Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban is an incredible historical fiction novel about a girl and her experiences in a Japanese American Internment Camp in Manzanar, California. Through this literature unit your child will learn a little about World War II, but more specifically what was going on in America during this time.
Through research, reading, primary source documents, and hands on STEM activities this Paper Wishes Literature Unit will expose your child to Japanese culture, tsunamis, the science behind airplanes, soil science, and so much more.
Paper Wishes Literature Unit
- As with almost any novel, you can really discuss a great variety of literary aspects through reading this novel. A few key concepts:
- Elements of Plot
- Characterization / Character Analysis
- World War II – Overview of the War.
- American History – What happened in America during World War II, specifically to Japanese Americans? Check out this website from the Smithsonian for an overview with images.
- Propaganda – Study the propaganda used during and before World War II as well as the different types of propaganda.
- Locate Bainbridge Island, Washington. Research the island. Look into how it was founded, etc. Then, find Manzanar, California on a map and determine how far they travelled.
- Read Executive Order 9066. Discuss the importance of primary sources. How is this considered a primary source? What is the Executive Order 9066 about?
- Internment Camps.
- How many internment camps were created? Where were they located?
- Create a map of the internment camps.
- Describe the living conditions of these camps. How did people live? Where did they sleep and eat? What was daily life like in these camps?
- Check out Manzanar National Park Service website for more information.
- Read Journey to Topaz, Farewell to Manzanar, or The Bracelet for more stories on the Japanese American Internment Camps.
- Tsunami – Research tsunamis in Japan from 1850-1930. How many occurred during this time period? What kind of damage did Japan endure during each of these tsunamis?
- Lantern Festival – What is the Lantern Festival? How is it celebrated?
- Paper Airplane Challenge – Create paper airplanes and experiment with models, flight time, etc.
- Introduce/discuss distance, rate, time formula and time fly lengths.
- Soil testing. The family garden was important throughout the story and we learn a little about the type of weather at Manzanar as well as how well the garden did.
- Test and study different types of soils and their nutrients. Check out The Science of Soil for family resources on testing soil.
- Expository Writing: Research and explain what internment camps are, where they were located, and what they were like.
- Compare/ Contrast. Compare Manami’s experience during World War II with a character from a different country during the same time period.
- Drawing – Manami used drawings to communicate once she lost her voice. Draw a picture/ collage that summarizes Manami’s experience at Manzanar. Make sure that your picture shows her experiences as well as what was most important to her.
- Diorama – Create a diorama of Camp Manzanar as described in the book (the mess hall, barracks, store, school, etc). Feel free to do additional research of Camp Manzanar to get a better understanding if needed.
Unique Hashtag: PaperWishesLLLG
Pinterest Board: Paper Wishes Literature Unit
I hope that you enjoy this unit, as well as this novel, Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban. I would love to hear what activities or projects you come up, as well as other books or stories you have read or use from this specific time period.
Don’t forget to check back soon for the next Literature Unit on Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park.