How to Teach "Farewell to Manzanar"
- 1). Ask students to write daily reflections in their reading journal as they complete each assigned reading for the book. Tell them to come up with at least one good question to accompany each day's entry. Explain to them that these questions will be used to fuel a class discussion when the book is complete. Have them examine primary photos from sources like the Library of Congress: American Memory and the Japanese American National Museum. Tell them to record their thoughts and feelings about the photos in their journals.
- 2). Put their desks in a circle and tell them that you will act as moderator. Review the rules for class discussions and remind the students that this is an emotional subject for everyone. Ask them to take out their reading journals and to share their questions with the class. Pick one example and go around the room, having each person share their answer with the class. Do this with several questions until the discussion has taken hold. Then, moderate the discussion, ensuring student feedback is positive and learning is taking place.
- 3). Ask students to imagine that they could write a letter to the family in "Farewell to Manzanar," and ask them to think about what they would say. Tell them they can choose if they want to write the letter in the present tense or imagining that they were friends with the Manzanars at the time they were sent to the internment camp. When the students are done, ask if anyone is willing to share his or her letters with the class. This will bring up more topics for discussion as each student struggles to relate to both the family and the world situation at the time. Let students discuss their feedback and feelings.
- 4). Tell the students that they are now newspaper, radio or television reporters. Explain to them that they are going to prepare an article or broadcast about the internment of Japanese Americans. Tell them they can choose which point in time they comment about: before, after or during the camps. Break them into groups and let them choose which media group they represent and what they'll write about. When done, have them share their reports with the class. Allow the class to provide feedback and discuss each presentation.
Source...