After the Philippine-American War ended in 1902, Americans became fascinated by the natives of the newly acquired territory, which led to the development of anthropological exhibits showcasing what “primitive” life was like in the Philippines. During this time period, anthropologists adopted an evolutionary perspective rooted in white superiority. One of the exhibits featured the Igorot people, who anthropologist Albert Jenks believed were the most uncivilized tribe in the Philippines. These exhibits/human zoos sparked the creation of negative stereotypes of both the Igorot people and the Filipino community. Students will view the video segment from Asian Americans and engage in activities and discussions to explore the power of perception and its impact on shaping the identities of Asian Americans. Students will also examine the U.S. politics and scientific theories that shaped the perception of Americans and sought to justify U.S. colonization in the Pacific and the mistreatment of the Filipino community.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: HS.2, HS.9
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.63, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 5.24, 7.25, 8.31, HS.67, HS.70
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 7.27, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.78

Sparked off by the acquittal of four officers in the Rodney King police brutality case, the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest took place over several days and led to rioting and destruction of the city. The unrest represented a boiling point of underlying issues including systemic racism, police brutality, failure of the criminal justice system, economic disparities between communities of color, and racial tensions. The perceived racial tensions between Korean and Black Americans, further complicated by the shooting of Latasha Harlins by a Korean storeowner, led to some targeting of Korean American neighborhoods/businesses for violence and looting. Students will explore the history, conditions, and tensions that led to the 1992 civil unrest in L.A.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.6, 8.8, 8.9, HS.2, HS.9, HS.11
Economics: 7.8
Geography: 5.13, HS.42, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.53, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 5.25, 6.23, 7.25, 8.30, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 7.27, 7.29, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76, HS.78

Through this unit, students will explore Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) women’s poetry in order to craft and inspire their own poetry. After analyzing and interpreting poems, students recognize poetry as a vehicle to express their own untold stories about events small and large.
This unit will expose students to voices of AAPI women poets. Their experiences will help facilitate a dialogue of identity, beauty, tradition and activism. Many students face these issues during this pivotal time of their development.
Furthermore, this unit will help students explore their viewpoints as they craft and design their own poems and explore the readings. This unit allows students of all abilities and intersectionalities to make their voices heard and draw from their unique perspectives.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 7.5, HS.2, HS.11
Geography: 6.14, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.27, 7.28, 7.29, 8.36, HS.78

This lesson provides students with an introduction to Angel Island. The lesson begins with students completing a timeline of Chinese immigration to America. The progression of events will help them understand the escalation of anti-Chinese sentiment in America culminating with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first law that restricted immigration based on nationality.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.7, 8.8, HS.1, HS.2
Historical Knowledge: 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.30, 8.31, 8.32, HS.67, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 7.28, 8.33, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

Asian Americans who served in the U.S. military during war in Vietnam were confronted not only by the harsh realities of war, but also with their racial and national identities. Asian American military service officers faced racism from their superiors and fellow U.S. soldiers, and were challenged by Vietnamese citizens and soldiers who saw a connection to them. This lesson explores some of the ways in which Asian Americans in the military experienced the war in Vietnam and the ways they negotiated their identities with being seen by both sides as “foreign invaders.”

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Historical Knowledge: HS.60, HS.64
Historical Thinking: HS.70
Social Science Analysis: HS.72, HS.74, HS.76, HS.77

Stereotyping is a form of systemic racism for Asian Americans, who have historically been stereotyped in the United States through “Yellow Peril” fearmongering—economic and societal threats. Viewed as perpetual foreigners, no matter their duration living here or whether they were American-born, Asian males are often characterized as scheming, weak, ignorant, and undesirable, while Asian females are exotic, cunning, and subservient. This perpetual foreigner stereotype is maintained by institutions from Hollywood, private and public sectors to elected public servants. Asian Americans have been fighting against stereotypes since the 1920s, and continue to do so, on- and off-screen.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5
Historical Knowledge: 6.20, 6.21, 8.25, 8.27, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.26, 6.27, 7.29, 8.34, HS.71, HS.73, HS.74

