre-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Displacement, Evils of racism, Immigrant experience, Injustice, Knowledge versus ignorance, Overcoming - fear, weakness, vice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Rights - individual or societal, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
Widely available

The Advisory Council to the Ethnic Heritage Project of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) developed, printed and distributed this manual in 1975. It was one of the first efforts to provide K–12 instructional materials about the history and achievements of Japanese Americans in the United States. The aim of the manual was to counter existing teaching materials which contained information that "portray(ed) persons of Japanese ancestry in a distorted or stereotypic fashion" (page 6). In addition, the authors sought to see Japanese Americans represented in the educational system's instructional framework of cultural pluralism.

Take Me Home: Curricular Resource Materials (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8
Injustice, Growing up - pain or pleasure, Power of the past, Rights - individual or societal
Widely available

This guide supports the instructional use of the 15-minute video, Take Me Home: A Child's Experience of Internment . The authors of the 19-page resource target grades 6 – 8, however; the materials can be adapted to upper elementary as well. Although the film and curriculum materials were produced in Washington, their use has broad application as they are not specific (other than the mention of the academic standards) to Washington State.

Teacher's Guide: The Bill of Rights and the Japanese American World War II Experience (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Injustice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Rights - individual or societal
Limited availability

The forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II suspended their constitutional rights and civil liberties. This guide, for teachers of grades 4–12, focuses on this historical event to examine individual rights and the shared responsibility that students have to protect the rights of all individuals, even during times of national crisis.

What It Means To Be An American: Lesson Plans on Race and the Media in Times of Crisis (curricula)

Curricula
Middle School, High School
Dangers of ignorance, Evils of racism, Fear of other, Injustice, Rights

Published by the Japanese American Citizens League in 2004, this 24-page booklet provides a middle/high school curriculum that addresses the parallels between the World War II experience of Japanese Americans and the post-September 11th experience of Arab and Muslim Americans. The unit is organized into three lessons "Hidden Truths – The Use of Spin," "Opinion-Editorials," "Political Cartoons," with a total of ten learning activities. The booklet also includes background information about the World War II Japanese American incarceration, the impact of September 11 on Arab and Muslim Americans, and myths and stereotypes.

When Military Necessity Overrides Constitutional Guarantees: The Treatment of Japanese Americans During World War II (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Evils of racism, Immigrant experience, Injustice, Rights - individual or societal, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
Widely available

This curriculum guide examines the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans through the lens of its constitutional merit. It should be noted that it was published in 1982, and it contains terminology that in 2017 is considered inappropriate and/or offensive in the use of "Oriental" versus Asian or Asian American. In addition, many of the suggested classroom materials are outmoded (filmstrips) or out of print and may be difficult to access. The guide refers to a "media kit" which may have been available when the guide was first published.

When National Security Trumps Individual Rights (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Individual versus society, Injustice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Power of the past, Rights - individual or societal, War - glory, necessity, pain tragedy
Widely available

This lesson prompts students to think about the balance of civil liberties and national security during times of national crisis by considering the Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. United States (1944). Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu fought against the mass removal of Japanese Americans during World War II by refusing to report to the Tanforan Assembly Center in 1942. He challenged his felony conviction on constitutional grounds, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court where he lost in a 6-3 decision. In 1983, this conviction was vacated after information surfaced proving that the government had originally withheld critical evidence.

When the Emperor Was Divine: Teacher's Guide (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Displacement, Growing up - pain or pleasure, Evils of racism, Injustice

The Information provided in this 10-page guide aims to get students to understand When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka "as both a work of art and a meditation on freedom, identity, and loyalty" (page 2). There is background information about the novel and the author, including excerpts from an interview with Otsuka. The historical information provided about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans was garnered from Lauren Kessler's Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese-American Family (New York, Random House, 1993).

Ancestry is Not a Crime: The Internment of People of Japanese Descent During World War II (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Displacement, Evils of racism, Injustice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Rights - individual or societal, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
Limited availability

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Hawai'i state legislature funded the development of Ancestry is Not a Crime , focused on the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans. The 192-page curriculum aims to engage elementary through high school students with this complex history, to wrestle with the meaning of democratic principles, and to think critically about civil liberties and the responsibilities of a democratic citizenry.

Classroom Guide for the National Japanese Memorial to Patriotism (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Overcoming - fear, weakness, vice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Power of the Past, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
Widely available

The National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C. was dedicated in 2000. It was initially developed in 1988 by the "Go For Broke" National Veterans Association Foundation; ownership was transferred to the United States Government in 2002. The Memorial is currently managed by the National Park Service. The classroom guides (one for upper elementary/middle school and another for high school) are designed for teachers to provide an overview of the Memorial and to provide some basic information about the World War II experience of Japanese Americans, particularly around forced removal, incarceration, and military service.

Security, Civil Liberties, and Terrorism (curricula)

Curricula
11th grade+
Chaos and order, Individual versus society, Rights - individual or societal, Facing darkness

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on The World Trade Center and Pentagon, terrorism has emerged as one of the most prominent security concerns for the United States. Multiple sectors of society—military, judicial, public health, diplomatic and so on—have been impacted in the effort to address the threats of terrorism. The Security, Civil Liberties, and Terrorism curriculum prompts students to examine the complex issues surrounding terrorism including how to define it, how to analyze it, and how a liberal democratic government can react to it while realizing the consequences and tradeoffs involved.

