Created by Tia McLean, Stacy Simon and Julia Johnston
Curriculum Links:
This novel would be the most suitable for a Grade 12 class. It could fit into either of the units:


ELA A30 – Canada –Diverse Voices
or
ELA B30 – the Social Experience – Beyond Personal Goals
Complementary Texts
Poems:
“Equal Opportunity” by Jim Wong-Chu (poem)
Novels/Autobiography:
Itsuka by Joy Kogawa – sequel to Obasan
The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy
Caged Eagles by Eric Walters
Metamorphosis: Stages of Life by David Suzuki
The Enemy that Never Was by Ken Adachi
Film/Documentary:
Minoru: Memory of Exile by Michael Fukushima
Enemy Alien by Jeannette Lerman
Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story by Jari Osborne
Websites:
CBC Digital Archives: Relocation to Redress: The Internment of Japanese Canadians
http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/second_world_war/topics/568
Japanese Canadians Then & Now
http://www.najc.ca/thenandnow/enindex.php
Key Information
Connections
Apart from the Holocaust, which has affected all of the world’s society, the Japanese
internments have many similarities to other events. The events listed are Canadian events that will in
some way impact many students’ lives—whether they realize this or not. They are important to study so
the youth can understand the reasons why our society is the way it is—how it became this way.
Ukrainian Internment in Canada 1914-1920
Canada’s haunting history, unknown in full by most, did not begin with the internment of people
of Japanese descent; before the events of WWII Canada had used the War Measures Act to intern
people they called “enemy aliens”. These people were Ukrainian immigrants. This occurred after WWI
from 1914-1920. 8579 men (including some women and children) were put into concentration camps
(infoukes) another 80,000 were labelled “enemy aliens” and were required to report to officers of the
government on a regular basis. This is still relevant today, especially in Saskatchewan and Manitoba
where there is a large population of people with Ukrainian ancestry. Many citizens of these provinces
are probably descendents of people who were interned in these concentration camps.
These are obviously very similar to the internments of the Japanese people after WWII. The fact
that these events occurred in our country, and possibly to many of our students’ ancestors, makes it
very applicable to our classrooms and our students.
There are also many resources related to these events.
http://www.infoukes.com/history/internment/
http://www.uccla.ca/ : which includes its own page of resources with films, novels,
booklets of information on the internments, maps, etc. Look for “In Fear of the Barbed Wire
Fence”.
Skrypuch, Marsha. “Dear Canada: Prisoners in the Promised Land: The Ukrainian
Internment Diary of Anya Soloniuk, Spirit Lake, Quebec, 1914”. Scholastic Canada, 2007.
Skrypuch, Marsha. “Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories”. Fitzhenry
&Whiteside, 2006.
Skrypuch, Marsha. “Hope’s War”. Boardwalk Books, 2001.
Muslim Profiling
The most recent version of so-called “enemy aliens” has become Muslim people. Security in
airports has become incredibly strict in airports and they have tightened their terrorist profile, trying
their best to exclude race as a factor. After the recent attempted bombing on Flight 253 on Christmas
2009 some people have began profiling terrorists due to race and religion—particularly Muslim people.
This is very reminiscent of the events with the Japanese people during WWII, some of the language is
still the same; talking about them as enemies. We like to hope that current day society would not let
such hostile feelings go too far, but could race/religion really become a factor in terrorist profiling?
Officially (laws and regulations)? Has it already? The following videos describe the situation in more
detail.

Fox News—Muslim Fears Over Profiling Heightened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RZwHo_WA1g

