AAPI PERSPECTIVES THEME: Systems and Power
GRADE LEVEL: 9
SUBJECT: Ethnic Studies
INTENDED UNIT: Migration
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:: How does the history of Filipino nurses in America show the intersecting relationship between imperialism, immigration, and labor?
CENTRAL QUESTIONS/BIG IDEAS:
What is the history of Filipino nurses in the U.S.?
How does this history intersect with systems of power such as imperialism, immigration, and labor?
What is the experience of Filipino nurses and how do they organize for a more just experience?
CONTENT OBJECTIVE:
Knowledge: Students will be able to evaluate how systems of power intersect and explain how systems of imperialism, immigration, and labor impacted the experiences of Filipino nurses.
Skills: Creating counter narratives, synthesizing information, practicing creativity, listening to different perspectives.
Habits: Students will practice questioning why things are the way they are and inquiring into historical contexts and their relation to power.
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT AREA STANDARDS:
CA Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills - Historical Interpretation - 1. Students show the connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments.
CA Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills - Historical Interpretation - 2. Students recognize the complexity of historical causes and effects, including the limitations on determining cause and effect.
CA HSS.11.11.1 - 1. Discuss the reasons for the nation’s changing immigration policy, with emphasis on how the Immigration Act of 1965 and successor acts have transformed American society.
CA ELD STANDARDS:
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information. (9-10.1)
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources. (9-10.9)
IEP/504 ACCOMMODATIONS:
All lesson plans will be accommodated with a transcript (for video clips), student facing worksheets, and visual slides ready to be shared and accessed.
Feel free to accommodate extra time for any formative assignments and provide scaffolds as needed for differing age groups/needs.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Slides (link)
“Why the US has so many Filipino nurses” Video (link)
Graphic Organizer (link)
Cora Tomalinas Oral History (50:03 >> 54:45)
“Filipino American nurses, reflecting on disproportionate Covid toll, look ahead” (pdf, link)
Podcast (link)
Extension Activity:
a. Otto Lee Oral History (1:04:51 >> 1:08:08)
LESSON IMPLEMENTATION SEQUENCE:
Step 1: Warmup
Duration: 10 minutes
Implementation:
Photo analysis: Show students the photo of Filipino nurses on strike. Ask students to share their observations (what’s written on the signs, what emotions are being shown) and their predictions for what is happening in the photo and why.
Resources/Materials:
Slides 1-4 (intro slides, skip if appropriate)
Slide 5
Assessment: Class discussion
Step 2: Video - “Why the US has so many Filipino nurses”
Duration: 15 minutes
Implementation:
Students will watch the video and use the graphic organizer to take notes
Resources/Materials:
Slides 6-7
Graphic Organizer
Assessment: Graphic Organizer
Step 3: Make an Infographic
Duration: 25 minutes
Implementation:
Students will use their graphic organizer notes, an oral history from Cora Tomalinas, and an article contextualizing deaths of Filipino nurses during COVID-19 to create an infographic synthesizing what they have learned.
The infographic should include:
What systems of power were involved in the migration of Filipino nurses to the U.S.?
How were Filipino nurses treated in the U.S. and what systems of power were involved in this treatment?
Quotes from at least one Filipino nurse
Resources/Materials:
Slides 8-9
Cora Tomalinas Oral History
Filipino American nurses, reflecting on disproportionate COVID toll, look ahead
Assessment: Infographic creation
Extension Activity 1:
Making Waves Podcast “Filipino Nurses in West Covina” (link)
Extension Activity 2:
Show clips of the Otto Lee interview and discuss questions about equity and the access of life-saving health resources during COVID-19 pandemic
Resources/Materials: Otto Lee Oral History
NOTES ON HOW THIS MAY BE INTEGRATED IN INTENDED UNIT
In an ethnic studies unit on migration, this lesson can present a case study of Filipino nurses as a specific immigrant community in the U.S. Furthermore, this lesson can be tied into a discussion about labor and imperialism.