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Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese
Students explore what it means to belong through the story of a young boy's conflicted relationship with his Chinese-American identity.
ELA
Unit 5
7th Grade
Unit Summary
In this unit, students continue their year-long interrogation of what it means to belong by reading the acclaimed graphic novel American Born Chinese, written by Gene Luen Yang. Students follow protagonist Jin, the son of Chinese immigrants, as he navigates the standard experiences of being a young person coming of age in America, as well as the unique challenges of being Asian American in a predominantly white community. His story is told alongside the traditional Chinese folktale of the Monkey King, desperate to transform himself into something other than who he is, and the story of Danny, whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee. American Born Chinese explores themes around identity, stereotypes, friendship, and self-acceptance through these three intertwined stories.
This unit contains several supplemental informational texts that explore the history of Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act, as well as the power of stereotypes and bias, the role of the media in creating and perpetuating stereotypes, and the impact of stereotypes on individuals—including the author of American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang. These texts provide students with schema around stereotypes and the necessary context to understand the specific history of stereotypes of Chinese Americans, which appear predominantly in our anchor text. Additionally, students will learn about the structure and key features of graphic novels, giving students the tools they will need to both understand and appreciate the unique features of this genre.
Please Note: In January 2025, this unit and its lesson plans will received the enhancements outlined here.
The overall length of units may increase or decrease by up to 2 instructional days, with some lessons from the original unit removed, combined, or otherwise adjusted. Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for the updated pacing, sequencing, and content.
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Texts and Materials
Some of the links in the sections below are Bookshop affiliate links. This means that if you click and make a purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which supports our non-profit mission.
Core Materials
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Book: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second) — GN530L
Supporting Materials
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Article: “As Chinese Exclusion Act Turns 135, Experts Point To Parallels Today” by Kat Chow (NPR)
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Article: “That's Not Who I Am: Calling Out and Challenging Stereotypes of Asian Americans” by Whitney Pow (Everyday Feminism)
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Article: “Heart and Humor: How American Sitcoms Reflect Society (G7, U5, L5)” by Fishtank Staff
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Article: “This Chinese-American Cartoonist Forces Us to Face Racist Stereotypes” by Joshua Barajas (PBS)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Unit 5.
Content Assessment
The Content Assessment tests students' ability to read a "cold" or unfamiliar passage and answer multiple choice and short answer questions. Additionally, a longer writing prompt pushes students to synthesize unit content knowledge or unit essential questions in writing. The Content Assessment should be used as the primary assessment because it shows mastery of unit content knowledge and standards.
Vocabulary Assessment
The Vocabulary Assessment tests student's knowledge and usage of the unit's of text-based vocabulary.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Essential Questions
- Where do stereotypes come from and how do they affect people?
- What might motivate a person to reject aspects of their identity, and what are the risks of doing so?
- How can individuals stay true to themselves in the face of judgment from others?
Enduring Understandings
- Stereotypes are oversimplified—often offensive—ideas about specific groups of people. The media can create and perpetuate stereotypes and can have a significant impact on the way that people think about and treat one another.
- Stereotypes can have a detrimental effect on the way that people in specific groups view themselves.
- Self-acceptance is an important part of coming of age.
Vocabulary
Text-based
blatantcaricaturecowardlydesperationdisciplineexclusionferventlyforfeitfrolickedimmortalityinevitablejeopardizepervasiveperceiveresonatetranscendvirtue
Literary Terms
author's perspectiveconclusion/resolutionflashbackforeshadowingframegutterhero's journeynarrative boxonomatopoeiapanelspeech bubblethought bubblethemethematic topicverbal irony
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 5, view our 7th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Supporting All Students
In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the guidance provided under 'Notes for Teachers' below in addition to the Unit Launch to determine which supports students will need at the unit and lesson level. To learn more, visit the Supporting All Students Teacher Tool.
Notes for Teachers
- American Born Chinese contains discussions and depictions of a number of harmful, racist stereotypes, and racist slurs about Asian American people. Yang intentionally includes a number of harmful, racist stereotypes about Asian Americans in American Born Chinese to draw attention to them and help people realize their severity. Although students will be thinking and talking about these stereotypes through a critical lens, they nevertheless have the power to cause harm. It is essential that teachers and students work to create an environment where all students—but especially Asian American students—are safe. Students must understand that stereotypes and prejudice can lead to serious, real-world consequences for people. The following are suggested additional resources for this unit:
- Suggested activities to get students talking about stereotypes: Understanding Stereotypes (Discovery Education)
- Resources for teaching American Born Chinese: "Using Graphic Novels in Education: American Born Chinese" by Meryl Jaffe (CBLDF)
- There are several examples in this text of homophobia, sexism, and sexual harassment. We recommend pointing these incidents out to students so that they do not go unnoticed and unnamed, and therefore normalized.
- American Born Chinese includes three separate stories. Students may benefit from a graphic organizer to keep track of the plot in the three separate stories. Have students add a 1–2 sentence summary to the Plot Summary Graphic Organizer (G7, U5) each time they read to keep track of how the stories unfold. Reference the G7 U5 Summary to help students complete their Plot Summary Graphic Organizer.
Fishtank ELA Connections
Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
- 1st Grade ELA - Folktales Around the World
- 2nd Grade ELA - Stories of Immigration
- 4th Grade ELA - Finding Fortune: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
- 5th Grade ELA - Building Community: Seedfolks
- 5th Grade ELA - Friendship Across Boundaries: Return to Sender
- 7th Grade ELA - Longing to Belong: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories
- 7th Grade ELA - Finding Home: The House on Mango Street
Future Fishtank ELA Connections
Lesson Map
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
Supporting Standards
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