Primary Sources relating to Canadians of Chinese Ancestry

Lesson Overview

Historical Thinking Concept(s)

• Use primary source evidence
• Establish historical significance

Learning Outcomes

• analyze primary sources to construct meaning and knowledge.
• infer meaning and make conclusions.
• appraise the information and collaborate with peers using a concept map.

Background Information

• Concept maps are diagrams that students create using words/sentences that show the relationships between concepts and ideas relating to the image or topic in the centre.
• Each branch should be a separate colour and words/sentences should be connected by a line if there is a shared relationship.

Resources Required/Teacher Prep

• PDF Lesson
  • Worksheet 1.1 – Analyzing A Primary Source
    
  • Primary Source Collection (teacher will need to decide which primary sources to use based on the level of the class and the topic of the lesson — suggested primary sources are listed below, sorted by theme)
    
• “Beyond Gold Mountain: Canadians of Chinese Ancestry,” Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids, September 2023
• Chart paper and markers — one per group
• Background Information for Teachers and Recommended Reading/Watching List

Primary Sources Used

Sources relating to Existence (arrival/immigration)

• Image 1 — Arrival of Immigrants in Vancouver

• Image 4 — Canadian Pacific Steamer

• Image 6 — Long, Braided Hair

• Image 7 — Boat Ticket Stub

• Image 22 — Photograph of Kuo Min Tang Members

• Image 30 — Larry Kwong’s C.I. 45

Sources relating to Struggle/Survival

• Image 2 — Letter to the Premier

• Image 3 — 1907 Riots - Fongoun's

• Image 5 — Anti-Chinese Association Letter

• Image 10 — Chinese Canadians in the Armed Forces

• Image 11 — Letter to the Mayor of Saskatoon

• Image 12 — “Remarkable document is given city”

• Image 15 — $500 Head Tax Cartoon

• Image 16 — Police Mugshot Book

• Image 19 — Superimposed Family Portrait

• Image 20a/b — Grant Family Photograph

Sources relating to Items (objects of significance)

• Image 13 — Iron Chink 1909 Model Advertisement

• *Image 14 — Fernridge Time Checks [see extension activity]

• Image 21 — Lotus Foot Shoes

Lesson Activity

ACTIVATING

• Teacher should review with students what a primary source is, why primary sources are important to the study of history/social science and the difficulties in interpreting primary sources.

ACQUIRING

• Teacher can take one of the primary sources and work through it together as a class creating a concept map on the board by asking the questions that are present on Worksheet 1.1.
• Teacher should review the guidelines of concept maps: short words, branches = connections, and the use of colour.
• Distribute a primary source to each student (can be duplicates) and have students analyze the source individually, filling in as much of Worksheet 1.1 as they can in point form.
• Group together students with the same primary source to share their answers with each other while creating a concept map on chart paper with their primary source in the middle.

APPLYING

• When finished, students move from each group, reading each of the primary sources and the resulting conclusions.
• Students can add their own thoughts or questions to each primary source as they move from one source to the next.
• Teacher can debrief by asking students to share what they learn about Canadians of Chinese ancestry from the sources they used and why those sources are historically significant.

Lesson Alternatives/Accommodations

• Teacher can use one group of primary sources from one theme or divide the class into three groups to analyze the primary sources relating to each topic.
• Depending on the skill level of the class, teacher could select sources that are images only or text only.
• Teacher can also take all the primary sources related to one of the themes and place them on the board, creating a large concept map surrounding the theme itself.

Materials/Resources

Possible Extension Activities

• This activity could be the introduction to a research activity.
• Students pick a primary source that interested them and use it to research more into the topic.
• The Fernridge badge* can be compared to Inuit disc numbers (see link below) — a separate lesson could be used comparing the use of identification tags on minorities.

Links for Extension Activity

• “Beyond a number: Inuit photo exhibit brings controversial ‘Eskimo’ I.D. system to light,” CBC Radio, 28 July 2017.
• “Inuit Disc Numbers,” The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Possible Assessment

• Could use an exit ticket to assess knowledge    
• Collecting the completed concept maps as formative assessment