Thousand Pieces of Gold
by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How do women cope in the face of adversity?

LESSON PLANS, ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS

1. Go to OUSD Website to see picture of author. Print out and distribute copies of her biography.
   Students read silently making up questions and answers to ask each other in competition for points.
2. Quickwrite: What do you already know about early Chinese immigration to the United States? Discuss and chart student responses on board or overhead.
3. Ask if any one has heard the term "Not a Chinaman’s Chance?' Discuss, explain. (Chinese railroad workers were used for the most dangerous job of being lowered over the edge of the mountains to create holes and insert dynamite, then to ignite the dynamite. Frequently they were not pulled up in time and died in the explosions.) See Internet for article on this topic. Discuss racism against Asian races.
4. Distribute copies of the Chinese Exclusion Act from Internet. Link (Go to Internet Resources)
   Have students to take"Cornell Notes" to study and then summarize important information.

Review topic and summary sentence. Students write a 4 – 5 sentence summaries using the key words and added information.