Becoming Asian: The Act of Inventing Race

Overview

It’s one thing to acknowledge that there is no apolitical classroom. But how can teachers begin to address complex American racial realities in effective and engaging ways? Professors Justin Gomer and Christopher Petrella suggest that because “one cannot begin to comprehend the relationship between race and racism without historical investigation,” educators should employ “a historically-grounded anti-racist pedagogy…[that] allows us to see US society ‘in the act of inventing race.’”

Scot Nakagawa’s personal experiences with “the invention of race” and model minority myths in his essay “Becoming Asian” will help students and teachers untangle the knotty history of race and racism in the United States while locating themselves within our current political landscape.

In these lessons, students will read and study the essay “Becoming Asian” and use it as an entry point for social critique and the exploration of past and present realities of identity, immigration, race, and power.

Standards

Standards met through this curriculum

Learning Outcomes/Essential Questions

Students will:

1. Use reading strategies to build vocabulary and enhance comprehension and critical thinking.
2. Use textual evidence to analyze immigrant and cultural experiences.
3. Explore issues of identity, immigration, and race, while demonstrating their ELA and history/social studies skills through reader response, narrative writing, and/or discussion.

Essential Questions:

1. Why is it important to share and understand the race and immigration stories of ourselves and others, and how might these stories shape the ways in which we live and relate to one another?
2. What is the history of immigration in the United States, and how does it relate to current immigration issues? How can we use knowledge of this history to achieve greater justice in the present and future?
3. What factors determine a person’s race, and how might these change over time? What forces influence racial identity, and why?
4. How do race and power determine who gets to be “American”? What benefits come with being considered “American,” and how are these benefits dependent on the exclusion of certain people?
5. How true is the statement, “Race isn’t real but racism is”? How can we reconceptualize race in order to challenge and change racist attitudes?

Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

Levels 1, 2, 3, 4

For more information on DOK, see DOK Slide Wheel

Materials/Technology

Computers/devices with which students may produce and publish their writing (optional)

Laos facts and map
Japan facts and map

Printouts

Download All Files for this Guide (zip file)

Reading Scoring Guides

ODE Informational Text Reading Scoring Guide (English)

ODE Informational Text Reading Scoring Guide (Spanish)

ODE Informational Text Reading Scoring Guide in Student Language (English)

ODE Informational Text Reading Scoring Guide in Student Language (Spanish)

Writing Scoring Guides

SBAC Explanatory Writing Scoring Guide

ODE Informative/Explanatory Writing Scoring Guide (English)

ODE Informative/Explanatory Writing Scoring Guide (Spanish)

ODE Writing Scoring Guide in Student Language (English)

ODE Writing Scoring Guide in Student Language (Spanish)

Social Science Scoring Guides

ODE Social Science Scoring Guide (English)

ODE Social Science Scoring Guide (Spanish)

ODE Social Science Scoring Guide (Russian)

ODE Social Science Scoring Guide in Student Language (English)

ODE Social Science Scoring Guide in Student Language (Spanish)

ODE Social Science Scoring Guide in Student Language (Russian)

Preparation

1. Review all resources and decide which components you will include and how many lessons to allot for this curriculum. (Note: Almost every component can be used as a stand-alone piece or combined with other components.)
2. Read and take notes on the “Becoming Asian” essay.
3. Review and prepare your chosen handouts.
4. Preview and prepare the Race, Identity, and the American Dream introduction mini-lecture and PowerPoint. Read the two National Geographic articles that much of the lecture is based on:
   National Geographic: Twins and Rethinking Race
   National Geographic: There’s No Scientific Basis for Race
5. Print out the notes for each slide and review them before lecturing. You may choose to include only some of the notes and slides in your lecture.
6. Decide what formatting, length specifications, and writing process steps you will require for the narrative writing assessment.
7. Preview and prepare optional extensions.

Reading Strategies

1. Model and instruct students to use the AVID® Marking the Text strategy as they read the article.
   1. Before reading, number the paragraphs. (A paragraph begins at any break in the text, even if it is not indented.)
   2. While reading, circle key vocabulary, dates, names, places, events, and important numbers/statistics.
   3. After reading, go back and re-read sections, underlining author’s claims, evidence, strong images, and descriptions.
2. While reading, pause at various places and model the think-aloud strategy to demonstrate comprehension/summarization of the text.
3. Model and instruct students to use the Learn-Read-Discuss strategy.
   1. Present lecture and PowerPoint on Race, Identity, and the American Dream while students take Cornell or other structured notes.
   2. Students read essay (using teacher’s designated strategies).
   3. Students engage in small- or large-group discussion, synthesizing information from the lecture and essay.
4. TAG Option: You may choose to give advanced readers the SOAPS Text Analysis handout for tracking the author’s argument and purpose during their reading. Students’ observations using this strategy can be incorporated into later lesson steps, such as discussion and writing responses.