Civil Rights and Japanese-American Internment (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 9-12, Adult
Expression through art, Immigrant experience, Individual versus society, Injustice, Overcoming, Patriotism, Rights, War

Developed in 2000 by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) and the Institute for International Studies (IIS) at Stanford University, this high school/college curriculum module presents civil rights in the context of the Japanese-American experience from immigration in the early 20th century to World War II, and on through more contemporary issues of redress, reparations and memorializing the incarceration. Organized into six lessons, this curriculum can provide up to three weeks of stand-alone instruction or select lessons can be used to augment U.S. history textbook coverage.

The War Relocation Centers of World War II: When Fear was Stronger than Justice (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Injustice, Rights - individual or societal, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
Widely available

This lesson for upper elementary and secondary students produced by the National Park Service centers on files from the National Register of Historic Places: " Manzanar War Relocation Center" and " Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial Cemetery". The lesson can be used in the study of World War II in U.S. History or human rights in a social studies unit. Links allow teachers to search for relevant curriculum standards by subject and grade level.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (curricula)

Curricula
Family - blessing or curse, Growing up - pain or pleasure, Evils of racism, Lost love
Widely available

This teacher's guide supports the instructional use of the bestselling 2009 novel by Jamie Ford about a budding romance between a young Chinese American boy and a Japanese American girl, set in 1942 Seattle as aspects of World War II impact their lives. Appropriate for the middle/high school English/language arts classroom, and because of the setting, also social studies. The guide notes the novel is written at a seventh grade reading level.

Japanese American Internment: Asian Americans and U.S.-Asia Relations (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8
Displacement, Rights

This lesson seeks to make students aware of the World War II wartime experience of Japanese Americans and to develop empathy for the children whose lives were impacted. The lesson is designed not to reveal aspects of the Japanese American incarceration until the end. It begins with a survey that asks students about aspects of their daily lives including a list of their possessions, description of their bedroom, and their usual routine. Next students are asked to respond to situations similar to what Japanese Americans faced, such as what they would take if they had to move away, how they would feel if they had to leave a pet behind or share a bathroom with over 100 people. This is followed by a short skit about a student taking another student's desk and when asked to return the desk, the student is reluctant to do so, simulating what some Japanese …

Japanese American Internment: Fear Itself (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8
Displacement, Injustice, Rights-individual or societal, War-glory, necessity, pain, tragedy

Published on the Library of Congress (LOC) website, this lesson plan incorporates primary source materials about the World War II Japanese American incarceration in five classroom activities projected to take 1-2 weeks. The primary sources used are largely historic photographs from the LOC American Memory collection featuring the removal of Japanese Americans, and President Roosevelt signing the declaration of war. In addition, there are profiles of two Japanese American veterans from the LOC American Folklife Center - Veterans History Project which includes oral history interviews and transcripts, historic photos, and related documents. An online tool allows teachers to search by grade level and subject to see how this lesson addresses standards (Common Core, State Content, Organization).

Japanese Relocation During World War II (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Displacement, Injustice, Patriotism - positive side or complications, Rights - individual or societal
Widely available

This resource from the National Archives provides historical background, an annotated bibliography of other resources, links to primary source materials (documents, photos), standards correlations, and teaching activities.

Manzanar National Historic Site Educator Resources Kit (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12, Adult
Displacement, Evils of racism, Self-awareness, War
Available

"How does identity shape my experience in America?" is the central question which serves to unify the wide range of materials in this resource kit. The kit includes printed materials (lesson plans, reproductions of primary sources, official park brochure, booklet for self-guided tours, Densho brochure), and digital resources (video documentary, electronic field trip, biographical sketches of former inmates, related standards, lesson plans, and historical photos). The Manzanar National Historic Site Educator Resources Kit was supported by a grant from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program and the Manzanar History Association.

Minnesota's Remarkable Secret School for Language: Curriculum and Resource Guide (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8
Patriotism - positive side or complications, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
Widely available

During World War II, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) trained 6,000 soldiers—mostly Japanese Americans (second generation – "Nisei")—in the Japanese language to support the war effort with translation, interpretation and interrogation. The MIS language school (MISLS) came to Camp Savage, Minnesota, in 1942 and then moved in 1944 to Fort Snelling, both in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. It was originally established in 1941 at the Presidio in San Francisco and moved back to the Presidio in 1946. The MIS played a critical role in the American victory over Japan in the Pacific and is credited with shortening the war by two years, saving many lives and great expense. This 72-page curriculum and resource guide is intended for Grade 6, however, the authors suggest it can be adapted for Minnesota History and/or WWII History.

Prisoners of the Empire: Educators' Guide (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12
Coming of age, Companionship as salvation, Growing up - pain or pleasure, War - glory, necessity, pain, tragedy, Overcoming - fear, weakness, vice, Patriotism - positive side or complications
Widely available

This guide, produced by Random House is for the Prisoners of the Empire series of four books by Graham Salisbury of which Under the Blood-Red Sun is the first title. These young adult novels focus on Japanese Americans in Hawai'i during World War II. The other titles in the series are Eyes of the Emperor , House of the Red Fish , and Hunt for the Bamboo Rat .

A Lesson in American History: The Japanese American Experience, Curriculum and Resource Guide, 5th Edition (curricula)

Curricula
Grades 1-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 7-8, Grades 9-12, Adult
Fear of other, Injustice, Rights, War

Created by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), this 150-page guide for teachers is a comprehensive resource focused on the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. It provides historical information, a timeline, an annotated listing of K-12 resource materials (books, audio and visual works, websites, museum exhibits, agencies and organizations), K-6 and 7-12 lesson plans, and an appendix of various primary source materials. The content also covers other historic events when the government restricted the rights of individual citizens in favor of national security, including the story of Arab and Muslim Americans in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.