Skip to main content

Lesson Plan, Book, Teaching Guide :

Lesson Plan, Book, Teaching Guide Japanese American Incarceration

  • Grade Level K-2nd Grade
  • Time Period Late 1800s - 1949
Open Resource (opens in new tab)

Introduction

This resource introduces students to the history of Japanese American incarceration and its connection to themes of immigration, belonging, and civil rights. Through activities, books, and teacher-guided discussions, students explore the struggles immigrants face, historical discrimination against Asian Americans, and changing perspectives on fairness and belonging over time.

BOOKS
Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us by Analiza Quiroz Wolf, illustrated by Tuire Siiriainen
Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America by Helen Foster James & Virginia Shin-Mui Loh

LESSON PLAN
Redefine American: Activity 1: Defining “Immigrant” - Asian American Education Project

TEACHER’S GUIDE
Japanese American Internment - Library of Congress

Essential Questions

  • What causes a person to leave his/her native country and start a life in another country?

  • What are the struggles and obstacles of starting a new life in an unfamiliar place?

  • What would help a person feel like they belong? How did the United States’ government feel about Asian Americans during the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s? How have these feelings changed?