Lesson Plan Library

In “Encouraging a Sense of Gratitude in Students”, Marissa King suggested students write letters. She says, “Letter writing is an academic skill—requiring students to focus on a specific purpose and an authentic audience—but it’s also a perfect opportunity to get students thinking about who and what they should be thankful for.” King’s recommendation aligns with this lesson: writing a letter to a Korean War veteran. If possible, I recommend you connect with the National Honor Flight Network, to make sure veterans receive the students’ letters. In Wisconsin, I’ve worked with the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. You might also contact the Korean War Veterans Association.

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In this lesson, students will explore the impact of the DMZ on North and South Korea and analyze its complex perceptions within South Korea. By engaging with a variety of primary and secondary sources, students will gain insights into the historical and contemporary significance of the DMZ. They will develop their own opinions on the inquiry question, “Does the existence of the DMZ serve as a symbol of division or a potential for future reunification?” Students will be tasked with using evidence from the sources to support and defend their responses, fostering critical thinking and deeper understanding of this pivotal topic.

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This lesson will help students and multilingual students know the significance of U.S. forces and other soldiers from the 22 nations that participated in the Korean War and the impact of their service, along with some of them receiving the Medal of Honor from their actions. The students will be tasked with helping a local author with researching for their book on veterans and the awards they received from participating in the war. The students will learn about the spotlighted soldiers. These soldiers will tell their story through videos and articles written about them. Students will be using citations and videos from The Korean War Legacy Foundation, the Medal of Honor Foundation, and The 22: Korean War International Legacy websites. Students will flow through the WebQuest and will be asked to click on a hyperdoc. This hyperdoc will ask the students to go deeper into the stories of Tibor Rubin and Hiroshi Mayamura. After reading the citations and watching the videos, students will be asked to fill in graphic organizers on good character traits that the soldiers displayed. This will lead into the student’s learning about the assignment that will be a formative assessment project. Students will be tasked in researching and creating a presentation that will be shown to the local author writing a book on soldier life in the Korean War.

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This lesson is accessible to students with little to no English. It includes many images and modified readings. In this lesson, the students will learn about why the Korean War is still very topical and how it affects millions of people today. This lesson assesses differing viewpoints on the idea of reunifying the two Koreas. It also assesses current discussions on reunification.

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In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to evaluate primary and secondary sources related to the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula. Students will read a document giving background and context to the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula. This will allow students to draw connections between this sphere of influence and others throughout the world that Europeans had created. Students can compare and contrast Japanese occupation to that of European in Africa, for example. The activity breaks the occupation into 6 categories of Korean society and how each was influenced or impacted by the Japanese during occupation. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate patterns that might have emerged within these 6 categories, and can determine if certain areas of Korean society were impacted more than others. Students will get first hand accounts of the occupation and what life was like for Koreans during the time period.

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Through analyzing aspects of the Hallyu in American society today, a conversation will be prompted regarding the Korean diaspora in the USA. There will be correlation to broader AP World History themes of migration, push and pull factors, and related contexts of the 19th and 20th centuries (Japanese imperialism, World War 1 and World War 2, Korean War, etc).

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Students will critically analyze Suhi Choi’s article to understand how historical narratives are shaped and the consequences of silencing survivors’ stories. They will discuss the significance of historical memory and how it influences public perception.

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The early Chosun (Joseon) Dynasty established themselves 1392 and lasted until 1912. Within the context of East Asia, the Korean peninsula had established itself as a tributary state as far back as the 4th century CE. This relationship had far reaching effects on Korean society and its internal power structure.

This lesson has two components plus some extensions.
1) Students will learn about the Tributary relationship between China and Korea and how the elites (yangban) maintained power through their adoption of Neo-Confucianism. Students will analyze primary sources to practice those skills and will use secondary sources to find evidence demonstrating the importance of Neo-Confucianism in the Joseon court.

2) Day 2 explores the role of language as a tool of maintaining power. Students will explore King Sejong’s creation of Hunminjeongeum (later called Hangul) as a way of educating the people and will also explore the role of the elites in suppressing the expansion of Hangul. The day includes students creating arguments for either the expansion or suppression of Hangul as well as counter-arguments to help practice the skill of using evidence to analyze.

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This lesson helps students develop a nuanced understanding of economic development, encouraging critical thinking about how we measure progress and success on a national and global scale. It aligns well with broader educational goals of promoting analytical skills, global awareness, and multifaceted approaches to complex issues.

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This lesson introduces students to the spiritual practices of Shamanism and Ancestor Worship in Korea, China and Japan, focusing on their cultural significance and historical development. Students will explore how these practices reflect the values and beliefs of the societies around the Sea of Japan and compare the similarities and differences among the three countries. Through discussion, analysis of primary sources, and a creative synthesis project, students will gain a deeper understanding of the role of spirituality in shaping cultural identity.

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