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Who Killed Vincent Chin: Civil Rights Activism From the website:
"In this lesson, students will:
(1) investigate evidence to determine how the killing of Vincent Chin was racially motivated,
(2) demonstrate how to stand up for a civil rights issue, and
(3) analyze the mistakes of the American justice system"
The lesson takes place over two 50-minute class periods with optional homework in between.
PBS and History Toolkit Cautions:
Please be advised that this lesson plan contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Also, referring to anyone of Asian descent as “oriental,” a Japanese or Japanese American person as a “Jap,” or that someone might be "handicaped" because they are Chinese is inappropriate and racist.
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Integrating Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) in Your Everyday Teaching These slides are from a webinar by the Asian American Education Project aimed to help teachers integrate APIDA histories into their existing teaching. The slides share examples of APIDA inclusion into existing curriculum, pedagogical strategies to do so, and reflective questions to help K-12 history teachers probe their own teaching.
Example teaching strategies/historical moments are:
- Angel Island and Ellis Island
- Japanese Incarceration during WWII, Treatment of Muslim Americans and South Asian Americans post 9/11, and U.S. Detention Facilities at the Border
- Tape vs. Hurley and Brown vs. Board
- Immigration Patterns of Southeast Asian refugees as a result of the Vietnam War
- Lue Gim Gong saves Florida's Citrus Plants
- Colonization of Hawai'i
Standards for each example are below.
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How To Celebrate and Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day Paul Flores IV (Apache) details ways to include Indigenous knowledges, histories, and cultures into your teaching, especially if you do not identify as Indigenous.
Flores says in paragraph 3, and we want to highlight: "It’s important to approach topics related to Indigenous peoples with thoughtfulness and care, as many of these subjects can be quite sensitive. Previewing any content before showing your class is recommended to make sure it’s presented in a respectful, culturally appropriate manner. By making the effort to learn directly from Native voices, you can gain invaluable insights into the vibrant, living cultures that have inhabited this land for millennia and participate in the important work of honoring and preserving these irreplaceable traditions."
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The LGBTQ+ Identity: Teacher's Guide From the website:
"Understanding LGBTQ+ Identity: A Toolkit for Educators offers a series of digital media resources to help teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and other educators understand and effectively address the complex and difficult issues faced by LGBTQ students.
"These resources, intended for use in teacher professional development settings or with GSAs, feature short segments of video content from the groundbreaking PBS Digital Studios show First Person. First Person delivers candid personal narratives illustrating larger conversations about gender, sexuality, social norms, and identity development.
"All video content is scaffolded by a suite of materials (informational text, conversation guides, discussion questions, and teaching tips) to facilitate their use in either classroom or professional development settings. The videos and accompanying educational resources are designed to help promote understanding, awareness, and self-esteem."
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Chaldean American Month Video Series A 4 minute, 4-part YouTube playlist that explores:
1. Who are the Chaldeans?
2. Aramaic Language
3. Religion
4. Demographics
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Chaldean History: Who are the Chaldeans? A brief article outlining the over 5,500-year history of Chaldean people: from their beginnings in Mesopotamia to Metro Detroit becoming the second largest community of Chaldeans worldwide.
The article also includes information about language, religion, and demographics.
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Big Moves: This is the Rope Read Aloud "The book This Is The Rope: A Story from the Great Migration is used as a read-aloud to prompt discussion related to ELA and Social Studies appropriate for the grade level. History, geography, and migration are all topics that are accessible as students identify key ideas and details from the text and images."
- From Teaching Black History: Lessons from Educators
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Famous Author Study #1: Langston Hughes An ELA and social studies unit for 7th grade that uses Langston Hughes' work and life as a way to explore how and why authors write how they do.
Specifically, students will be able to:
- determine an author's purpose in writing.
- determine central idea(s) for non-fiction text,
- determine theme(s) for fictional text,
- cite evidence to support the central idea or theme,
- summarize texts succinctly,
- analyze how parts of a text interact, and
- begin to determine how poetic devices, form, and structure add to the meaning of a poem.
HTK Note: ELA standards are included below and in the packet. Social studies standards only included below.
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The Undefeated Lesson Plan This lesson uses Kwame Alexander's The Undefeated to examine pre- and suffixes in context as well as a starting point for a small research project about the people portrayed in the text.