Right Wing Calls for More Profiling of Muslims: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgxYiJKsXg
Residential Schools
In 1928 (CBC Archives) the Canadian government began to gather the Indian children of
Canada to assimilate into the Canadian culture. The parents of these children had no choice but
to send them to these schools. The government presented the project to the public as a way of
helping the Aboriginal people, a way of educating them and helping them adjust to the
European culture spreading through Canada. The schools did not do this. Instead, they stripped
families of their children for months, or years (or forever) and forced them to un-learn their
entire culture. Children who had gone in speaking a Native language forgot the language. When
the students went home to their families they became outcasts because they could not
communicate any longer, they could not help their families because they had no knowledge of
their past way of living. Not only did students lose their culture, but they were abused—
sexually, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
This problem is not of the past; the last residential school closed in 1998 (CBC Archives).
The effects of the schools continue to present themselves in the new Aboriginal youth. Not only
did students un-learn their culture, they also lost the meaning of family and the feeling of being
part of one. This makes it difficult for new parents, who have come out of the residential school
system, to become good parents and develop a strong family.
Canada has given many of the survivors and their families money, but money can’t heal,
there are still many repairs to be done.
http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/topics/692/
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/16/f-faqs-residential-schools.html
http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/topics/692/
Reserve System in Canada
When the Europeans came to Canada they took over the entire land, despite it already
being occupied by the Aboriginal tribes. They set out to take over the land, legally, for their own.
They presented the tribes with treaties which were meant to be a peaceful way of getting the
land. About the same time the supply of buffalo and other wild game was depleted. This meant
that many of the tribes that had been depending on the animals for a way of sustaining
themselves were starving, and freezing. Many of them were forced into agreements on the
treaties because of the food and shelter they offered. Others were forced into the treaties
because by violence. The treaties varied in what they offered the Aboriginal people, but for the
most part they gave the people separate pieces of land “reserved” just for them.
Aboriginal people remain living on these lands in current times. The conditions are often
sub-standard. The reserves appear now, more than ever, how they were really meant to be: a
place to put aside those Aboriginal people, segregating them, hiding “the other” Canadians and
gaining for Europeans themselves the large land of Canada.
This system is not very different from those of the Japanese internments, Ukrainian
internments. These places have also been greatly affected by the residential schools.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003980
Teaching Activities and Lesson Plans
The following activities and lesson plans are not listed in any particular order. Teachers are free to pick
and choose which lesson/activities work best for themselves and their students. Some of the lessons
are given in brief summaries, allowing the teacher to adapt and rework the lesson as they see fit. Others
are structured and fully developed already which allows for easy implementation.
“Equal Opportunity” by Jim Wong-Chu
Lesson #1 – Visual Narrative
-
Show the visual poster boards to the class and ask them to think about the meaning of the
images.
Students will get into small groups of 3-4 to discuss what they think the poem is about, the
meaning of the images.
After 5-6 minutes of discussion in the groups, bring the class back together and ask what each
group came up with for their interpretation.
Read the actual poem out loud to the class.
Whole class discussion about the poem.
The visual poster boards that would be included in this lesson would be like the following:
Poster #1
Poster #2
Poster #3
These visual poster boards represent the story the poem is portraying. In this lesson, we are trying to
first teach the meaning of the story, and show the actual poem afterwards. The middle boxes in the first
two poster boards are left empty. This is done deliberately to signify inequality. The circles that are
coloured are also deliberately left without faces to signify how many of the Japanese Canadian people
were treated. They were thought to be insignificant and a less worthy of recognition.
Lesson #2 – Change of Meaning with Just One Letter
Preparation for this lesson includes making a small change to the original poem. In the last stanza, the
word “now” should be changed to “not”.
-
Hand out to students 2 different versions of the poem, without telling them that there is a
difference.
Students will read independently and jot down what they think it meant.
Share in a whole classroom discussion.
Then tell students that there were actually two different versions of the poem. One word is
changed. “Now” to “Not” in the last stanza. This changes the whole meaning of the poem.
Make a chart that compares and contrasts the two versions, both the original and the revised.
Discussion could follow on a number of various topics:
o Talk about what would happen if the outcome of the poem would have ended up as
being the second revised version.
o Japanese Canadian Internment in Canada
o Prejudice, Racism, Injustice
Extension /Adaptations- Have students find another poem and try and change the meaning of the poem
by changing just one word, or ideally one letter.
A Gallery Walk Lesson Plan
http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/secondary_lesson.htm
Overview:
Students will be provided with a large number of artefacts, photographs, and documents to survey in a
gallery walk. These artefacts should provide students with some insights into the internment without
having to read a large amount of text material. Moreover, the collection will stimulate a number of
questions about how Japanese Canadians were affected by the internment experience.
Analysis of Artefacts:
Arrange a series of stations, up to 14, and place one or more artefacts at each station. Students will then
walk around and examine the photographs, documents, and articles.
Prior to beginning the actual gallery walk give each student two (2) copies of the handout provided.
Instruct the students to pick out 8 of the 12 artefacts for their charts. They should choose only those
