United States History Toolkit

Items

• 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.
  Creator"Freda Lin is the co-director of YURI Education Project, a business that develops curriculum and professional learning with a focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander stories. She began this work as a student activist leader for Asian American Studies at Northwestern University. This led her to become a middle and high school teacher to integrate these and other marginalized stories in schools. She taught history and leadership at Chicago and San Francisco Bay Area schools for 16 years. After leaving the teaching field, she facilitated social movement history tours with Freedom Lifted and consulted with the Center for Asian American Media and UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project. She also served as the education program director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, where she implemented new programming to promote awareness of the World War II Japanese American incarceration experience and its connection to current issues. Freda currently serves on the National Council for History Education Board of Directors." - PBS About the Author Page

  PublisherPBS
• 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.
  CreatorRachel Rae Vogel

  PublisherMichigan Department of Education
• 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.)
  CreatorAt the time of publishing, Zeina Azzam Seikaly is Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

  PublisherNational Council for the Social Studies
• 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."
  CreatorArab American National Museum

  PublisherArab American National Museum
• 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.
  CreatorArab American National Museum

  PublisherArab American National Museum