Activity 8.2: Oscar Winners: A closer look at Minari

Lesson 1: The Korean Diaspora and Korean Americans

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 2: Where Was the First Koreatown and Who Was Dosan Ahn Chang Ho?
  4. Assessments
  5. Extension: Civic Engagement Support

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 3.1: Who is Sammy Lee? What was the Immigrant Experience of his Family?
  4. Activity 3.2: How did U.S. Immigration Laws shape Sammy Lee’s Life?
  5. Assessments
  6. Extension: Literature and Writing Extension: Book Reviews and Storytelling

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 4.1: How was the Korean Independence Movement Impacted by Wilson’s Fourteen Points?
  4. Activity 4.2: How did the Korean Independence Movement shape and become shaped by Formation of the Korean American Identity in the United States?
  5. Assessments
  6. Extension: Writing Extensions

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 5.1: Who was the First Asian American to Command a U.S. Battalion?
  4. ​Activity 5.2: How is Colonel Young Oak Kim an Unsung Hero?
  5. Assessment & Extensions:: Argumentative Essay

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 6.1: Aftermath of the Korean War
  4. Activity 6.2: ​Korean War Orphans
  5. Activity 6.3: ​Experiences of Korean Transnational Adoptees
  6. Assessment
  7. Extensions

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 7.1: A Cry for Justice
  4. Activity 7.2: Experiences of Korean Americans during the 1992 LA Civil Unrest
  5. Activity 7.3: The Legacy of Saigu
  6. Assessment
  7. Extention: Research Project
  8. Extention: Research Project Supplemental

  1. Teacher Guide
  2. Alignment with California Content Standards
  3. Activity 8.1: Hallyu and K-Pop: A Global Phenomenon
  4. Activity 8.2: Oscar Winners: A Closer Look at Minari
  5. Activity 8.3: Korean Americans Past, Present, and Future
  6. Music Video Resources
  7. Assessment & Extension

Activity 8.2: Oscar Winners: A Closer Look at Minari

    Students view and analyze a Korean American film, Minari, explore impacts on Korean American identity.

Activity Questions

  • How have movies directed by or starring Koreans and Korean Americans made an international impact?
  • How does the film, Minari, shape your understanding of Korean American identify?
  • How might the increasing popularity of films by and about Koreans and Korean Americans impact the lives of Korean Americans today?

Instructional Strategies

  • Use the Lesson 8: Korean Popular Culture in the United States (Activity 8.2) presentation to support this lesson.

Introducing Minari

  • Use the presentation to introduce the film and discussion questions before viewing.

Viewing Minari

Movie Analysis

  • With at least one partner and no more than three others, have students choose and complete enough activities from the list below to earn a potential 90 points. Make all the worksheets available to students.
  • Level 1 Activities (30 pt. each)
    • Character Map
    • Story Map
    • Sequence Chart
  • Level 2 Activities (60 pt. each)
    • Movie Critique Presentation/Video
    • Movie Poster (digital or print)

Discussing Minari

  • Use the questions below to engage students in discussion.

Closing the Activity

  • End class with review and discussion of the activity questions.
  • If time permits, show the trailer for Parasite and encourage students to view the full movie.

Resources

  • Video: Minari Trailer
  • Video: Parasite Trailer
  • Worksheet: Character Map (Word)
  • Worksheet: Character Map (PDF)
  • Worksheet: Story Elements Organizer (Word)
  • Worksheet: Story Elements Organizer (PDF)
  • Worksheet: Story Events Sequence Chart (Word)
  • Worksheet: Story Events Sequence Chart (PDF)
  • Handout: Movie Critique Presentation/Video Directions and Storyboard (Word)
  • Handout: Movie Critique Presentation/Video Directions and Storyboard (PDF)
  • Handout: Movie Poster Directions (Word)
  • Handout: Movie Poster Directions (PDF)

Character Map Worksheet (PDF)

Story Elements Organizer Worksheet (PDF)

Story Events Sequence Chart Worksheet (PDF)

Movie Poster Directions (PDF)

Movie Critique Presentation/Video Directions/Storyboard (PDF)

YouTube Video:  Minari Official Trailer (2 minutes)  

  Minari: A Korean-American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they find the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.