AAPI PERSPECTIVES THEME: Transformation & Change
GRADE LEVEL: 11
SUBJECT: Social Studies
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What role can students play in the transformation of themselves, their community and larger society?
What are strategies of engagement for students within their own communities?
CENTRAL QUESTIONS/BIG IDEAS:
In order to highlight ongoing injustices and create institutional and culture change, one must be willing to take a bold stand and speak truth to power against seemingly insurmountable odds.
You don’t have to be “great” or “famous” to create change. Everyone has the potential for courage in order to stand up for themselves and others. Change takes time, talent, and resources. Be patient. Create a community. Gather allies and assets.
CONTENT OBJECTIVE:
Knowledge:
Rosa Parks and the early Civil Rights Movement.
The Stonewall Uprising/Stonewall Riots and the start of the LGBTQ+ movement and PRIDE.
Skills:
Students will analyze and comment on examples where individuals/communities stood up against unfair institutional laws, regulations, and cultural norms because of their gender, sexual orientation, and race.
Students will observe that change can start with a single person and/or a defiant act and balloon into a larger communal movement.
Habits:
Students will learn to observe, analyze, and question current laws and practices.
They will understand that change occurs when someone is willing to speak up, highlight the matter, and do something about it.
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT AREA STANDARDS:
CA ELD STANDARDS:
IEP/504 ACCOMMODATIONS:
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Slides (link)
Eimi Okano Oral History (1:07:28 >> 1:12:48, Note: when she says Yamaguchi, she means Yamamoto)
Otto Lee Oral History (1:16:35 >> 1:20:45)
LESSON IMPLEMENTATION SEQUENCE:
Step 1: Warmup
Duration: 15 minutes
Purpose: A personal reflection and interpretation of MLK Jr’s quote and what he meant when someone stands idle when injustices are occurring around them.
Implementation:
The lesson will open up with the students analyzing a quote by MLK Jr. They will then write their responses and interpretations of the quote and share with the class or in their groups.
Note: In the quote King uses the word “man” to denote that he may be speaking to/for a male audience. Sadly, gender inclusive messaging was not common during his lifetime. This may alienate some students. Instructors may begin the warmup with a disclaimer regarding the quote’s subtext and have students focus on the message’s meaning but also understand the cultural climate of King’s era.
”A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Resources/Materials:
Slides 1-7 (intro slides, skip if appropriate)
Warmup Slides 8-9
Assessment: Written response to a quote
Step 2: Against the Odds - Enough Is Enough
Duration: 20 minutes
Purpose: Students will review examples where individuals/comm unities stood up to societal norms, rules, and/or laws that they found un just, unfair, and encroached on their ability to be respected on equal footing as other citizens of different skin color, gender, and/or sexual preference and/or identity.
Students will review the excerpt from the oral history interviews and the weblinks about Rosa Parks and the Stonewall Uprising/Stonewall Riots.
Have students take notes on the below while watching the interviews with Eimi Okano and Otto Lee:*
Describe some of the reasons that moved the individual/community to take action.
Describe the outcomes of their actions.
To add more depth, review the Rose Parks and Stonewall cases. Students will be asked to discuss the following.*
Identify the oppression/injustices being committed and the communities they directly affect
Name the reasons that moved the individual/community to take action
Describe the outcomes of their actions. How it affected their own lives, their livelihoods, and their local and global community
Did these changes come quickly? Were there repercussions for their actions?
*Please create a graphic organizer if appropriate (not included)
Resources/Materials:
Slides 10-14
Eimi Okano Oral History
Otto Lee Oral History
Rosa Parks article
Stonewall Uprising/ Stonewall Riots Article
Assessment: N/A
Step 3: Read and Write About a Current Event
Duration: 20 minutes
Purpose: Students will read about an issue that is occuring in America and answer questions why the issue continues to be a hot topic in the country.
Students will choose one of three topics, read the accompanying web links and articles, and describe in writing:
What is the issue being highlighted?
Who or what is being targeted? Why? Share examples from the readings. What are the biases, untruths, and fallacies that you found in these accusations? What do we lose out on by silencing, banning, and/or limiting these voices and perspectives?
How does society benefit by defending and uplifting these voices and communities?
Resources/Materials:
Slides 15-17
Articles on Book bans
Articles on Gender inclusive restrooms
Articles on Migrant Workers
Assessment: Completion of double bubble map
Step 4: Reflection*
Duration: 5 minutes
Purpose: Think about the issues that happen around us everyday. What would our response be to these situations/issues?
What happens to our society and the foundations of our country’s democracy if we do not stand up for people, ideas, views that are different from our own?
Does one person/group have a right to ban, silence, or demoralize another person/group because they are “different”?
What would you do if you saw something unjust happening to another person?
What kind of actions would you take? What would be the risks?
*Please create a graphic organizer if appropriate (not included)
Resources/Materials:
Slides 18-19
Paper
Notebook
Assessment: Written Response