The paper suggests that by studying the Hawaiian plantation system, seventh graders can gain understanding of personal values and ethnic heritage. The current racial and cultural diversity in Hawaii is a result of mass immigration initiated in 1876 by the needs of the sugar and pineapple industries. Over 400,000 field workers from China, Japan, the Portuguese Azores, Korea, Spain, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines were brought to the plantations, lived in segregated quarters at the direction of plantation owners, and managed to unite and strike against the companies in 1946. A sample of seven study units for seventh grade social studies classes is contained in the paper. Based on a short story about the daily life of a young, male Chinese field worker, the units involve students in constructing his family's monthly budget and a savings goal; writing letters to his parents in China; and analyzing plantation work songs for clues about workers' lives, attitudes, and aspirations. (AV)