items that provoke an immediate response. Once the students have viewed all of the items have them
work in groups of 3 or 4 to compare responses.
Free Write:
After the students have completed the handout they are to draft a 7 minute “free write” using the
following initial prompt:
“When I saw the pictures, documents, and newspaper headlines I realized...”
For a free write the teacher is to instruct the students to begin writing at a timed signal and not to stop
until time is called. Students are not to worry specifically about grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so
on, but to focus on capturing their thoughts, feelings and reactions to the material presented.
To gain access to the artefacts, please visit the website:
http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/secondary_lesson.htm
At the bottom of the page there is a link that states “On to the Gallery Walk”. Click on this link to bring
up the first artefact.
It would be beneficial for the teacher to make a copy of the pictures, documents and questions
provided on the website to set up at each individual station if computers are not available at every
station.
Create a Family Tree Lesson Plan
The family structures of Japanese families are often complicated and diverse. The main character in
the novel, Naomi, has a large family. Often, terms that are used to describe the relations of each of the
characters are different from the Canadian labels of Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin etc. Japanese Canadians
also have a unique way of representing which generations are immigrants to Canada or born here based
on a generational name. The Issei, Nissei, Sansei, Yonsei are terms used to describe the generations of
Japanese Canadians that settled in Canada.
1. Students will brainstorm characters from the novel.
2. Based on their findings they will construct a family tree for the character of Naomi.
- Included in this family tree must be:
o A title
o Generational terms with each character (Issei, Nissei, Sansei etc.)
o Japanese names of characters (if provided in the text)
o Small character description of each person included in the family tree
o For those characters that are not directly related to Naomi, students can choose to
construct a side representation alongside their main structure.
These family trees will help students understand the relationships between each of the characters in the
novel. This can be used as a useful study tool for students who have trouble understanding the
connections between characters.
Debate Lesson Plan
http://archives.cbc.ca/for_teachers/401
http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/second_world_war/topics/568
Before Exploring
Explain to students that they will be debating the government’s right to intern Japanese Canadians
during the Second World War. As a class, review the preferred procedures for preparing and holding a
debate, reminding students that they must support their position with details they find on the topic
Relocation to Redress: The Internment of Japanese Canadians on the CBC Radio and Television Archives
Web site.
Outline the Opportunity:
Present the following resolution: Be it resolved that the Canadian federal government had to intern
Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.
Divide the class into teams of four. Two students on each team will argue the affirmative position and
two will argue the negative position. Direct students to the Web site and have them review it in its
entirety, including the additional materials. They should take detailed notes and develop their
arguments.
Have each group of four engage in formal debate on the topic, with the rest of the students as the
audience.
Alternatively, divide the class into two large groups. Each group can research its assigned position, then
choose two students to represent it in formal debate.
Revisit and Reflect:
As a class, determine which position has won the debate, based on persuasiveness of arguments and
supporting details. Students who vote on the winner should be prepared to explain why they chose that
position.
After a thorough debriefing of the debate, students can write a position paper either defending or
supporting the federal government’s position on the internment of Japanese Canadians during the
Second World War.
Assessment/Evaluation:
A rubric is included on the website to evaluate the debates.
Timeline Lesson Plan
http://archives.cbc.ca/for_teachers/398
Before Exploring:
Write the term “internment” on the board and have students discuss what they think it means. Using a
variety of resources, confirm a definition of the term with the class. Then ask: What role might this word
have played in Canadian history?
Ask students to brainstorm events in the 20th century that might make Canadians proud and those that
might not make them proud. List student responses. Review the list together and ask students to explain
their choices. If it is not raised, introduce the issue of the internment of Japanese Canadians during the
Second World War.
Outline the Opportunity:
Direct students to the topic Relocation to Redress: The Internment of Japanese Canadians on the CBC
Radio and Television Archives Web site. Divide the class into eight groups and have each group review
one of the clips. As they view, students should identify the key event described in the clip and make
point-form notes to describe the event and its impact on Japanese Canadians.
Gather the groups and, together, plot the events in order to create a timeline of the events from the
relocation of Japanese Canadians to the eventual apology from the Canadian government. As each
group identifies its event, group members should explain the event and its impact.
Web Quest: Internment of Ukrainian Canadians
http://archives.cbc.ca/for_teachers/402
Before Exploring:
Explain to students that Japanese Canadians were not the first ethnic group to be interned by the
Canadian government during a war. During the First World War, the federal government placed
Ukrainians in internment camps in fear that they were a threat to national security.
Outline the Opportunity:
Students will research and take detailed notes about the internment of Ukrainians in Canada during the
First World War and about the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. They
will prepare a chart to compare and contrast the events and experiences of the two groups.
Revisit and Reflect:
Students will share their charts with their classmates and be prepared to ask and answer questions. To
foster discussion, you might ask questions such as:
War and the Second World War?
After the discussion, ask the students if they are aware of any other groups of people who have been
interned throughout Canada’s history.
Websites to use for student research:
http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/
http://www.infoukes.com/history/internment
Activity Ideas

