History in Literature: Understanding "When the Emperor was Divine" by Julie Otsuka

Introduction

After having finished reading When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka, students will engage in research to develop further historical knowledge relating to the novel. This research will teach students to draw connections between the story and the historical events surrounding the story to deepen their understanding and background knowledge.

 

National Council of Teachers of English Standards:

1 Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

7 Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Objective: Students will research historical sources related to Japanese American internment and analyze how historical events influenced the characters and events in When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka, using evidence from both literary and informational texts to support their conclusions with at least 70% proficiency on the WebQuest rubric (Analyze DOK-3).

Task

Instructions

Today, you will work in groups of three to investigate the historical context and themes of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. The information that your group prepares will be used for discussion tomorrow.

Each group member will be assigned one of the following roles:

Historian

  • Research the historical events, policies, and conditions surrounding Japanese American internment during World War II.
  • Gather information from the provided sources and identify key events that relate to the novel.
  • Records your findings on a separate sheet of paper with your name and role written in the top right hand corner.

Literary Analyst

  • Analyze the novel and draw connections between historical events and specific moments in the text.
  • Use evidence from both the novel and historical sources to explain how historical context influences the story.
  • Records your findings on a separate sheet of paper with your name and role written in the top right hand corner.

Character Analyst

  • Select one character from the novel and trace how that character changes throughout the story.
  • Analyze how historical events and experiences shape the character's development, beliefs, and relationships.
  • Records your findings on a separate sheet of paper with your name and role written in the top right hand corner.

Group Discussion

After completing your assigned role, work with your group to identify one central theme from the novel. Using each group members' notes, prepare a written response to be used in full group discussion.

During the class discussion, each group member must:

  • Present evidence from their assigned role.
  • Explain how their evidence supports the group's chosen theme.
  • Respond to questions and ideas presented by classmates.
  • Participate respectfully in discussion and debate.

As a group, you will answer the following question:

How do the historical events of Japanese American internment contribute to the development of the novel's central theme?

Be prepared to participate in a full class discussion tomorrow to complete this project. Your discussion should demonstrate how understanding the historical context deepens the reader's understanding of the characters, events, and themes in When the Emperor Was Divine.

Process

To begin their research, students will watch the following two videos. First is a news report with an interview from one of the prisoners from the internment camps. The second video is a video overview of the internment camps.

Videos:

Next,  students will navigate the following articles to find supporting evidence for their assigned portion of the assignment. 

After each member as finished their section of the project, the group members will prepare a written response to discussion with their class on one central theme they have found within the story and the historical background information they found to support their findings.

 

Evaluation

There are four sections with project will be graded on.

Indicator 1:

Students will engage in group discussion using text evidence to support their statements.

Level 1:

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4:

All 3 group members engaged in full group discussion using text evidence to support their statement.

Some group members engaged in full group discussion using text evidence to support their statement. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

Some group members engaged in group discussion using somewhat appropriate text evidence to support their statement.

(Point deducted dependent on errors)

The group did not engage in group discussion.

25

24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19,18,16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

9,8,8,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

0

 

Indicator 2:

The student completed his or her assigned section of the project using text evidence from the book and websites.

Level 1:

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4:

Student completed his or her assigned section of the assignment using text evidence and supporting information from the websites

The student completed his or her assigned section of the project using some text evidence to support their work. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

The student used little to no text evidence or website information to   complete his or her assigned section of the project. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

The student did not complete their section of the assigned work

25

24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19,18,16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

9,8,8,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

0

 

Indicator 3:

The student used text evidence to draw connections between the historical events surrounding the Japanese American internment camps and the events of the story.

Level 1:

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4:

Student developed clear connections between historical events and the events of the story for his or her assigned section of the assignment using text evidence and supporting information from the websites

The student developed mostly clear connections for his or her assigned section of the project using some text evidence to support their work. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

The student used little to no text evidence or website information to develope connections between historical events and his or her assigned section of the project. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

The student did not develop clear connections between their section of the assigned work and the historical events.

25

24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19,18,16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

9,8,8,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

0

 

Indicator 4:

The student used text evidence to draw connections between the historical events surrounding the Japanese American internment camps and the events of the story.

Level 1:

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4:

Student developed clear connections between historical events and the events of the story for his or her assigned section of the assignment using text evidence and supporting information from the websites

The student developed mostly clear connections for his or her assigned section of the project using some text evidence to support their work. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

The student used little to no text evidence or website information to develop connections between historical events and his or her assigned section of the project. (Point deducted dependent on errors)

The student did not develop clear connections between their section of the assigned work and the historical events.

25

24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19,18,16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

9,8,8,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

0

Conclusion

This WebQuest is designed to integrate informational text with literature in order to deepen understanding of history and narrative. By analyzing historical sources and connecting them to When the Emperor Was Divine, students have developed skills in research, interpretation, and evidence based reasoning that are essential for understanding complex texts and real world issues. By understanding history allows readers to better understand literature and allows the students a better understanding the human impact of a historical event. 

 

 

Credits

Youtube

National Park Service 

Journal of Social Issues

I Love History

Teacher Page

This WebQuest was created in alignment with the National Council of Teachers of English Standards. This WebQuest was created for a 10th grade english classroom.