dwf teaching companion for asian studies

8/4/2019 DWF Teaching Companion for Asian Studies

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A Guide toUsingDivided We Fallin Asian StudiesCourses

Thank you for downloading this

teaching companion for the

documentary film, Divided We

Fall. We are excited to offer you

this resource and hope that you

find it valuable and easy to use.

The activities in this lesson are

guidelines to inspire your

teaching; they may be applied

flexibly. Visit our website http://

www.dwf-film.com/for more

lesson guides, multimedia, and

supplemental resources. If you

have any questions about this

guide, please contact Jodi Elliott

[email protected].
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.participate.net/educatorshttp://www.participate.net/educatorshttp://www.participate.net/educatorshttp://www.participate.net/educators


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Intended AudienceThe activities in this guide are designed for college level Asian American Studies, Asian Studies, Cultural

Studies, and Religious Studies courses. They may also be adapted and used as an introduction to Sikhism fo

high school students or general audiences.

Lesson ObjectivesUpon completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Describe the basic tenets of Sikhism.

Examine the experiences of Sikhs in United States history.

Define the terms Sikhism, gurdwara, and Panj Kakars,

Explain the religious significance of the Sikh turban.

Additionally, the lesson facilitates exploration of these questions: What is Sikhism? What is it like to be Sikh or

Sikh American in the United States? What are some commonalities that Sikh Americans share through their

identity and community? What are some differences?

Teacher TipsThis lesson can be taught before or after students have viewed the film. However, we suggest completing the

brainstorming activity (Activity 1) before showing the film whenever possible. If time is short, the short film The

Sikh Religion: Beyond the Turban (10:25) can substitute for a screening of the entire film. If time is plentiful,you may wish to assign students to watch the entire film plus the two short films about Sikhism on the DVD,

The Sikh Religion: Beyond the Turban(10:25) and Becoming American: The Journey of an Early Sikh Pioneer

(10:43). These shorts will enhance students understanding of the Asian immigrant experience during the early

history of the United States.


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Activity 1

25MIN BRAINSTORM PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SIKH RELIGION

1 Give each student a copy of Handout 1 (Brainstorm: The Sikh

Religion). Allow students 5 minutes to fill in their ideas about

Sikhism in each column.

2 After the students have had time to brainstorm, ask them to share

what they wrote and record a composite of their answers where all

can see. At this point there is no need to filter or correct wrong

answers, unless you deem one harmful. Tell students to record their

classmates responses on their own paper.

3 Show students the short film The Sikh Religion: Beyond the Turban

(10:25), from the Divided We FallDVD. Instruct students to correct

the responses they have written down on the handout as they watch

the film. If the statement is incorrect, they should cross it out. If the

statement is correct they should put a check mark next to it.

Students may also record questions in column 3, What Id Like toKnow. Questions that are not addressed in the film can be handled

by the instructor afterwards or assigned to students as homework.

3

Written by Irene Yeh and Marisa Jackson Hedges. Produced byMindgate Media

2011 New Moon Productions. All rights reserved
http://mindgatemedia.com/http://mindgatemedia.com/


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Activity 2

15MIN SIKHS IN AMERICA

1 Now that students have a better understanding of the Sikh religion,

and why many Sikhs immigrated to the United States from India and

other countries, ask students to think about the experiences of Sikh

Americans: a) In what ways can a person express their beliefs as aSikh and/or Sikh American? b) What are some commonalities that

Sikh Americans share through their identity and community?

c) What are some differences among individuals who identify as

Sikh American?

2 If students have viewed the film in its entirety, ask: In the film, how

did Valarie express her identity as a Sikh American? How did other

characters express their identities?

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Activity 3

60MIN MAPPING SIKH AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND HISTORY

1 Explain to students that the purpose of this assignment is to learn

about a Sikh individual or group, and create maps of their

participation in the building of historical and contemporary U.S.

society.

2 Assign small groups of 3 to 5 students to research a historical or

contemporary Sikh individual, group, or community in the United

States. They can focus on one individuals accomplishments, an

organizations contributions, or even the development of a particular

social or political movement. Ask your media specialist and/or

librarian to help you find a variety of sources to recommend to

studentsscholarly journals, primary sources, multimediawhatever

is most appropriate for the level of the class.

3 Ask the students to focus their research on answering these

questions: a. What contributions has this person or group made toAmerican society? b. How has this person or group served as a role

model for others? c. How has this persons or groups ideas and/or

actions affected the lives of Sikh Americans? All Americans?

4 After completing their research, ask each group to create a visual

map of the subject they learned about. Instruct students to create

their map on the scale that is most relevant to the subject they

researched: a map of the entire U.S. for a government official or

national organization; a map of a town for a community leader or

gurdwara; a map of a school for a local educator or student group;

and so on. Ask students to write key facts and/or descriptions of

key events on several index cards. Then ask them to tape each cardonto relevant locations on their map.

5 Ask each group to present their maps and stories to the class, and

participate in a discussion about the history of Sikh Americans in

U.S. society. Guide the class through a discussion of these ideas:

a) In what ways do these maps change or add to your

understanding of U.S. history and society? b) Had you previously

heard stories about the roles of Sikh Americans in the building of

U.S. society? c) Why do you think these stories are often

unacknowledged? d) What other religious groups have faced

discrimination and persecution based on their religious beliefs?

Compare the histories of Sikh Americans in the United States to

these groups. e) What are some of the similarities and differences in

their experiences of oppression or violence? f) How have these

groups participated in the building of U.S. society over time?

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Activity 3 (cont.)

60MIN MAPPING SIKH AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND HISTORY (CONTINUED)

6 This activity may be implemented over a couple of days or a couple

of weeks, depending on the time you have available for the

assignment. If time is limited, provide students with a list of people

or groups to choose from as well as several information sourcesthey can use to learn about them. These websites may be helpful:

The Sikh Coalition (www.sikhcoalition.org)

The Wing Luke Asian Museum, Special Exhibitions, Sikh

Community: Over 100 Years in the Pacific Northwest (http://

www.wingluke.org/pages/sikhcommunitywebsite/mainpage.html)

Khalsa Kids (www.khalsakids.org)

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http://mindgatemedia.com/http://mindgatemedia.com/http://www.khalsakids.org/http://www.khalsakids.org/http://www.wingluke.org/pages/sikhcommunitywebsite/mainpage.htmlhttp://www.wingluke.org/pages/sikhcommunitywebsite/mainpage.htmlhttp://www.wingluke.org/pages/sikhcommunitywebsite/mainpage.htmlhttp://www.wingluke.org/pages/sikhcommunitywebsite/mainpage.htmlhttp://www.sikhcoalition.org/http://www.sikhcoalition.org/


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Optional Assignments

REINFORCING LESSON CONCEPTS

1 Ask students to repeat one of the assignments above for a different

religious minority group in the United States such as Mormons,

Mennonites, Amish, Jains, Wiccans, Hasidic Jews, or agnostics.

2 Find out if there is a gurdwara in your region and if so, ask what

types of educational outreach programs they provide. Invite a

gurdwara member to speak to your class about Sihkism and Sikh

Americans in your community. The following website offers a fairly

comprehensive lists of Sikh Gurdwaras in the United States and

Canada: www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwaras_USA.

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http://mindgatemedia.com/http://mindgatemedia.com/http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwaras_USAhttp://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwaras_USA


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WHAT I KNOW WHAT I THINK I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO KNOW

Handout 1BRAINSTORM ACTIVITY: THE SIKH RELIGION

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