Students could research any of the above topics included in the key information section
and compare them to the issue of Japanese internments, and even the Holocaust. Ask
them to compare and contrast the issues, the conditions, and the impact of each on
today’s society. Students

Students could find lyrics to songs that seem to relate to the same issues as these and
examine them through the point of view of the people involved in each tragedy. They
could create posters, to accompany these lyrics, which show the world through these
lenses.

Students could delve into their own pasts and discover whether their family had
connections to any of these events. They can discuss how these events have affected
their lives and the lives of their family members.

Students could create an exhibit of these events (Holocaust, Japanese internment,
Ukrainian internment, Residential schools, Reserve system)—a social studies fair (like a
science fair). Each part of the exhibit could be a different event, and there could be
parts of it that describe different issues within the event. This could be viewed by the
entire community.

The teacher could bring in a survivor, relative of a survivor, or expert on one, or more, of
these topics to speak to the class.

The teacher should bring in personal accounts of all the events—just like Obasan—to
help students understand the emotion and individuality of the subjects.

Students can investigate and study and War Measures Act of Canada and discuss
whether it is appropriate to use in any situation. They can write a paper, or have a
debate arguing one side’s opinion. They can discuss other alternatives to dealing with
critical situations in our country.
Activities
 Visual Study:
 Using http://www.obasan.org students can:
o create an image/idea t-chart
o compare how well the images relate to the storyline / themes within the novel
o *(before reading) - view images and reflect and/or make predictions
 Images of Japanese Internment (See Appendix A)
 have students examine images such as the ones below and reflect on:
o what the images suggest
o what emotions the images brought out
o
o
o
o
o
whether or not the images tell a story
how the images make you feel
what the images say about the treatment of Japanese Canadians
who is in these images?
who is left out of these images?
 National Anthem Study
 Draw students' attention to the following passage:
o "We are late. The singing is already beginning.
O Canada, our home and native land
True patriot love in all thy sons command
With glowing hearts we see thee rise
The true north, strong and free....
We scuttle into place like insects under the floorboards. I am the last child in the
single file of children in my class, standing to the left of the main wooden
sidewalk in front of the wide stairs. The stairs lead to the centre of the long
covered platform like a hall connecting the two buildings of Pine Crescent
School.
O Canada, glorious and free
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!"
pg. 170


Why do you think Kogawa included this passage? Why these particular lines of our
national anthem? *Keep in mind that an author always has a purpose behind their
writing.
How do the lyrics of the national anthem apply to the storyline of the novel? Is there
any irony?
Extensions to this activity:



Have students analyze the lyrics of Canada's national anthem
Have students analyze the national anthem of a different country
How do the national anthems compare to one another? How are they similar? How are
they different?

