Course Content
Lesson 1: The Korean Diaspora and Korean Americans
Students are introduced to Korean Diaspora and Korean American immigration patterns and experiences. They compare experiences of Korean Americans in the first and second waves of immigrants and consider how these experiences have evolved over the the 20th century. They analyze oral histories and complete a web-based short research project on locations of Koreans and Korean Americans.
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Teacher Guide
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Alignment with California Content Standards
00:00
Activity 1.1: Why did Koreans leave their Country and Disperse around the Globe? What is the Korean Diaspora?
00:00
Activity 1.2: Who are Korean Americans? Why did they leave Korea and come to the U.S.?
00:00
Video Resources
00:00
Summative Assessment: Oral History Analysis
00:00
Extension: Web-Based Research Report
00:00
Lesson 2: The First Koreatown and the Legacy of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho
Students explore the life of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, his immigration to the United States, and his life as an activist and community builder. They examine how the first Koreatown was established in Riverside, California, and compare the experiences of Korean, Mexican, and women citrus pickers and packers. Finally, they identify Dosan's contributions to the United States and Korea.
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Teacher Guide
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Alignment with California Content Standards
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Activity 2: Where Was the First Koreatown and Who Was Dosan Ahn Chang Ho?
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Assessments
00:00
Extension: Civic Engagement Support
00:00
Lesson 3: ​Immigrant Experiences ​of Korean Americans: The Sammy Lee Story
Students are introduced to the experiences of Korean American immigrants through Sammy Lee’s life story. They reflect upon and critically analyze the responses of Sammy Lee and his family to the racism and discrimination they faced as immigrants, consider ways the immigration laws have changed over the 20th century, and identify ways to advocate for Korean American immigrants.
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Teacher Guide
00:00
Alignment with California Content Standards
00:00
Activity 3.1: Who is Sammy Lee? What was the Immigrant Experience of his Family?
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Activity 3.2: How did U.S. Immigration Laws shape Sammy Lee’s Life?
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Assessments
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Extension: Literature and Writing Extension: Book Reviews and Storytelling
00:00
Lesson 4: The Korean Independence Movement and Korean American Identity in the U.S.
Students situate President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points Peace Program and 1919 speech to congress in the development of the Korean Independence Movement. They engage in a jigsaw activity and examine original documents and news reports from the time period to identify how the Korean Independence Movement shaped and was shaped by the formation of the Korean American identify in the United States. Students compose a letter to President Wilson to encourage the United States to support the Korean Independence Movement.
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Teacher Guide
00:00
Alignment with California Content Standards
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Activity 4.1: How was the Korean Independence Movement Impacted by Wilson’s Fourteen Points?
00:00
Activity 4.2 How did the Korean Independence Movement shape and become shaped by Formation of the Korean American Identity in the United States?
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Assessments
00:00
Extension: Writing Extensions
00:00
Lesson 5: Colonel Young Oak Kim: Hero and Humanitarian
Students explore the life of Young Oak Kim, and identify contributions he has made to the United States. They complete a Think/Write/Pair Share/Group Share as they reflect on what it is like to be a Korean American/minority struggling through racial barriers like Young Oak Kim. They explore what kinds of microaggressions Kim encountered and consider how he responded to those actions. Students deepen their understanding of the life of Young Oak Kim as a U.S. citizen, war hero and community activist, and they annotate and discuss an excerpt from the biography, Unsung Hero: The Colonel Young O. Kim Story, by Woo Sung Han. They construct a biopoem and/or an argument essay on his life and contributions to American society.
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Teacher Guide
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Alignment with California Content Standards
00:00
​Activity 5.1: Who was the First Asian American to Command a U.S. Battalion?
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​Activity 5.2: How is Colonel Young Oak Kim an Unsung Hero?
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Assessment & Extensions:: Argumentative Essay
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Lesson 6: Aftermath of the Korean War and Korean Transnational Adoptions
Students explore the ending and aftermath of the Korean War. They learn about the history of the Korean War and what war was like from the perspective of Koreans. Students learn about one of the many groups of displaced civilians whose lives were forever changed by the war, Korean children. They learn how Korean children became central to international aid efforts that led to the advent of transnational adoptions. ​ They analyze an article from 1953 about a Korean transnational adoptee and consider the broader impacts of Korean transnational adoptions on Koreans and Korean-Americans. Finally, students learn about transnational adoptions from the perspective of Deann Borshay Liem, a Korean adoptee.
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Teacher Guide
00:00
Alignment with California Content Standards
00:00
Activity 6.1: Aftermath of the Korean War
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Activity 6.2: Korean War Orphans
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Activity 6.3: ​Experiences of Korean Transnational Adoptees
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Assessment: Comparison/Contrast Essay & Research on Korean Transnational Adoptee Experiences
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Extensions: Writing Extensions
00:00
Lesson 7: Saigu and Social Justice
Students are introduced to 1992 LA Civil Unrest and how it impacted Korean Americans. They reflect upon and critically analyze the responses of various individuals and groups to the unrest, examine issues of justice, and consider the legacy of Saigu for Korean Americans today.
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Teacher Guide
00:00
Alignment with California Content Standards
00:00
Activity 7.1: A Cry for Justice
00:00
Activity 7.2: Experiences of Korean Americans during the 1992 LA Civil Unrest
00:00
Activity 7.3: The Legacy of Saigu
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Assessment: T-Chart of Cause and Effects of the 1992 LA Civil Unrest
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Extention: Research Project
00:00
Extention: Research Project Supplemental Material: Combating Myths: 30 years after Rodney King
00:00
Lesson 8: Korean Americans in the 21st Century
Students explore Korean popular culture in the United States, including K-Pop, Korean and Korean American films, food, and more. They compare and contrast K-POP and American Popular music, conduct short research on an example of Hallyu, analyze films, conduct research for a biographical presentation of a notable Korean American, and compose a memoir essay of their own experiences
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Teacher Guide
00:00
Alignment with California Content Standards
00:00
Activity 8.1: Hallyu and K-Pop: A Global Phenomenon
00:00
Activity 8.2: Oscar Winners: A closer look at Minari
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Activity 8.3: Korean Americans Past, Present, and Future
00:00
Music Video Resources
00:00
Assessment & Extension: Memoir Essay Plan, Biographical Research Presentation, Notable Korean Americans
00:00
Korean American Ethnic Studies
About Lesson

