AAPI PERSPECTIVES THEME: Systems & Power
GRADE LEVEL: 12
SUBJECT: US Government
INTENDED UNIT: Units 2 and 3 of the AP/US Government Curriculum (specifically covering executive orders, presidential enumerated powers, judicial activism v. restraint, the changing scope of civil rights on the Bill of Rights)
LESSON SEQUENCE/INTENTION: This lesson is intended to be the third part of a 3 part mini-unit, incorporating the continuity of Unit 2 of AP/US Government Curriculum (Branches of Government). For this specific lesson, it is intended to be after a gap of a block day. This is so that the block day can be reserved for a more lecture-heavy block day on the branches of government if necessary. Here is a visual aid of the lesson sequence/progression.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:: How can we identify and analyze the systems of power affecting our lived experience?
CENTRAL QUESTIONS/BIG IDEAS:
How have the lawful decisions of the past made intergenerational consequences for U.S. society?
How can future generations advocate for a more humanizing future of increased civil rights and freedoms?
LESSON PACING:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday/Thursday
Friday
CONTENT OBJECTIVE:
Knowledge:
First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Cultural Wealth (Tara Yosso): The forms of cultural advantage and resilience developed by marginalized communities that are often dismissed. These communities are often seen to be deficient in their ability to support themselves and better society. Yosso’s framework of cultural wealth critiques this notion
Skills:
Key Ideas and Details 2. Determine the central ideas of information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas
Craft and Structure 5. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
Habits:
Analyzing and critiquing systemic and structural oppression intergenerationally
Understanding Asian Americans as a political identity within the scope of WW2, along with the sociological repercussions that follow this identity.
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT AREA STANDARDS:
12.4.4—Discuss Article II of the Constitution as it relates to the executive branch, including eligibility for office and length of term, election to and removal from office, the oath of office, and the enumerated executive powers.
12.5.1—Understand the changing interpretations of the Bill of Rights over time, including interpretations of the basic freedoms (religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly) articulated in the First Amendment and the due process and equal-protection-of-the-law clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.
CA ELD STANDARDS:
Key Ideas and Details
Craft and Structure
IEP/504 ACCOMMODATIONS:
For this lesson, all components are framed with the express purpose of reiterating information in various modalities, so that all students with any learning style are able to internalize the lesson well. Students will have multiple opportunities to share their findings with other classmates, group up, and break down key concepts with the whole class.
All students will always have slides available to them, along with a student handout to guide their learning.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Slides (link)
Oral History Clips:
Gordon Chang (58:38 >> 1:03:20); (1:14:35 >> 1:18:35) “Education and activism”
Margaret Abe-Koga (6:59 >> 9:21) “Need for representation in legislation”
Mike Honda (1:38:25 >> 1:45:57) “The importance of coalition work and unity”
Betty Duong (0:00 >> 4:15); (5:06 >> 7:59) “Translation and language”
Student Facing Worksheet (link
Exit Ticket Exemplar (link)
LESSON IMPLEMENTATION SEQUENCE:
Step 1: Do Now
Duration: 5 minutes
Purpose: The goal of this part of the lesson is allow students to expand their understanding of government in order to consider how the people play a role in legislative defense and advocacy.
If the prior block day lesson focused on the roles of the branches, this lesson serves as an extension to the lesson by effectively introducing the “4th Branch of Government”—the branch of the people
Implementation:
Students will have the opportunity to look into the first amendment again. The warmup activity for this lesson would for students to redefine the first amendment freedom of petition with their own words. Because this will be the main scope of the lesson today, students will be able to also critically consider the key words and thematic frames of this First Amendment addendum.
Resources/Materials:
Slides 1-3
Student Facing Worksheet
Assessment:* N/A
Step 2: Short Lecture
Duration: 15 minutes
Purpose: The goal of this portion of the lesson is provide students a launching point for the activity with the necessary information to expand their thinking beyond textbook recall. As the last lesson of the mini-unit, students will be challenged to consider how the information they learned is humanistically transferred into complex emotional and physiological impact; how it has spurred future generations into the refusal of these narratives, along with navigating the grief and trauma that comes from these systemic governmental shifts/changes.
Implementation:
Like Unit 2 Lesson 2, this short lecture is provided for students to be engaged with the next activity. As the prior lesson involves the branches of government, this lesson is intended to challenge students into thinking about what civil disobedience actually looks like at a systemic level.
Themes and examples of this can include:
Legislative Change
Changes for Textbooks
The power of storytelling
The impact of narratives and the fight for education in both the high school and college level
Through the introduction of new concepts such as the First Amendment Freedom of Petition and Tara Yosso’s notion of Cultural Capital and Wealth, this lecture will focus on the various ways their elders and predecessors have actively challenged systemic injustices. This is from both an individual and a systems level.
After, introduce students to the various interviewees featured in this lecture, and the ways that have actively resisted against the discriminatory labels placed on them. Along with this, encouraging students to also acknowledge the power of grief and acknowledging the very real trauma that surrounds historically unjust governmental acts (Japanese Internment, The Anti-Immigration Act of 1882, etc.)
Resources/Materials:
Slides 4-10
Student Facing Worksheet
Assessment: N/A
Step 3: Group Work—Protest Posters/Disobedience
Duration: 30 minutes
Purpose: Students will be asked to analyze the constitutionality of this case and how judges could have even acknowledged internment’s constitutionality. The purpose of this debate is not to justify the ills and civil rights violations of Korematsu V. U.S., but rather to provide an example through how courts can use judicial activism/restraint to influence decision making and constitutional interpretations.
Implementation:
In groups, students can be asked to use a provided interview to provide a summary of this elder’s story. Based on the elder’s story, students will be tasked with honoring the story with identifying why the story is impactful and necessary to proliferate as a way to prevent future anti-AAPI acts from occurring.
From the elder’s story, students will be asked to then create a protest poster, highlighting how they would advocate for more civil rights for all people based on the interviewee’s story. It is through this interviewee’s story, that students will be encouraged to quote and utilize as inspiration of the poster itself.
All instructions are provided on the slides, but can be seen/adjusted based on what is seen below:
As an activity, teachers have the opportunity/ability to make this a physical poster to frame on the classroom window/wall for others to witness or make it digitally accessible to share. Regardless, the goal of the activity is to utilize the stories and voices of these elders to be inspired for further advocacy of all marginalized people.
Resources/Materials:
Slides 11-16
Student Facing Worksheet
Exit Ticket Exemplar
Oral History Interviews: Gordon Chang, Margaret Abe-Koga, Mike Honda, Betty Duong
Assessment: Protest Posters
Step 4: Exit Ticket/Reflection
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Purpose: The goal of this part of the lesson is to provide context and information for how students can apply this witnessing/analysis of civil disobedience into their own lives. This lesson also serves as a preview to future units (units4and5intheAP Government/U.S. Government curriculum), where students will understand more of the bureaucracy and the impact of other sources in government functions.
Implementation: Students will now be asked to consider a marginalized group they belong to/advocate for and consider how they might realistically plan on advocating for said group. How might they translate the learnings of past generations into future reality? How might they actively advocate for themselves in this generation?
Resources/Materials:
Student Facing Worksheet
Exit Ticket Exemplar
Assessment: Exit Ticket
NOTES ON HOW THIS MAY BE INTEGRATED IN INTENDED UNIT: This lesson plan can be integrated into the intended unit through this LP’s integration of the constitutional concepts of enumerated powers, executive orders, and constitutionality, consistent with the overarching themes of Unit 2 in U.S. Government curriculum.