Signed on May 6th, 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law to explicitly limit immigration based on race. This lesson is designed to go further in exploring the causes and effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act through analysis of primary and secondary sources. The purpose is to showcase the conditions in the US that led to a rise in xenophobia, and in turn, race-based policies that defined the Chinese American and Asian American experience in the United States. The lesson will also have students engage in critical thinking through research and a class discussion comparing and contrasting the Chinese Exclusion Act and current immigration policies or proposed immigration policies.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, HS.1, HS.2, HS.9, HS.10
Economics: 7.8
Geography: 5.13, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.26, 8.34, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

With dreams of having a better life, thousands of Chinese risked their lives across the Pacific Ocean to join in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad from 1863 to 1869. These Chinese laborers worked under extreme and hazardous environments. Due to their ethnic appearance and language barriers, the Chinese were greatly taken advantage of by their employers. These Chinese laborers became pioneers in the collective labor actions of American labor history, while also contributing to the economies of the U.S. and China.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, HS.2, HS.10
Economics: 7.8, 8.14, HS.17, HS.24
Geography: 5.13, 6.14, HS.42, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, 8.27, HS.52, HS.60, HS.61, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 5.25, 6.23, 7.25, 8.31, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.78

During the 1970s, arts and culture became vehicles for elevating the narratives of Asian Americans, a term first used in 1968 during the struggle to establish ethnic studies at San Francisco State College. Under this new pan-Asian identity, a generation of young Asian American organizers, academics, and artists emerged and ready to define themselves and their history to the rest of America. Musicians, artists, writers and filmmakers helped to increase the visibility of Asian American identities and cultures across various media.

Civics and Government: HS.11
Historical Knowledge: 8.25, HS.63, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 7.28

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Immigration and Nationality Act which replaced the quota immigration system that had been in existence since the 1920s, with a preference system based on labor skills needed by the United States, and those who had a pre-existing family tie in the country. This lesson will explore past U.S. immigration laws that affected Asian immigration and naturalization, how the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 came about because of the Civil Rights Movement, and how the 1965 Act changed the demographics of the country over the next twenty years and beyond.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.57, HS.58, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 5.24, 7.25, 8.30, 8.31, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.27, 7.29, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75

In this lesson, students will experience the internment of Japanese Americans from San Francisco's Fillmore neighborhood. By connecting local experiences with national events, students will understand both the constitutional issues at stake and the human impact of this government policy.

This unit will introduce middle and high school students to LGBTQ civil rights with an emphasis on the struggle for marriage equality. They will learn about ideas, events, and individuals that influenced George Takei and his decision to come out as an advocate for LGBTQ rights and contextualize the fight for LGBTQ rights as an extension of the Civil Rights Movement. The unit will culminate in an essay assignment in which students will analyze how the discussed events, people, and ideas influenced the struggle for marriage equality.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, 8.2, 8.5, 8.6, 8.8, 8.9, HS.1, HS.2, HS.7, HS.9
Historical Knowledge: 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, 8.27, HS.52, HS.58, HS.60, HS.63, HS.64, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.28, 7.27, 7.30, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.77, HS.78

During the 1950s, the United States was gripped by McCarthyism, a period of accusations against individuals and groups for treason without just evidence. Heightened by fears of communist spies hidden among the U.S. population, Senator Joseph McCarthy gained prominence after presenting a list of possible Communist Party members working within the U.S State Department. This lesson discusses how McCarthyism abused the First Amendment rights of Americans, how it targeted Chinese Americans during the Korean War, and the modern day racial profiling of people in the name of national security.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.2, 8.8, 8.10, HS.1, HS.2, HS.6, HS.9, HS.10
Historical Knowledge: 8.25, HS.52, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, HS.67, HS.68, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 7.30, 8.33, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, H.73, HS.74, HS.78

