The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

1. Inform students that they will continue looking for details, ethical issues, big ideas, and unanswered questions, this time by examining Soo Hoo Lem Kong's Interview to Enter the U.S.
   
   
2. Inform students that this time they will record their information on Soo Hoo Lem Kong's Frame (link to Frames.pdf)

1. Divide students into groups of four.
   
   
2. Review class procedures for group work.
   
   
3. Explain that each group will be reading Soo Hoo Lem Kong's Interview to Enter the U.S. as a reader's theater. As they read, they will be looking for details, ethical issues, big ideas and unanswered questions.
   
   
4. Pass out the reader's theater and have each group assign parts.
   
   
5. Give students five minutes to practice their parts and ask questions concerning any unfamiliar vocabulary.
   
   
6. When all groups have finished, have each group share one new idea that they have added to Soo Hoo Lem Kong's frame. Continue asking groups to do this until all ideas have been shared.

Closure:

Ask:

1. How does looking at Soo Hoo Lem Kong's immigration documents help you understand his experience immigrating to the United States? Record student responses.
   
   
2. If you had been the immigration official, would you have admitted Soo Hoo Lem Kong into the U.S.? Explain.

• Have students locate on a map of China the locations that are described in the documents.
  
  
• Write an expository essay using the depth and complexity icons to determine the topic sentence for each paragraph.
  
  
• Decorate Soo Hoo Lem Kong's frame with Chinese and U.S. Symbols.
  
  
• Research "paper sons" and "mail-order brides".
  
  
• Have students write a reader's theater using Tang Suey Jin's Interview to Enter the U.S. Tang Suey Jin's Application and Interview to Enter the U.S.: http://www.archives.gov/facilities/ca/laguna_niguel/ workbook/chinese_exclusion_tsj.html
  
  
• Have students visit the Angel Island web-site to analyze pictures of immigrants and the Angel Island Immigration Station. www.angelisland.org
  
  

• Bunting, Eve, Day's Work
  
  
• Bunting, Eve, How Many Days to America?
  
  
• Cech, John, My Grandmother's Journey
  
  
• Currier, Katrina Saltonstall, Kai's Journey to Gold Mountain
  
  
• Lai, Him Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung. Island, Poetry and History of Immigrants Detained on Angel Island, 1910 -1940.
  
  
• Levinson, Riki, Watch the Stars Come Out
  
  
• Say, Allen, Grandfather's Journey