Teacher Guide

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

Lesson 3: Immigrant Experiences ​of Korean Americans: The Sammy Lee Story

Lee at the 1952 Olympics
(Source: Wikipedia)

Lesson Features

    • TOPICS:  Immigration laws, Korean American immigrant experiences
    • HISTORICAL TIME FRAME: 1920 – 1950
    • NOTABLE KOREAN AMERICANS: Dr. Sammy Lee (1920 – 2016)
    • SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Comparison/Contrast Essay​, Double-sided Timeline

Lesson Overview

    • 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.

Time Frame

    • There are two activities in this lesson. Each activity requires approximately 55 minutes and includes homework.
    • The Summative Assessment Comparison/Contrast Essay will require approximately 55 minutes. ​​

Objectives and Learning Goals

    • Students will be able to define and give examples of immigration, discrimination, citizen, and permanent resident.
    • Students will be able to give examples of immigrant experiences and issues they or their family faced in the United States.
    • Students will be able to list immigrant laws passed in the 20th century, identify how they shaped immigrant experiences past and present.
    • Students will be able to critically analyze Dr. Sammy Lee’s response to the racism faced by Asian Americans while also playing an important role as an ambassador for his sport and the United States.
    • Students will be able to identify ways to advocate for Korean American immigrants.

​ Vocabulary

    • Alien Land Law – Passed in 1913, it prohibited “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases over it, but permitted leases lasting up to three years. It affected the Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Korean immigrant farmers in California (Definition from Wikipedia).
    • Dixiecrat – Southern democrats who were opposed to desegregation and civil rights legislation and policies.
    • Immigrant – anyone living in the U.S. who is not a U.S. citizen.
    • Immigration laws – laws and enforcements dealing with immigration into the United States.
    • Race-based segregation – segregation based on “race.”
    • White supremacy – belief that white people are the superior race and should dominate society.

​ Original Resource​

    • Park, J. & Cho, G. (2022). Immigrant Experiences of Korean Americans: The Sammy Lee Story. In G. Cho & V. Costa (Eds.). Korean American Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Teaching Resource Materials for K-12 Classrooms (pp.111-158). Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles.

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