This lesson will explore the model minority myth, introduced in the 1960s by publications such as The New York Times Magazine and U.S. News & World Report, applied on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and examine the realities and experiences of this non-monolithic community. Students will use data from the U.S. Census to compare and contrast AANHPI communities. Students will then look at the 2018 lawsuit against Harvard University’s admission policies as a case study to investigate the ways the model minority myth can be used as a wedge between different communities of color.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.57, HS.60, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 5.24, 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.27, 8.33, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

This lesson provides an overview of Hawaiʻi’s history as a kingdom, the development of the plantation economy in the 19th century, and the shift to statehood in the 20th century. Since the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, Native Hawaiians have been seeking sovereignty from the United States. And with the gradual influx of Asian immigrants to the island as laborers to work on sugar plantations, Native Hawaiians have seen their island’s population change, and with it, a shift in the economic and political dynamics between the indigenous people and Asian Americans.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, HS.7, HS.9, HS.10, HS.11
Economics: 7.8, 8.14, HS.17
Historical Knowledge: 6.20, 8,25, HS.53, HS.60, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 6.23, 7.25, 8.31, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.74, HS.78

The history of Asian American Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) in the United States is an integral part of American history. Since the day Asian immigrants arrived in America, they have contributed to and shaped the way the country is today. From labor activism to fighting for school integration and citizenship rights in the courts, APIDAs have faced adversity and opportunities to create roots in the U.S. Building coalitions together with other minority groups, APIDAs have been a part of historical achievements including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and Title IX. Today, as one of the fastest-growing minority populations, APIDAs have a choice to make on how they will make positive and effective changes towards the future of the United States.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.9, 8.10, HS.2, HS.9, HS.11
Geography: 5.13, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.58, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76

Perpetual foreigner stereotyping is a form of systemic racism used against Asian Americans. They have historically been stereotyped as foreigners in the United States no matter their duration of time living here or whether they were American-born. The perpetual foreigner stereotype is maintained by institutions such as Hollywood, private and public sectors, to elected public officials. Throughout U.S. history, Asian Americans have been scapegoated as the cause of the country’s various problems and catastrophes including economic despair, wars, terrorism, and coronavirus pandemic.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.8, HS.2, HS.9
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75

This lesson covers four important lawsuits brought by Asian Americans with important consequences for American citizenship, equal protection, and racial identity: Yick Wo, Wong Kim Ark, Takao Ozawa, Bhagat Singh Thind.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, HS.1, HS.2, HS.6, HS.11
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.58, HS.63, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 5.24, 6.23, 7.25, 8.31, HS.69, HS.70
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 7.27, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.78

Asian Americans have been in the U.S. for over 170 years yet common stereotypes and myths persist. Even today, Asian Americans are often regarded as “perpetual foreigners” or the “model minority.” Unfortunately, the Asian American experience is overlooked, forgotten, or misrepresented in history texts and in the K-12 curriculum. The COVID-19 pandemic has evoked a disturbing surge in racist and violent acts targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) that has its roots in ignorance, xenophobia, and mistrust. These actions have galvanized the AAPI community into action and promoted solidarity between AAPI and other groups.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, HS.2, HS.9
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 6.21, 8.25, HS.52, HS.60, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 5.29, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.29, 7.30, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76, HS.77, HS.78

The estimated number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States in 2018 is 11.3 million. Of these, about 3.6 million entered the U.S. before their 18th birthday. This latter group, the Dreamers, have been advocating for a path towards legal residency and citizenship since 2001. This lesson will explore the origins of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) and connect the story of Tereza Lee, the first DREAMer, and the current struggles of others like her against possible family separation and deportation.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, HS.1, HS.2, HS.6, HS.9, HS.10, HS.11
Economics: HS.24
Geography: HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 8.22, 8.25, HS.58, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 8.32, HS.67, HS.69, HS.70
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.75, HS.77, HS.78