"Focus on Friendship or Fights for Civil Rights? Teaching the Difficult History of Japanese American Incarceration through The Bracelet" by Noreen N Rodríguez

Selected Works of Noreen Naseem Rodriguez

Article

Focus on Friendship or Fights for Civil Rights? Teaching the Difficult History of Japanese American Incarceration through The Bracelet

Occasional Paper Series

Noreen N Rodríguez, Iowa State University

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Abstract

Japanese American incarceration is one of few Asian American historical topics addressed in P-12 curriculum. A dearth of children’s literature is available about Japanese American incarceration, yet given young learners’ limited exposure to World War II historical narratives, simply reading a picturebook about the topic does not ensure that students and teachers will address the injustices involved in the event. This study contrasts the distinct pedagogical approaches taken up by two Texas elementary educators who read aloud Yoshiko Uchida’s The Bracelet, a picturebook that details a young Japanese American girl’s forced removal from her home.

Author Biography

Noreen N. Rodríguez

Noreen Naseem Rodríguez is an assistant professor of elementary social studies in the School of Education at Iowa State University. Her research interests include Asian American education, educators of color, the teaching of difficult histories, and critical uses of diverse children’s literature. Rodríguez was a bilingual elementary teacher in Texas for nine years and is the recipient of the 2019 Early Career Award from the Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English. Her work has been published in Theory & Research in Social Education, The Journal of Children’s Literature, The School Library Journal, and Literacy Today.

Citation Information

Noreen N Rodríguez. "Focus on Friendship or Fights for Civil Rights? Teaching the Difficult History of Japanese American Incarceration through The Bracelet"
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/noreen-naseemrodriguez/11/