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Lesson Plan, Book, Article, Film :

Lesson Plan, Book, Article, Film Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Angel Island

  • Grade Level K-5th Grade
  • Time Period 1930 - 1969
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Introduction

These resources explore the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the experiences of Chinese immigrants at Angel Island, using a variety of primary and secondary sources to understand historical perspectives on immigration, racism, and American identity.

UNIT PLANS
Chinese Exclusion & Angel Island by Noreen Naseem Rodriguez (Iowa State University): Lesson plans for grades 2-5 that examine the Chinese Exclusion Act and the immigrant experience at Angel Island.
Angel Island Immigrant Journeys Curriculum Guides (AIISF): provide strategies and background material designed for teachers of Grades 3-12
New-York Historical Society: Lesson Plan Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 & Edith Maude Eaton

LESSON PLAN
Discovering Angel Island: The Story Behind the Poems (KQED)

BOOK
Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America by Helen Foster James and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh

VIDEOS
Discovering Angel Island: The Story Behind the Poems (KQED)
Angel Island Profile: Tyrus Wong (AIISF)
“Angel Island and the Chinese Exclusion Act” Excerpt from Asian Americans (PBS)

PRIMARY SOURCES
AIISF Image Catalog: Photographs and artifacts from Angel Island, including Chinese immigration certificates and historical photographs.

Essential Questions

  • What does it mean to be an American?

  • What does it mean to be an immigrant?

  • What can sources (e.g., photographs, advertisements, letters, news reports) from the past teach us about

  • what life was like at the time?

  • What are things to notice in the sources to reveal that information?

  • What do they tell us about what people thought and valued?

  • Is this source reliable?

  • Whose perspective is portrayed?