How well does the meaning of the national anthem reflect the country today? In the
past?
 Passage Analysis
 Have students analyze the following passage (in a writing journal, free-write, etc.)
o "Mind you, you can't compare this sort of thing to anything that happens in
Germany. That country is openly totalitarian. But Canada is supposed to be a
democracy."
pg. 93
 You may wish to provide scaffolding by helping students define "totalitarian" and
"democracy"
 Have students respond to this passage in terms of how it relates to the theme of the
novel, the characters' feelings, the events of the novel, etc.
 Introductory Activity (Pre-Reading)
 Have students analyze, reflect on, and make predictions based on reading the following
passage:
o "There is a loud clanging of the train bell and like a long caterpillar those who are
leaving move forward onto the train, step by step, no turning back, no stepping
out of line, Stephen behind Mas, Uncle behind me. The crowd stands aside,
waving steadily, bowing, touching arms here and there, and then they are out of
view and I'm clambering up the train steps again as I did three years ago.
We sit in two seats facing each other once more, exactly like the last time.
Where is father? Why is Kneji not with Mas? Where are we going? Will it be to
a city? Remember my doll? Remember Vancouver? The escalators? Electric
lights? Streetcars? Will we go home ever again?"
pg. 190
 Analysis of Criticism
 Have students respond to some criticism of Obasan in their writing journals.
 Students should be encouraged to reflect on the criticism, and why they agree or
disagree with it.
 A passage such as the following may be used:
o "Much of Kogawa's novel makes it difficult not only to read but also to classify or
categorize. First, Obasan blurs the line between nonfiction and fiction. Kogawa
draws from actual letters and newspaper accounts, autobiographical details, and
historical facts throughout the novel, but she artistically incorporates this
material into a clearly fictional work. In addition, Kogawa's narrative operates
on multiple levels, from the individual and familial to the communal, national,
political, and spiritual ... This astonishing variety in Kogawa's novel can, at times,
become bewildering and unsettling to the reader."
- Anthony Dykema-VanderArk, in an essay for Nov-els for Students, Gale, 1998
Supplementary Info for Teacher:
 Biography of Joy Kogawa
Joy Kogawa - Vancouver
Joy Kogawa is one of British Columbia's most celebrated and inspirational
authors, whose work has been instrumental in raising Canadian
consciousness about wartime injustices. Ms. Kogawa's award-winning first
novel, Obasan, is an illuminating portrayal of the internment of JapaneseCanadians in Canada during World War II. Obasan is now considered one of
the most important novels ever published in Canada, and is required
curriculum for Canadian high schools and universities.
Ms. Kogawa has been active in social justice movements across Canada, in
the areas of poverty and human rights. She is a powerful advocate for victims
of wrong, and her work continues to inspire citizens throughout the nation.
Through Ms. Kogawa's solid, steady efforts, the issues of internment of
Canadians of Japanese descent were brought to the attention of the Federal
Government, and led to the Japanese-Canadian Redress Agreement in 1988.
Ms. Kogawa was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1986. She has received honourary
doctorates from seven Canadian universities, and is a Fellow of Ryerson Polytechnical University.
She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Asian American Studies, and
the NAJC National Award from the National Association of Japanese Canadians.
The Literary Review of Canada has listed Obasan as one of Canada's 100 most important books. In
2005, the Vancouver Public Library chose Obasan for the One Book One Vancouver program.
Appendix A
http://www.jazzstreetvancouver.ca/events/18
http://digitaljournal.com/images/photo/japanese_evaction.jpg
http://www.canadiana.org/citm/_images/common/a142853.jpg
http://www.lib.washington.edu/Subject/Canada/internment/images/japanboa.gif
http://digitaljournal.com/images/photo/JAPAN2.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/JapaneseRelocationNewspapers1942.gif
Teacher Resources for Obasan
http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/SCL/bin/get.cgi?directory=vol12_2/&filename=Willis.htm
http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/obasan/intro.html
(only has little excerpts of the actual lesson plans but those starting off ideas could inspire others)
http://www.enotes.com/obasan
Complete summary of the novel with chapter summaries. Also has side links like character analysis and
major themes.
http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/obasan
From an American perspective. Lots of history included in the side links about different parts of the
internment
Websites about the Internment
http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/canadianhistory/camps/internment1.html
http://timeinmoments.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/the-internment-camps-of-japanese-canadians-incanada-during-world-war-ii/
Includes pictures
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/general/details.asp?id=44
Discusses the laws and how they were changed. Summary
http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/home_page.htm
(Great lesson plans in Teachers Area for secondary students. Meant for social studies but could be used
for ELA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z88zRES6wcw&feature=related
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Japanese_Canadian_internment **** very good