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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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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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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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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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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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Confidence and Crises: Women and the American Story 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."
As with all WAMS unit plans, "each resource includes background information and vocabulary lists to provide context. Resources also include suggested activities and how to combine different resources on a certain topic. You can easily integrate these materials into current lesson plans or structure new lessons around them. Many resources in this unit allow you to teach historical themes and topics in your curriculum by including the perspective of women in this era."
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Expansions and Inequalities: Women and the American Story History Unit (1820-1869) From the unit plan:
"In most histories of the United States, the mid-19th century is dominated by the narrative of the Civil War. But beyond the war, this period was one of rapid and monumental transition. . .
"Expansions and Inequalities, 1830–1869, provides resources to allow you to explore the complicated and fascinating history of this period. The unit contains three sections: Westward Expansion, Industry and Immigration, and Politics and Society. The questions surrounding slavery and freedom as well as the events of the Civil War and Reconstruction appear throughout, but you’ll find a more thorough examination of all these topics in A Nation Divided: 1832–1877. Each section contains resources that illustrate the experiences of a wide range of women across race, gender, age, social, and economic spectrums."
As with all WAMS unit plans, "each resource includes background information and vocabulary lists to provide context. Resources also include suggested activities and how to combine different resources on a certain topic. You can easily integrate these materials into current lesson plans or structure new lessons around them. Many resources in this unit allow you to teach historical themes and topics in your curriculum by including the perspective of women in this era."
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Building a New Nation: Women and the American Story History Unit (1776-1831) Key ideas from the unit plan:
"1. The formation of the new government of the United States of America raised important questions about women’s legal, economic, and social equality.
2. Women played a critical role in the formation of “American” identity and the early growth of the nation.
3. The experiences of women in this period varied widely based on race, class, age, gender identity, and geographic region."
As with all WAMS unit plans, "each resource includes background information and vocabulary lists to provide context. Resources also include suggested activities and how to combine different resources on a certain topic. You can easily integrate these materials into current lesson plans or structure new lessons around them. Many resources in this unit allow you to teach historical themes and topics in your curriculum by including the perspective of women in this era."
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Settler Colonialism and the American Revolution: Women and the American Story History Unit (1692-1783)
