UNIT ONE
The Early History of Chinatown

Unit One is based on two documents. The first is a history of Chinatown and the second is a photograph of a Chinese businessman. The three parts use these documents to learn about the early history of Chinatown.

ACTIVITY 1	Where does Document 1 come from?
ACTIVITY 2	How was Chinatown established in New York City?
ACTIVITY 3	What have we learned from the document?

TIME FRAME:

It will take at least eight class periods to do the activities. In addition, a class trip should be organized during school time.

PRODUCTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Students' writing: Dialogues, passages, and letters created during the project.

Pictures and paintings of Chinatown.

Videotapes of students' performances and discussions.

DOCUMENT 1

THE EARLY HISTORY OF CHINATOWN
From the WPA Federal Writers' Project NYC Unit Records

DOCUMENT 2

PHOTOGRAPH OF AN UNIDENTIFIED BUSINESSMAN
from Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, The Chinese American Family Album, courtesy of Raymond L.

Activity 1