Assessment: Comparison/Contrast Essay & Research on Korean Transnational Adoptee Experiences

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

Assessments

  Formative Assessments

  • Directions for these assessments are provided under each Activity.
  • Activity 6.1
    • Memory of Forgotten War Viewing Questions
    • Quick-Writes
  • Activity 6.2
    • Think-Pair-Share​
    • Famous Orphan Questions
  • Activity 6.3
    • ​First Person Plural Viewing Questions

Summative Assessment: Comparison/Contrast Essay and Research on Korean Transnational Adoptee Experiences   ​This Extension Activity builds on what was learned in Activity 6.3 by engaging students in comparison and contrast of the experiences and feelings of Korean transnational adoptees. Note: Students are introduced to Comparison/Contrast Essay writing in Lesson 3.

  • Use the Lesson 6: Aftermath of the Korean War and Korean Transnational Adoptions presentation to support this assessment.

Students Prewrite Quick-Writes

  • Have students complete a five-minute Quick-Writes with this prompt:
    • Compare and contrast what you know about the adoptee experiences of Ri Kang Yong and Deann Borshay Liem.  How are they similar? How are they different?
  • As time permits, have students share their responses in small groups or as a whole class.

Students Plan & Outline

  • Distribute and review the Comparison/Contrast Essay Directions and Scoring Rubric for Experiences of Korean Transnational Adoptees.
  • Post the writing prompt and give students time to plan and outline their essay.
    • WRITING PROMPT: Using your Quick-Writes as an early draft, compose a 5-paragraph essay in which you compare and contrast the experiences of Deann Borshay Liem with another adoptee of your choice as they relate to their lives before, during, and after adoption and reunification.
  • Students will first need to find the story of another adoptee.  A few excellent resources are provided (on the left) to get them started, but encourage them to do their own research. ​
Resources for Stories of Korean Transnational Adoptees
  • Once they identify their second adoptee, have students complete the Comparison/Contrast Essay Graphic Organizer to outline their essay.
  • Approve outlines before students advance to writing their first draft.

Students Compose First Draft

  • Allocate sufficient time for students to compose their first draft.

Students Review and Revise 

  • Provide students with feedback through the following strategies:
    • Writer Workshop – students sign up for 10-minute conferences with the teacher to get assistance.
    • Peer Review – in pairs or small groups, students read each other’s drafts and provide feedback using the Example Format and/or Scoring Rubric.

Students Edit and Publish

  • Allow students time to edit their essays and finalize for submission.

Resources

  • Comparison/Contrast Scoring Guide for Experiences of Korean Transnational Adoptees (Word)
  • Comparison/Contrast Scoring Guide for Experiences of Korean Transnational Adoptees (PDF)
  • Comparison/Contrast Graphic Organizer (Word)
  • Comparison/Contrast Graphic Organizer (PDF)

Comparison/Contrast Graphic Organizer (PDF)

Comparison/Contrast Directions and Scoring Guide (PDF)