Culminating Assignment: Learning the Culture of Your Students
Chinese Americans: The Immigration Experience The study of Immigration is the final Social Studies unit for our fifth grade students in Needham which occurs from the beginning of April through late May. When coupled with the investigation of the Industrial Revolution in Science, and a trip to the Boott Cotton Mills at the Lowell National Historic Park, our students are immersed in a powerful exploration of what it means to be an American and the myriad changes our country confronted in the 1800s. For years our study of exploration had focused mainly on the eastern European experience of the Irish, Polish, Italian, and Greek immigrant. As a result of a course, Immigration, offered through Teaching American History, my team of teachers added Chinese immigration to our study for our fifth graders. My classroom plan now is to enrich and augment the immigration experience of Chinese Americans to include more information about Angel Island, as contrasted with Ellis Island; the myths of the ‘model minority’ and the present day immigration experience. Utilizing information from Understanding our Perceptions of Asian Americans and Chinese Immigration and the Chinese in the United States, I will highlight …show more content…
I think it is a good starting point for educators who are seeking knowledge about their Chinese American students and the struggles they may face. It helped to broaden and deepen the cultural context for me and allowed me to reflect upon the culturally relevant literature I need to add to my classroom library. Understanding about the Chinese immigration experience will help educators to strengthen their teaching about inclusion, exclusion, and the vastly divergent experiences of immigrants who are risking all in an effort to build a better
Chinese Americans: The Immigration Experience The study of Immigration is the final Social Studies unit for our fifth grade students in Needham which occurs from the beginning of April through late May. When coupled with the investigation of the Industrial Revolution in Science, and a trip to the Boott Cotton Mills at the Lowell National Historic Park, our students are immersed in a powerful exploration of what it means to be an American and the myriad changes our country confronted in the 1800s. For years our study of exploration had focused mainly on the eastern European experience of the Irish, Polish, Italian, and Greek immigrant. As a result of a course, Immigration, offered through Teaching American History, my team of teachers added Chinese immigration to our study for our fifth graders. My classroom plan now is to enrich and augment the immigration experience of Chinese Americans to include more information about Angel Island, as contrasted with Ellis Island; the myths of the ‘model minority’ and the present day immigration experience. Utilizing information from Understanding our Perceptions of Asian Americans and Chinese Immigration and the Chinese in the United States, I will highlight …show more content…
I think it is a good starting point for educators who are seeking knowledge about their Chinese American students and the struggles they may face. It helped to broaden and deepen the cultural context for me and allowed me to reflect upon the culturally relevant literature I need to add to my classroom library. Understanding about the Chinese immigration experience will help educators to strengthen their teaching about inclusion, exclusion, and the vastly divergent experiences of immigrants who are risking all in an effort to build a better