A Journey That Began a Community
On January 13, 1903, the steamship SS Gaelic reached Honolulu with an early large group of Korean immigrants aboard. After a long journey across the Pacific Ocean, the passengers arrived in a place that was new to many of them. Their arrival helped begin a chapter of Korean American history that is remembered more than a century later.
At the time, Hawaii was not a state. It was the Territory of Hawaii, a region governed by the United States. Hawaii would not become the 50th state until 1959, more than 50 years after the Gaelic arrived. The distinction matters: the immigrants came to a U.S. territory, not to the state of Hawaii as it exists today.
Why people made the journey
Hawaii’s sugar plantations needed workers to plant, tend, and harvest sugarcane. Plantation owners and labor recruiters looked for workers in Korea as well as in other places. Recruiters described the opportunity to earn wages, and some Koreans decided to make the long trip.
- immigrants:
- People who move to another country or place to live.
- plantations:
- Large farms where crops are grown.
- recruiters:
- People who look for others to fill jobs.
- wages:
- Money paid to people for their work.
- uncertainty:
- A situation in which the future is not clear.
- descendants:
- People in later generations of a family.
- centennial:
- A 100th anniversary or its celebration.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why did plantation owners and recruiters look for workers in Korea?
- 2What two conditions in Korea helped explain why some people chose to leave?
You Might Also Like
About this explanatory article passage for 5th Grade
“A Journey That Began a Community” is a explanatory article reading passage about Korean immigration to Hawaii, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (458 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.