Grade 9 curriculum contexts (pp. 278, 285-286 in the curriculum guide)

PERSONAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

In this context, students are looking inward and focusing on self-image and self-esteem. They reflect on self and life, on their beliefs and values and those of society.

SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL

In this context, students look outward and examine their relationships with others, their community, and that of the world. They also can consider the historical context.

ALL THAT I AM – THE SEARCH FOR SELF (personal & philosophical) – Ken’s sense of identity, and his faith in himself based upon his many skills and positive attributes, is shaken badly as the result of intensified racial prejudice and his government’s extreme actions against loyal citizens of Japanese ancestry: Ken does not self-identify as “Japanese”, and because of this unjust treatment, loses his sense of self-worth. The evacuation and time spent in the relocation camp force him to reconstruct his sense of self. Paula, in contrast, sees herself in a negative manner, and beginning to develop along the same lines as her frustrated, under-educated mother. Taking a more clear-eyed look at who she is vis-à-vis her family, with a variety of possible role models (both positive and negative), the injustices enacted by the U.S. government, and the added responsibilities of caring for two farms, work in a catalytic way to galvanize Paula into stepping beyond the traditional family boundaries in terms of women’s roles.

CONFLICTS, ISSUES, AND CHOICES – DOING THE RIGHT THING (social, cultural & historical) – War-time hysteria and racial prejudice cause many normally-reasonable people to make drastic choices that are extremely unreasonable. Both Paula and Ken are challenged to do what they can to work through conflict, and to right the wrongs they see being perpetrated around them – Paula by taking a more clear-eyed look at her traditional family roles, and Ken by learning to embrace the part of him that is Japanese, and use it as a means of problem-solving.

EXPLORING LOYALTY, LOVE, AND RELATIONSHIPS (personal & philosophical; social, cultural & historical) – Ken’s and Paula’s deep, life-long friendship puts them in an ambiguous situation (in their time, to begin dating would be unthinkable). In this context, their loyalty to one another, and to their families, is tested in a number of ways. Additionally, Ken’s unswerving loyalty to his country is seriously tested.

SURVIVING AND CONQUERING (social, cultural & historical; personal & philosophical; environmental & technological) – Ken, and all of those exiled around him, must learn to survive with dignity and build community, in spite of the inhumane treatment at the hands of their government; this necessity of survival also forces Ken to take a hard look at his own dreams, versus the greater good. Paula, in her quest to stand up for what is right, must learn to survive the taunts of her racist peers, the demands of a very heavy work load, and to persevere academically in order to be able to go to college to become a teacher, in hopes that she will someday be able to help make a difference.

Grade 8 curriculum contexts (pp. 278, 283-284 in the curriculum guide)

PERSONAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

In this context, students are looking inward and focusing on self-image and self-esteem. They reflect on self and life, on their beliefs and values and those of society.

SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL

In this context, students look outward and examine their relationships with others, their community, and that of the world. They also can consider the historical context.

BECOMING MYSELF (personal & philosophical) – Under the extreme conditions of the war and the forced evacuation of all persons of Japanese ancestry from the west coast, Ken and Paula both must assess who they are as adolescents: their goals, and their means of pursuing these goals under the sociological and cultural constraints of the time. Despite the many hardships, both become able to identify means of giving their best, whether academically or psychologically, and grow toward maturity.

IS IT FAIR? – IN SEARCH OF JUSTICE (social, cultural & historical) – In Ken’s and Paula’s time, the government itself enacts extreme and unjust practices as a result of war hysteria and racial prejudice. The end result is that one minority group of citizens is forced from their homes, often losing all possessions (including self-worth), and uprooted to live in inhumane conditions in the bleak desert where they can pose no “military threat” to their country. Ken and Paula, studying the U.S. Constitution at school, are faced with the utter hypocrisy and must consider aspects of loyalty in addition to seeking out the just and responsible thing to do in unjust circumstances.

Grade 7 curriculum contexts (pp. 278, 281-282 in the curriculum guide)

PERSONAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

In this context, students are looking inward and focusing on self-image and self-esteem. They reflect on self and life, on their beliefs and values and those of society.

SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL

In this context, students look outward and examine their relationships with others, their community, and that of the world. They also can consider the historical context.

COMMUNICATIVE

In this context, students consider the role of communication in their lives and the ideas and technology that help people become effective communicators.

FINDING THE COURAGE (personal & philosophical) – Ken and Paula both face major challenges as a result of the war: extreme racial prejudice; loss of a brother; loss of property and self-esteem. Both young people are forced to give more than they’d ever imagined, and are tested in difficult ways. Both must weigh and deal with the consequences of promises they have made; both must summon up huge amounts of courage to follow through and make mature choices.

VOICES THROUGH THE AGES – RECONSTRUCTING PAST LIVES (social, cultural & historical; environmental & technological) – Ken’s and Paula’s lives nearly 70 years ago lacked technology and communications media we take for granted today. They must work hard on the farm in addition to going to school; it isn’t as easy for them to enjoy some normal youth activities. Lacking our instant access to information, they must often wait for communications and news, and have few means of checking facts for accuracy. How does this compare to your life today? Do you think it likely that the mass exclusion of a racial minority could happen again, now, in North America?

PARTICIPATING AND GIVING OUR PERSONAL BEST (personal & philosophical) – Ken and Paula are both isolated in certain ways. Paula has a choice between remaining passive and following the role models she sees for young women, or becoming involved to stand up for what she believes is right. In the relocation camp, Ken’s self-esteem plummets; at first he believes the situation is hopeless and that all his dreams have been crushed. Seeing others’ responses to the forced evacuation and incarceration helps him put things in a different perspective: he sees involvement in community activities as a means of working off negative energy, which eventually enables him to re-assess his goals and to give his best in spite of harsh  conditions.

