1939-1952

Lesson 1: IMMIGRATION, SETTLEMENT AND ASPIRATION

Landscapes of Injustice tells a story of the loss of home. It is about fear, racism, and measures taken in the name of security that made no one safer. It is also about the resilience of Japanese Canadians confronting injustice.

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Postcards from B.C. Activity

In the culminating activity for this lesson, students assume the role of a traveler visiting a family in pre-war British Columbia. Students will send a postcard home describing community life as they would have experienced it in the 1930s. Students will use images, maps, and detailed descriptions from Japanese Canadian families from the period. The property cards provide a glimpse into the Japanese Canadian community across the province of B.C. during the late 1930s.

SUGGESTED TIME: 60 MINUTES

Teaching Instructions

  1. Begin with a review of the word cloud gathered from the previous activity (you will want to create a Wordle/Word Cloud to share with the class) What words stand out? Why? Use these understandings to set up the Postcards activity.
  2. Assign one property card to each student (Sources 1.13–1.22). There are ten families from a variety of locations across the province. In each location a vibrant Japanese Canadian community existed prior to uprooting in 1942. Each property card has a place description, property location, photos and detailed information about the family.
  3. Students explore the family they have been assigned, reviewing the place description, images, and family details. Tell your students that they will have 30 minutes to review and highlight key bits of information and that each will be called upon to share something they have learned about their family.
  4. Select the medium through which they will complete the postcard. There are a number of creative ways in which your students can author a postcard:

    - Use the postcard template Handout 1.5 Write a Postcard use a slide deck (like PowerPoint or Prezie, tools like Wixie, or tablet/iPad/Chromebook-based creative tools), and write a travel blog/VLOG.

    - Alternatively, create a class social media account and have students share their designs and information on one of the common platforms (e.g. Facebook post, Vimeo, Vine).

  5. Postcard elements:

    - Review the criteria listed in Handout 1.5 Write a Postcard.

    - The post card can include any number of design and information sharing elements.

    - Teachers can choose the selected elements list provided in Handout 1.5 Write a Postcard or have the students brainstorm the criteria for the post cards as a class.

  6. Post the completed cards for peer review and have students share out their impressions of these vibrant communities in pre-war British Columbia.

Handouts

Sources