Lesson 5: Seen and Unseen, Part 1

Turn and Talk

Directions: Take out your copy of Seen and Unseen with your annotations. Turn and talk with a partner about the question to prepare for reading. As you discuss, jot down notes.

• What have you learned so far about the policies and events that led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans? What questions do you have as we begin reading Seen and Unseen?

Morphology & Vocabulary

Target Word: contraband

Directions: We’re learning about the word contraband today. Take out your Key Terms and Topics graphic organizer as we explore the word more deeply. This word will be important for understanding Japanese Americans’ experiences and status in the United States during incarceration.

1. Have you seen this word before? Where?

2. What does it mean to ban something?

Identify Affixes:

• Have you seen other words that begin with contra- before? What do they mean?

Determine Meaning:

• Using what we know about contra-/band, what do you think contraband means?

Part A: Identify Purpose

Turn and Talk

Directions: Take a moment to look at the different locations marked on the map from the inside cover of your book, Seen and Unseen. These are the places where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II.

As a class, begin creating a timeline using the Timeline graphic organizer to plot four key events you will learn about. Then, begin reading Seen and Unseen from “Early in the morning . . .” on p. 1 to “. . . declared war on Japan” on p. 5. As you read, use the Turn and Talk routine to summarize events and locations—who is involved, where the events are taking place, and what is happening and connect your thinking to what you have already learned about Japanese American identity and public perception.

• Pearl Harbor attack (Dec. 1941)

• Executive Order 9066 (Feb. 1942)

• Forced removal (1942–1945)

• End of incarceration/camp closures (1945)

Respond to questions that will help you put these background pages in context and deepen your understanding. Record your responses on a collaborative idea board.

• Ask: Look at pages 1–5. What colors does the illustrator use? Where do you see them, and what feeling does the illustrator create?

• What opinion do you think the author and illustrator want to convey about Japanese American incarceration? How do you know?

• How does the author’s perspective on these events differ from the perspective of the U.S. government at the time?

Part B: Compare Media

Turn and Talk

Directions: Stay with your partner and read pp. 6–7 of Seen and Unseen together. As you read, think about whether you recognize the photo from Spark Lesson 2 and answer the following questions.

• The “I Am an American” photograph is a real historical photograph, while the surrounding images are Tamaki’s illustrations. Why do you think Partridge and Tamaki chose to place an actual photograph here rather than another illustration? What does the photograph do that an illustration couldn’t?

• The text on page 7 describes fear and rumors spreading. The photograph on pages 6–7 shows a sign reading “I Am an American.” What is the relationship between those two things — the text’s account of fear and the image of that sign? Does the photograph confirm the text, complicate it, or add something new?

• How might public perception, fear, or bias influence these experiences?

Quick Write

Directions: Choose one choice the author or illustrator made in pages 1–7 — a color, a layout decision, a sentence that stands alone, or a choice about what to show or hide. In two or three sentences, explain what that choice does to a reader that a different choice would not have done.