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AAPI & Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Curriculum
Where We Draw the Line
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GRADE LEVEL: 11

SUBJECT: Social Studies; U.S. History

INTENDED UNIT: Systems & Power

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

  • How have people historically, and in the present, challenged systems of oppression?

  • How can we identify and analyze the systems of power affecting our lived experience?

CENTRAL QUESTIONS/BIG IDEAS:

  • The different ways we alienate individuals and communities by redlining, policing, offhand comments, overt/subtle racism, tokenism etc.

  • What are examples that Gordon used to explain this, what are examples today that it continues to persist in the USA.

  • What are long lasting effects of overt and covert racism?


CONTENT OBJECTIVE:

  • Knowledge:

    • Students will be able to identify and explain the different ways tokenism and overt and covert racism have been used and exploited in the world.
    • Students will analyze and explain the long term effects of redlining and gerrymandering on communities of color and society as a whole.

  • Skills:

    • Analyzing trends and patterns. Comprehension of first and and second hand information and data. Connecting different sources of related data to the topic(s) in the lesson.
    • Bolstering an argument/presentation/option by gathering/utilizing substantiated facts, credible sources, and peer-reviewed articles.

  • Habits: Students will observe the different ways racism, stereotypes, and tokenism manifest in society: in language, popular culture, herd mentality, and politics.

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT AREA STANDARDS:

CA ELD STANDARDS:

IEP/504 ACCOMMODATIONS:

  • School laptops/computers available to view online content. Printouts of content available upon request. Links to materials available for outside viewing. Printouts of outsheets. Slides.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

  1. Slides (link)

  2. Gordon Chang Oral History (23:43 >> 30:10)

  3. Paul Fong Oral History (49:17 >> 52:20)

  4. Connie Young Yu Oral History (55:40 >> 1:04:41)

  5. Redlining Video (link)

  6. Gerrymandering Video (link)

  7. Tokenism (link)

  8. Overt and Covert Racism (link), (pdf)

  9. Redlining & Food Insecurity Articles

    a. Redlining’s Legacy: Food Deserts, Insecurity, and Health (link), (pdf)

    b. Redlining and Food Justice in America (link), (pdf)

  10. Redlining and Climate Change Articles

    a. Past Racist “Redlining” Practices Increased Climate Burden on Minority Neighborhoods (link), (pdf)

  11. Redlining and Gentrification Articles/Videos

    a. From Redlining to Gentrification: The Policy of the Past that Affects Health Outcomes Today (link), (pdf)

    b. Pushed Out: Displacement Today and Lasting Impacts (link)


LESSON IMPLEMENTATION SEQUENCE:

Step 1: Warmup

Duration: 15 minutes


Implementation:

Students will be asked to review the videos and links that relate to the vocabulary and terms for the lesson.

  • Redlining

  • Gerrymandering

  • Tokenism

  • Overt and Covert Racism

Students will review the vocabulary and terms and reflect on the different ways redlining, gerrymandering, tokenism, and overt and covert racism may have manifested and affected their lives or the lives of people they know.


Resources/Materials:

  • Slides 1-9

  • Redlining Video

  • Gerrymandering Video

  • Tokenism Article

  • Overt and Covert Racism Article


Assessment: Identifying key terms and vocabulary

Step 2: Gordon Chang Interview*

Duration: 15 minutes


Implementation:

Students will watch/read Gordon Chang’s interview and reflect on the experiences and observations he witnessed as a student of Piedmont High.

Students will answer these questions:

  1. How does Gordon describe the town of Piedmont? What kind of environment did his family live in?

  2. In what ways does Gordon experience and witness racism in his hometown and at school?

  3. Although Gordon came to know his classmates and became quite successful in school, he still felt like an outcast. Can you name some examples where he felt alienated from everyone else?

*Supplemental Oral History Interviews available for Paul Fong and Connie Young Yu. Paul Fong discusses his experiences with racism in San Mateo (as a child). Connie Young Yu discusses redlining in the Los Altos Hills.


Resources/Materials:

  • Slides 10-11

  • Gordon Chang Oral History (transcript on slides)

  • Paul Fong Oral History (Slide 17)*

  • Connie Young Yu (Slide 18)*


Assessment: Reviewing a primary source and answering guiding questions

Step 3: Group Work

Duration: 25 minutes


Implementation:

Working in pairs/groups choose one of the redlining topics that highlights the impact this decades old discriminatory practice has caused many communities living in urban environments.

Groups will:

  • Identify the impact redlining has had on the community and how it led into the issue of food insecurity, climate change, or gentrification.

  • Discuss the long term economical, environmental, sociological, physiological, and/or education impacts that affect communities living in and around these changes.


Resources/Materials:

  • Slides 12-14

  • Redlining and food insecurity articles

  • Redlining and climate change articles

  • Redlining and gentrification articles


Assessment: Identifying the impacts of redlining in today’s environments and how they affect vulnerable communities

Step 4: Reflection

Duration: 5-10 minutes


Implementation:

Think about areas in your own city/town where food insecurity, gentrification, and/or climate change are present.

In what ways can we help people who have been impacted by these issues?

What changes need to happen to help curb/stop these issues?

Is this an easy fix?


Resources/Materials:

  • Slide 15

  • Piece of paper/notebook


Assessment: Personal reflection

Curriculum
Systems & Power
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