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This Land is Our Land Inquiry Unit: "How did (does) Europeans’ view of land impact their (our) relationship and interactions with Indigenous peoples?" From the unit overview:
"In addressing the compelling question, How did (does) the Europeans’ view of land impact their (our) relationships with Indigenous peoples?, students go beyond a chronological understanding of historical events of Michigan history and instead consider the belief systems motivating these events on a larger scale. Students analyze how Europeans’ view of land impacted their relationship with Indigenous peoples as they:
1. Investigate the Indigenous and European perspectives on land.
2. Analyze how these differences influenced the complexity of the interactions with one another for better or worse.
3. Examine the change and continuity of these relationships by analyzing current events."
HTK Note: This unit was created with 3rd graders in mind; however, since it could be easily adapted, we have included 5th, 6-8 grade standards 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 hilight: "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 "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."
- From the website
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Bias Busters: Cultural Competence Guide about Chaldean Americans An excerpt answering 20-questions about Chaldean Americans ranging from their language, history, culture, and faith traditions.
Full text linked on Bias Buster website.
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Chaldean American Month 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.
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 "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."
- From the lesson plan
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Muslim students face tough challenges during Ramadan. Here's what teachers can do to help. "USA TODAY spoke with Amaarah DeCuir, an education researcher and expert on Muslim student experiences about best practices for supporting Ramadan in schools."
- From the webpage.
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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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Curriculum 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 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.
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Maawndoonganan A mix of resources to build teacher background knowledge and classroom ready lesson plans.
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Arab American Race and Ethnicity In this lesson, students will examine how society interprets race and ethnicity as a part of identity. In particular, how questions of race and ethnicity have impacted the Arab American community and early attempts to gain citizenship and eventually a separate census category.
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American Dreaming 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 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: Using Stories to Learn About Places 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 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.
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1977 - 2001 End of the Twentieth Century Key Ideas:
1. Women contributed to the conservative movement (and resistance to it) in the 1980s as well as the resurgence of progressive politics in the 1990s.
2. Greater access to information and technology changed the daily lives of women from many different backgrounds.
3. The gains of the 1970s feminist movement allowed women greater access to opportunities in education, politics, and the workplace, although these opportunities were different for women of diverse backgrounds.
4. The experiences of women in this period varied widely based on race, class, age, gender identity, and geographic region.
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1948 – 1977 Growth and Turmoil Key Ideas
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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1920 – 1948 Confidence and Crises Key Ideas
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.
