Curriculum Resource Curation in NEH K-12 Institute on Japanese American Post-War Resettlement in Chicago, 1943-1950 with Professor of History Jasmine Alinder
History
WHO: Benyamin Alfaro, Jasmine Alinder, Clara Bergamini (GSR), Aldrine Gatpo, Isabella Percy, Grace Mccarty, Keiko Utsumi.
WHAT: Research and select curated materials to aid a cohort of teachers in developing effective lesson plans focused on the history of resettlement, aiming to equip educators with the necessary knowledge and tools to comprehensively teach and understand the socio-political implications of Japanese-American incarceration and resettlement. The materials gathered will be tailored to include resources relevant to each teacher’s local community and curriculum requirements.
WHY: Japanese American incarceration and resettlement is a complex topic that’s often neglected in K-12 education. This research seeks to provide a fuller understanding of the contexts under which Japanese Americans were forcefully relocated during and after the war, with individualized geographic research to uncover local histories and specificities, in addition to assisting teachers with integrating our cinematic digital history project, Resettlement: Chicago Story, into their classrooms. The goal is to create a comprehensive, diverse array of materials to guide the K-12 teachers in their lesson planning to provide deeply analytical and relational education. In line with previous projects by Full Spectrum Education in collaboration with the Humanities Institute, our research emphasizes making this learning accessible to youth and engaging with their local communities.
WHAT'S NEXT: Beyond this Spring, we look forward to sharing our teacher-specific research guides with the K-12 teachers participating in the NEH Institute that Full Spectrum Features is hosting in Chicago this summer. During the institute, we will have a chance to work with educators nationwide and further develop the research guides we have been curating for them.
THE WOW: Being a part of work that will contribute to a better understanding of Japanese American internment and resettlement across educational grade levels is an honor. Knowing this will impact students nationwide makes this work important and motivates us to keep finding the best ways to make educational resource guides to help support teachers.
Explore the Resettlement: Chicago Story
