An 8th grade social studies unit, co-taught with the school librarian, about the impact of American Public PolicyThis lesson plan is meant to serve as one lesson in a wider 8th grade social studies unit on the impact of American public policy.  The lesson focuses on the impact of the public policy of slavery.  The wider unit would also include whole-class study of the impact of Native American Removal and Indian Schools.  At the end of the unit, students would investigate a contemporary issue of American public policy and develop and put into practice a plan to draw attention to that public policy issue.   

Issues of race, privilege and white power are the foundation of this lesson. The CTE standard we are addressing involves looking at expressions of art in society. Students will complete activities examining different forms of media/arts and look at the lack of diversity in most media. For many students, this lesson may be a first introduction to the concept of white privilege and we will provide space to digest and express this idea. We will be sharing our experiences and journeys to greater awareness. An underlying goal of this lesson is for students to be able to form independent opinions around these issues, perhaps different from ideas or opinions they were raised with. 

This course explores the ways in which various American artists view race and class as performed or performable identities. Discussions will focus on some of the following questions: What does it mean to act black, white, privileged, or underprivileged? What do these artists suggest are the implications of performing (indeed playing at or with) racial identity, ethnicity, gender, and class status? How and why are race and class status often conflated in these performances?

This multi-day mini-unit explores the event of Christopher Columbus landing in the Bahamas from the viewpoint of both the Europeans and the Taino Tribe.  On Day 1 the students will participate in an interactive read-aloud of Encounter, by Jane Yolen. The focus will be centered around questioning as the reading strategy and then finishing with a graphic organizer depicting the portrayal of Christopher Columbus and the Native Americans.  Day 2 involves students seeking out resources on Christopher Columbus and continuing the graphic organizer. On Day 3 students will show their understanding of the different perspectives on the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Bahamas by will creating two different storyboards, one from the European perspective and the other from the Native American perspective.  To finish the unit students will use the ShadowPuppet EDU app to create a project showcasing their storyboards.  The unit will be assessed through a rubric.