Takaki CH 10 method

Chapter 10 discusses many factors that either contributed to or hindered the success of Japanese immigrants to America. I think that it is important for students to be able to read through a text and explore how each element discuss relates back to a central idea. In order to help them work towards that goal I would pick the central topic of “Name some factors that helped and others that hindered the success of Japanese immigrants in America.” The students would be given a helpful graphic organizer in order to complete this task. It would be a two column chart with a large square box between the two columns. In one column students would write factors that helped Japanese immigrants succeed, and in the other column factors that hurt their chances. In the box in the middle would be facts that contributed, but the students are not sure of their overall impact.

Students would complete this chart for homework the night before class. In class we would start by compiling one large class list to put all of this information together. Then students would be able to list the points they have listed in the box, and discuss and debate their impact and try to come to a conclusion as a group.

After this activity students would be put in groups of 3 or 4 They are to pretend they are a Japanese family living in Japan and they received a letter from a friend in America detailing both the advantages and disadvantages of emigrating from Japan to America. One of the three students would be assigned as the father, one as the mother, and one or two as the children. They are to have a family meeting to decide whether they should emigrate and if so, who should go. At the end they will share their ideas with the class.

Examples –

Positives- escape economic hardship of Japan, 1908 Gentleman’s Agreement that allowing Japanese women only to come to America, American education exposed Japanese women to the outside world, increased ethnic solidarity, etc…

Negatives- Both Chinese and Phillipino workers brought into to break up Japanese dominance which eventually meant lower wages, women systematically paid less than men for the exact same work, constantly watched and overseen by “lunas”, leaving family behind likely to never return, weather and work conditions were brutal, etc…

Unsure- Believing they would only be in America for short time, they felt no responsibility to contribute to American society, the assimilation of the Nisei, etc…