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It Starts With Me! Lesson Plan This lesson helps students become positive change agents in their own lives, community, and the world. The lesson consists of a read aloud, discussion, and art-based extension activity.
Originally designed as a Martin Luther King Day Assembly, this lesson plan could be used any day.
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Lawmakers or Lawbreakers? The Crosswhites and Community of Marshall, Michigan From the lesson plan:
"In addressing the compelling question Lawmakers or Lawbreakers? The Crosswhites and Community of Marshall, Michigan, students consider the radical actions of the community of Marshall, MI through the experiences of the Crosswhite family. Through inquiry, students explore the journey of the Crosswhite family, fugitive slaves, through the underground railroad as they escape from Kentucky to settle in the unique community of Marshall, Michigan. In doing so, they examine sources that highlight the significance of a community’s resistance to injustice.
Note: This inquiry as a cumulative unit assumes prerequisite knowledge of slavery and the underground railroad. Teachers are encouraged to adapt the inquiries to meet the needs and interests of their particular students. The inquiry is to be done over several class periods, virtually, hybrid or face-to-face. See Teacher Reference - Sutori (hyperlinked in lesson plan) for building teacher content knowledge."
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Muslim students face tough challenges during Ramadan. Here's what teachers can do to help. From the website:
"USA TODAY spoke with Amaarah DeCuir, an education researcher and expert on Muslim student experiences about best practices for supporting Ramadan in schools."
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Research and Resources on American Muslims and the Impact in the United States of Events in Gaza, Israel, and Surrounding Region This google doc provides research and resources about:
- anti-Muslim hate,
- how harmful political messaging and media perpetuate Islamophobia, and
- Muslim/Jewish relations among other topics.
Additional insightful scholarship and research are hyperlinked throughout this living document.
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At Risk of Prejudice: The Arab American Community A brief article answering teachers' questions such as:
"How can we teach about the Arab world in an objective way. . . Where can we obtain appropriate resources about the Arab world and Islam? What can be done to allay the fears of Arab and Muslim students and provide them with a safe and nurturing environment?" (quote from article.)
Please note that Seikaly considers "Arab" expansively: purposefully not conflating Muslim and Arab identities while including Chaldeans, Coptics, and other communities indigenous to the Middle East North Africa (MENA.)
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High School Social Studies Curriculum Guide by the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Ferris State From the guide:
"To enhance the State of Michigan Social Studies standards, the Jim Crow Museum recommends supplementing the current standards with period-specific objectives and outcomes. Topical suggestions are designed to broaden, enhance, and diversify the social studies curriculum that 9th to 12th-grade students receive. Furthermore, educators will be better prepared to deliver Jim Crow-specific content, and educators and students may be empowered to identify and address racism as it occurs."
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Cultural Diversity Inquiry Unit: What do Things I Wear Say About Me? From the unit plan:
"This third-grade inquiry expands students’ understandings of how groups represent themselves through what they wear. The compelling question—“What do things I wear say about me?”—engages students in an examination of material culture by considering the factors impacting their own choices of what they wear such as geography, culture, and religion. Students will examine the similarities and differences they share with their classmates, as well as diverse cultures in their communities and around the globe."
This inquiry is designed to for three, 45 minute lessons, but can and should be adapted to best meet your students.
HTK note: this lesson is designed for 3rd grade, but may be a better fit for 2nd. We've included standards for both grades.
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Maawndoonganan: Anishinaabe Resource Manual to Accompany the State of Michigan Social Studies Standards From the Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments' (CMTED) Letter of Endorsement (page 9):
"CMTED advocated for and endorsed a total of 51 standards, of those, (39) were approved. Beyond these 39 Indigenous-specific standards, additional content related to Indigenous Peoples historically and contemporarily was also expanded in the example sections throughout the Social Studies Standards. We encourage you to use the examples provided [in Maawndoonganan] as well as come up with your own with the goal of being more inclusive of Indigenous Peoples across all curricula. We hope that you embrace this resource manual as a tool to increase your own knowledge and to assist in the implementation of the standards in your classroom."