Lesson 5: Young Oak Kim: Hero and Humanitarian

Young Oak Kim in 1961.
(Source: WIkipedia)

    Lesson Features​

    • TOPICS: World War II, racism, characteristics of a hero
    • HISTORICAL TIMEFRAME: 1940 – 1990
    • HIGHLIGHTED KOREAN AMERICANS: Young Oak Kim
    • SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Argument Essay

  Lesson Overview

    • Students explore the life of Young Oak Kim, and identify contributions he has made to the United States. They complete a Think/Write/Pair Share/Group Share as they reflect on what it is like to be a Korean American/minority struggling through racial barriers like Young Oak Kim. They explore what kinds of microaggressions Kim encountered and consider how he responded to those actions. Students deepen their understanding of the life of Young Oak Kim as a U.S. citizen, war hero and community activist, and they annotate and discuss an excerpt from the biography, Unsung Hero: The Colonel Young O. Kim Story, by Woo Sung Han. They construct a biopoem and/or an argument essay on his life and contributions to American society.

  Lesson Assessments and Activities

    • Lesson 5 Alignment with Standards
    • Activity 5.1:  Who was the First Asian American to Command a U.S. Battalion?
    • Activity 5.2:  How is Colonel Young Oak Kim an Unsung Hero?
    • Lesson 5 Assessments and Extensions

  Timeframe

    • Activity 5.1 and 5.2 each require 55 minutes plus additional time for polishing the biopoem.
    • The Summative Assessment Comparison/Contrast Essay will also require at least one 55-minute period plus homework.

  ​Objectives and Learning Goals

    • Students will be able to identify characteristics of Young Oak Kim that make him a hero. ​
    • Students will be able to identify racism and microaggression acts in Young Oak Kim’s experiences as well as their own.
    • Students will be able to construct a biopoem from texts (print, video, and audio).
    • Students will be able to compose an argument regarding Young Oak Kim’s contributions to the Japanese American community, as well as to the progress of civil rights of all racial minority communities in the United States.

  Vocabulary

    • War hero – a person who is admired for bravery in war.
    • Humanitarian – a person who seeks to promote human welfare; a philanthropist.
    • World War II – World War II, also called Second World War, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939–45. The principal belligerents were the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—and the Allies—France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China.
    • Korean War – Korean War, conflict between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in which at least 2.5 million persons lost their lives. The war reached international proportions in June 1950 when North Korea, supplied and advised by the Soviet Union, invaded the South.
    • Asian American – an American who is of Asian (in particular East Asian) descent.
    • Ethnicity – the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
    • U.S. Army – The United States Army is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.
    • Multicultural – relating to or constituting several cultural or ethnic groups within a society.
    • Multiethnic – relating to or constituting several ethnic groups.
    • Racial divide – division of humans by race.
    • Racism – prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
    • Microaggression – indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.

  Original Resource

    • Chang, E. & Shin, F. (2022). Young Oak Kim: Hero and Humanitarian. In G. Cho & V. Costa (Eds.). Korean American Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Teaching Resource Materials for K-12 Classrooms (pp.223-274). Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles.

   

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