Grade 6 curriculum contexts (pp. 278-280 in the curriculum guide)

PERSONAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

In this context, students are looking inward and focusing on self-image and self-esteem. They reflect on self and life, on their beliefs and values and those of society.

SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL

In this context, students look outward and examine their relationships with others, their community, and that of the world. They also can consider the historical context.

COMMUNICATIVE

In this context, students consider the role of communication in their lives and the ideas and technology that help people become effective communicators.

GROWING UP (personal & philosophical) – Ken and Paula are both emerging from childhood, and are expected to take more responsibility in their family contexts. The extreme conditions of World War II cause both young people to examine their roles and actions more carefully in determining future directions they might take.

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS (personal & philosophical; social, cultural & historical; communicative) – World events related through the news (often distorted by prejudice and rumour) have irrevocable impact on the lives of both Paula and Ken. Each must come to grips with very difficult situations in their family and cultural contexts, and learn to take positive steps as they try to help make a difference.

Alison Lohans did a lot of research for her award-winning book This Land We Call Home. Here are some of the resources she used:

SOME RESOURCES – World War II exclusion of persons of Japanese ancestry

Print:

Fiction:

Children’s and young adult:

• Barry Denenberg, The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559, Mirror Lake Internment Camp. Scholastic (New York), 1999.
• Garry Disher, The Divine Wind. Scholastic (Australia? New York?), 1998, 2002, 2004.
• Cynthia Kadohata, Weedflower. Atheneum (New York), 2006.
• (CANADIAN): Joy Kogawa, Naomi’s Road. Oxford University Press (?), 1984(?).
• Florence Crannell Means, The Moved Outers. Houghton Mifflin (Boston) 1945.
• Ken Mochizuki, Baseball Saved Us. Lee & Low (New York), 1993(?).
• David Patneaude, Thin Wood Walls. Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 2004.
• Allen Say, Music for Alice. Houghton Mifflin (Boston) 2004.
• Yoshiko Uchida, Journey Home. Aladdin, second edition, 1992.

Adult:

• David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars. Harcourt & Brace (New York), 1994.
• (CANADIAN): Joy Kogawa, Obasan. Penguin Canada, 1981.
• Yoshiko Uchida, Picture Bride. University of Washington Press (Seattle), 1987.
• Wilma Wall, Forbidden. Kregel, 2004.

Nonfiction:

Children’s:

• Joanne Oppenheim, Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference. Scholastic, Inc. (New York), 2006.
• (CANADIAN): Shizuye Takashima, A Child in Prison Camp. Tundra Books, 1971.

Adult:

• Maisie and Richard Conrat, Executive Order 9066: The Internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans. The MIT Press (Cambridge, MA), 1972.
• Roger Daniels, Prisoners without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II, Revised Edition. Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux (New York), 2004.
• Deborah Gesensway and Mindy Roseman, Beyond Words: Images from America’s Concentration Camps. Cornell University Press, 1987.
• Bill Hosokawa, Nisei, the Quiet Americans. William Morrow (New York), 1969.
• Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, Farewell to Manzanar. Bantam, 1974.
• Lawson Fusao Inada (Ed.), Only What We Could Carry. The Japanese American Internment Experience. Heyday Books (Berkeley) with the California History Society, 2000.
• Carey McWilliams, Prejudice – Japanese American Symbol of Racial Intolerance. Little, Brown & Company, 1944.
• Carl Mydans (staff photographer), “Tule Lake”. LIFE Magazine, Vol. 16, No. 12, March 20, 1944, pp. 25-35.
• (CANADIAN): Tom Sando, Wild Daisies in the Sand. Life in a Canadian Internment Camp. NeWest Press, 2002.
• Yoshiko Uchida, Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family. University of Washington Press (Seattle), 1982.
• Michi Nishiura Weglyn, Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America’s Concentration Camps. University of Washington Press (Seattle), 1976, second edition 1999.

Web:

• J. Burton, M. Farrell, F. Lord, and R. Lord, Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites. National Park Service.
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce1.htm
• Judith Fryer Davidov, “’The Color of My Skin, the Shape of My Eyes’: Photographs of the Japanese-American Internment by Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, and Toyo Miyatake”. The Yale Journal of Criticism 9.2, 1996. http://muse.jhu.edu.libproxy.uregina.ca:2048/journals/yale­_journal_of_criticism/v009/9.2
• The Densho Project. www.densho.org. The Densho Project Archive.
• http://www.discovernikkei.org/wiki/index.php/Migration_Historical_Overview_Canada
• http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/the_war_years.htm
• http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.ca
• “An Interview with Marielle Tsukamoto: A First-hand Account of Japanese Internment”
• http://home.jps.net/~gailhd/Hall_5.html
• “Japanese Americans: Home at Last”, National Geographic, April 1986.
• http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/nat.html
• “Letters from the Japanese American Internment”, History: Whose Story. Smithsonian Education. http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/japanese_internment
• Ken Matsumura, “America’s Concentration Camps”, International Socialist Review, Issue 13, August-September 2000. http://isreview.org/issues/13/Japanese_internment.shtml
• Mark Weber, “The Japanese Camps in California”, Journal of Historical Review, Institute for Historical Review. http://ihr.org/jhr/v02/v02p-45_Weber.html

From Wikipedia:

• “Poston War Relocation Center” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poston_War_Relocation_Center
• “Japanese American Internment”
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_internment_in_the_United_States
• “Colorado River Indian Reservation”
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River_Indian_Reservation
• “Yoshiko Uchida”
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiko_Uchida

Videos and DVDs:

• (CANADIAN): Joy Kogawa, The Pool: Reflections of the Japanese-Canadian Internment.
• Minoru: Memory of Exile.