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American Dreaming Lesson Plan From the lesson overview by the Arab American National Museum:
"In this lesson, students will engage in interactive exercises in the classroom and in the museum to better understand the history of the American Dream, how it applies to their own lives and the lives of Arab Americans. This lesson can be used in Social Studies classrooms as well as English classrooms discussing the theme of the American Dream."
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Understanding Arab Refugees Unit Plan From the unit overview by the Arab American National Museum:
"This unit is designed for upper elementary students. In this unit, students will read a picture book about an Arab refugee family that tries to escape a conflict in their country and head to Europe. Students will learn what it means to be a refugee and how a refugee differs from being an immigrant. Students will also learn how other countries have tried to help refugees and then examine what they would do to help a new refugee student."
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Day in The Life of An Arab Youth: A Lesson Plan Using Stories to Learn About Places From the lesson overview by the Arab American National Museum:
"In this lesson, students will be exposed to stories about children from different parts of the Arab world. They will ask and answer compelling questions about the children and their lives. They will also do research on the countries where these children are from and answer questions about their own lives."
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Beyond Aladdin Unit Plan From the lesson overview by the Arab American National Museum:
"This lesson plan is created for elementary classrooms to use cartoons and film to discuss stereotyping, or ultimately, to talk about how it feels to have people say things about you that are not true. Teachers are given detailed instructions on teaching students to identify details and implications of media images of “bad guys” and “good guys” while specifically examining Arab characters. Also provided is a robust list of activities to help students understand different aspects of the Arab American community through food, games, language and more."
This unit could be as short as 2 days (if you do not watch the entire Aladdin movie), at least as long as 6 days, or anywhere in between. The unit plan offers lots of modifications to best meet your students.
HTK note: the unit is written for K-5, so we have included standards for all 6 grades below.
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End of the Twentieth Century U.S. History Unit (1977-2001): A Conservative Turn Key ideas from the unit:
"1. The progressive social movements of the 1960s and 1970s were met with a conservative political and social backlash. Women, especially white women, played a major role in promoting and supporting these conservative ideas.
2. Despite the rise in conservatism, the gains of feminist activism led to major achievements for women in politics and the workplace.
3. Women from different backgrounds challenged the rise of conservative thought and stood up for progressive ideals.
4. Women contributed extensively to American culture and society, shaping the new perceptions of what American womanhood looked like."
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Growth and Turmoil: U.S. History Unit (1948–1977) Key ideas from the unit:
"1. The federal government and popular culture sought to promote the
superiority of democracy over communism by celebrating the suburban family, which was held together by the American housewife. This middle-class ideal, however, excluded most Americans.
2. Ongoing racism and segregation led to a wave of civil rights activism, including and extending far beyond the African American community. Women played a significant role in leading this work.
3. The Vietnam War provided women with new opportunities for service and activism. Women were vocal participants in both the pro- and anti-war movements.
4. The activism of the 1960s was a major catalyst in the growth of the women’s liberation movement. Feminists from diverse backgrounds fought for equality, but they did not always agree on the best way to achieve it.
5. Not all American women supported gender equality and progressive feminist ideals."
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Confidence and Crises: U.S. History Unit (1920-1948) Key ideas from the unit:
"1. Major social, economic, and political shifts in this period forced Americans to once again question what it meant to be an American.
2. Women of all backgrounds continued to feel the tension between traditional expectations of domesticity and expanding opportunities in work, education, social interaction, and politics.
3. After the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, women activists lacked a unifying issue. Instead, they focused on an increasingly diverse array of social and political issues.
4. Although women’s experiences varied depending on age, race, ethnicity, geography, and economic status, women across all these categories actively contributed to reform and activated their citizenship in creative ways throughout the era."
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Modernizing America: U.S. History Unit (1889–1920) Key ideas from the unit:
"1. New opportunities arose in the realms of education, recreation, and social reform, but traditional gender roles and stereotypes still significantly shaped women’s lives.
2. While the era saw an increase in the number of women working for pay, the vast majority of women were still contributing to the family economy via unpaid housework and childcare.
3. Involvement in activism was a powerful outlet for women of diverse backgrounds to step beyond the home and fight for change.
4. The persistence of xenophobia and nativism often counterbalanced progressive ideals—not all women benefited from reform."