Instructional Plan

1. Introduction:
   1. Tell students you will be presenting some background information to help them better understand the essay they will read (Listen-Read-Discuss strategy). Ask them to prepare materials to take notes in whatever style you choose (Cornell, outlining, charting, etc.).
   2. Pre-teach any note-taking strategies as necessary.
   3. Pause and give students time to answer the warm-up questions at the beginning of the presentation. You may choose to have them conduct a think-pair-share before moving into the lecture.
   4. Present the lecture and PowerPoint on Race, Immigration, and the American Dream to pre-teach some key concepts. Tell students that text on the slides has been deliberately kept to a minimum to encourage them to employ their best listening and note-taking skills. Guide them to write down the key headings on each slide and listen for supporting details for each heading during the lecture.
   5. Some students may struggle with information in the lecture that challenges deeply-held cultural and individual beliefs about race. Reassure students that exploration of such complex topics is an ongoing process, and confronting uncomfortable realities and feelings is part of that process. A classroom of heterogeneous racial representation may present widely divergent views and reactions; it is crucial to uphold an atmosphere of respectful dialogue by establishing ground rules such as prohibiting direct criticism of another student or specific group, practicing active listening, and maintaining curiosity toward alternate viewpoints. You may ask students to privately record their own reactions before initiating discussion.
   6. Pause and give students time to answer the post-lecture reflection questions. You may choose to have them conduct a think-pair-share or closing discussion before moving on to further lesson steps.
2. Vocabulary (optional differentiation):
   1. Frontload vocabulary and concepts from the essay prior to reading. Provide definitions or ask students to look up and record definitions. As an alternative, delay adding definitions until after reading, and ask students to use context to determine preliminary definitions as they read.
   2. Ask students to identify and circle vocabulary words in the essay as they read.
   3. After reading, review and clarify vocabulary words and ask students to write down the sentence from the essay that uses each word.

DURING READING

1. Model and instruct students to use the AVID® Marking the Text strategy as they read the article.
   1. Before reading, number the paragraphs. (A paragraph begins at any break in the text, even if it is not indented.)
   2.  While reading, circle key vocabulary, dates, names, places, events, and important numbers/statistics.
   3. After reading, go back and re-read sections, underlining author’s claims, evidence, strong images, and descriptions.

AFTER READING

1. Narrative writing assessment:
   Help students break down the narrative writing prompts and discuss the specific requirements you have set for this assessment, along with the timeline and steps of the writing process students might complete: pre-writing, drafting, editing, revising, publishing. Give students time to brainstorm and share their ideas during the pre-writing stage, and use think-pair-shares, exit slips, and/or other methods as informal assessment.
   
   You may choose to encourage or require students to incorporate an artistic element or object with their narratives. Students may enjoy sharing objects or creating art inspired by their experiences.
    
2. “Becoming Asian” post-discussion (optional extension):
   Ask students to prepare all of their notes and previous work on the “Becoming Asian” essay. Share the discussion rubric and give students additional instructions on discussion expectations and format. Set up instructional time to include discussion preparation, the discussion itself, and debriefing after the discussion. You may want to have students turn in their notes for a writing portion of the overall discussion grade.

Differentiation

ELL and SPED Supports: Scaffolded assignment options, vocabulary, reading strategies

TAG Extensions: Leadership opportunities during discussion and/or Socratic Seminar, SOAPS Text Analysis handout to use during and after reading, additional resources/related reading, optional extensions

Assessment/Student Performance Tasks

1. Warm-up notes and responses (Formative)
2. Notes chart/reader response and discussion (Formative)
3. Post-discussion and/or writing assessment (Can be used as formative or summative)

Additional Resources/Related Reading

Alaska Native WWII Imprisonment

National Geographic: Twins and Rethinking Race

National Geographic: There’s No Scientific Basis for Race

PBS’ American Experience: The Chinese Exclusion Act

“Renewed Push for Asian American Studies” (WGBH radio story)

“How to Organize Asian Americans” (Essay)

Optional Extensions

What Is Mine

The Bamboo Ceiling

Being Brown