Pathfinder developed for the Museum of Chinese in America to lead students through its permanent exhibit

1. Towards a More Perfect Union 8 7 5 6
Red Timeline Years
4
Start End
_____ _____
1 2 3
Look on the left of the big wall map for the boards with personal stories of immigrants
who traveled from their original homelands to the U.S. Pick one board and find the
beginning and ending journey points on the wall map. Mark the points below and
connect them with a line.
Do you know your own family’s story? Try to find where your family started its journey
to the U.S. and where it is now. Mark the points on the map and connect them.
The museum is collecting stories from visitors like you about family journeys to the
U.S. Write something about your own family history. It can be a story, a poem, a letter,
a description of a special object — anything about your family’s coming to or living in
U.S. If your background is Chinese, you can fill out an official “journey card” too!
Journey Card
WITH A SINGLE STEP: STORIES IN THE MAKING OF AMERICA
Activity Guide Grades 7 and 8

2. With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America Allies and Enemies 8 7 6
5
Red Timeline Years
4
Start End
Welcome to the museum! The story of the United States is the story of _____ _____
many people coming from many different lands, and learning the stories 1 2 3
of each group of people is one way to learn American history. Use this
guide to explore the story of Chinese people in America, and as you walk
through the museum, think about your own family’s history and how it Find the group of three items about Tung Pok Chin — his identification certificate, the
relates to the history of the United States. photo of him joining the U.S. Navy, and the letter from his dean at New York
University. Look around the room and find evidence of events in the U.S. or around the
Below is a map of the exhibit rooms. Look for the red timeline markers world which are reflected in the items in Tung Pok Chin’s display. The events might be
on the red timeline or might be talked about in the labels for other objects. Write
to help you see where you are in time and what was happening around
newspaper headlines for at least three of these events.
the world. Write down the first and last years for each room where you
see the “Red Timeline Years” box. Look also for the large square signs
that point out major historical events and issues in each room.
8 7 6
5
4
START HERE
1 2 3
Arlene Yu, LIS 697-06, Fall 2009

3. Welcome to Chinatown 8 7 5 6 Go East! Go West! 8 7 5 6
Red Timeline Years
The Rising Spirit 4 4
Start End
_____ _____
1 2 3 1 2 3
The Chinatown Shop
These next three rooms explore what it means to be “Chinese,” both for Chinese Find the china plate in the room and notice how decorations like the pagoda make you
immigrants and for others. There are no red timeline markers in these rooms. think of China. Look around the room and find other images or symbols that are used
to make people think of China. Sketch them on the plates below.
In the first room, think about why people thought the fake Chinese magician was more
authentic than the real one. How did makeup artists try to make non-Chinese actors
look as “Chinese” as the real Chinese actresses Anna May Wong or Nancy Kwan in the
movies? Look at the restaurant menus and the story about the La Choy food brand.
Think about how these menus made their food sound “Chinese.” Design your own
“Chinese” dish, and name it and describe it below as it would appear on a menu.
Name of dish: ________________________________________________________
Description: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
In the second and third rooms, look for and list three of the many things from their
“real” Chinese heritage that Chinese immigrants preserved in their communities.
1: _________________________________________________________________
2: _________________________________________________________________
3: _________________________________________________________________
What’s one of the services that the traditional Chinatown shop provided to its
community besides selling goods?

4. Down with Monopolies! 8 7 6
5
The Chinese Must Go!
Red Timeline Years 4
Start End
_____ _____ 1 2 3
Imagined and Intimate
Red Timeline Years
Start End
_____ _____
Pick one of the Chinese American men featured on the wall on the left in the glowing
rectangles. Using the opposite wall and the next room for information on Chinese
immigrant life, write a letter from your immigrant to his family in China about his life in
the U.S. Include his experiences with either immigration or work, and what he did to
deal with the problems he encountered.