Teaching Materials

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Pre-K / Early Childhood

Belonging

Identity

Community

Young children explore what it means to feel welcome, belong to a community, and understand themselves and others.

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Lesson 1:

Feeling Welcome in Community

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Children think about who helps them feel welcome and how they can welcome others.

Belonging

Immigration

Empathy

Community Helpers

Lesson 2:

What Would You Bring?

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Students explore the feelings of going somewhere new and the comfort objects they would bring.

Comfort Objects

Family

Immigration

Emotions

Lesson 3:

Who Am I?

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Children explore how people can belong to more than one place at once.

Identity

Diaspora

Pride

Belonging

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Pre-K to Grade 2

Culture

Traditions

Family Celebrations

Students learn about family and community traditions, then reflect on and share celebrations that are meaningful to them.

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Lesson 1:

How We Learn About Culture and Traditions

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Students reflect on celebrations that matter in their own homes.

Traditions

Celebrations

Culture

Community

Lesson 2:

Family Culture and Traditions

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Students reflect on celebrations that matter in their own homes.

Family Traditions

Heritage

Holidays

Belonging

Lesson 3:

Class Culture Celebration

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Students share family traditions and notice similarities and differences across the class.

Cultural Diversity

Community

Celebration

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Grades 3–5

Migration

Immigration

Civic Participation

Students use oral histories to explore why people move, how communities change, and how people take action on public issues.

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Lesson 1:

Moving to Michigan, Now and Then

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Students compare why people come to Michigan and how immigrants and settlers differ.

Migration

Michigan History

Push/Pull Factors

Sources

Lesson 2:

Studying Migration through Oral Histories

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Students investigate why people migrate and how their skills shape communities.

Migration

Cultural Exchange

Human Systems

Lesson 3:

Private and Public Issues

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Students distinguish private and public issues and consider civic participation.

Civic Participation

Anti-Asian Discrimination

Solidarity

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Grades 6–12

Identity

Community

Migration

Students compare Asian/American immigration experiences and examine how migration shapes identity, belonging, and community life.

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Lesson 1:

Compare & Contrast Immigration Experiences

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Students compare immigrant experiences across identity, community, and migration.

Identity

Community

Migration

Oral History

Lesson 2:

Impacts & Challenges of Asian/American Communities

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Students examine how immigrants establish community in rural, suburban, and urban areas.

Community Building

Settlement

Belonging

Challenges

Lesson 3:

Push-Pull Factors

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Students identify forces that shape migration and represent them through visual or creative work.

Push Factors

Pull Factors

Political Cartoons

Migration

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Grades 9–12

Immigration Policy

Exclusion

Asian American

Students investigate Asian American immigration history by comparing exclusion-era policies with post-1965 immigration experiences.

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Lesson 1:

The Evolution of Asian America

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Students compare immigration pathways after the 1965 Immigration Act with earlier Asian immigration.

1965 Immigration Act

Identity

Generation

Asian America

Lesson 2:

Post-1965 Immigration Act: South Asian

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Students examine South Asian immigration after 1965 and how immigrants build lives while retaining culture.

South Asian Immigration

Culture

Representation

Lesson 3:

Comparing Immigration Eras

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Students compare immigration experiences from 1910–1940 with the post-1965 era.

Angel Island

Chinese Exclusion Act

Immigration

Discrimination