BEGIN HERE: How the Monuments Came Down Series and Curriculum Guide introduction: Introductory information about the series and curriculum guides, along with a linked list of the episodes in order.Note: This item and the collection it belongs to was imported with permission from #GoOpenVA. While the content is the same, the original location can be found here.  

Overview: In this workshop, we will build our capacity to identify the range of intellectual resources students use as they make sense of phenomena. We will first explore how equity and justice relate to culture-based approaches to pedagogy—and then focus on how to identify and leverage the resources students use in moments of sensemaking. This resource can also be used by individuals wanting to learn how equity involves promoting the rightful presence of all students across scales of justice, desettling inequities, and supporting expansive learning pathways. This workshop provides participants with an opportunity to explore important theoretical ideas by exploring examples of how learners engage in diverse sense-making. Participants will learn about some of the challenges that less expansive learning environments can cause for learners from non-dominant communities. This resource is estimated to take between 161-268 minutes (2 ⅔ - 4 ¾ hours), depending on the choices of the facilitator in scenario selection.

Students write and perform a skit or monologue that brings awareness to a specific issue addressed in the text.

The United States has a long history of activists seeking social, political, economic, and other changes to America—along with a history of other activists trying to prevent such changes. American activism covered a wide range of causes and utilized many different forms of activism. American sociopolitical activism became especially prominent during the period of societal upheaval which began during the 1950s. The African American civil rights movement led the way, soon followed by a substantial anti-war movement opposing American involvement in the Vietnam War, and later by vigorous activism involving women’s issues, gay rights, and other causes. The United States remains a land of nearly constant change, and activists play a significant role in the ongoing evolution of American democracy. It seems likely that Americans will remain enthusiastic activists in the future. This exhibition is part of the Digital Library of Georgia.

Agree or Disagree? asks students to demonstrate their argumentative and comparative writing skills.

In Antiracist Writing Assessment Ecologies, Asao B. Inoue theorizes classroom writing assessment as a complex system that is "more than" its interconnected elements. To explain how and why antiracist work in the writing classroom is vital to literacy learning, Inoue incorporates ideas about the white racial habitus that informs dominant discourses in the academy and other contexts. Inoue helps teachers understand the unintended racism that often occurs when teachers do not have explicit antiracist agendas in their assessments. Drawing on his own teaching and classroom inquiry, Inoue offers a heuristic for developing and critiquing writing assessment ecologies that explores seven elements of any writing assessment ecology: power, parts, purposes, people, processes, products, and places.

Are You Convinced? asks students to demonstrate their argumentative and evaluative writing skills.

Students produce original art (visual art, music, drama or poetry) that conveys an anti-bias or social justice message. Students then plan a public showcase of their work.

For Asian Americans living, working, and growing up in the margins in the United States during the 1960s and 70s, participating in social activism played an important role in advancing justice for them as citizens of the United States. Asian Americans worked in partnership with other ethnic and racial groups to overcome unfair treatment. Through the examples of the United Farm Workers Movement and the student strike at San Francisco State College, and at the Peace Rally after the L.A. Civil Unrest, students will learn how Asian Americans spoke out against injustice and stood up for the better treatment of all Americans.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 3.2
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 1.12, 5.22
Historical Thinking: 2.21
Social Science Analysis: 1.12, 3.18, 3.19, 4.21, 4.24, 5.28

A project developed by Cornell College’s KIN-200, Athletes and Activism class.  Authored by Caitlin Babcock, Alec Boldt, Cristian Dixon, Megan Gandrup, Olivia Henkel, MacKenzie Macam, Caitlyne Mar, Kali March, Alexis Partida, Ilah Perez-Johnson, Mary Puffett, Kara Rivard, Julissa Rivera, and Delaney Thomas; edited by Professor Christi Johnson. Because of the power that sports have to shape our understandings of everyday life, we explore the stories of athletes who became activists related to social justice causes.  These athletes used their platforms to advocate for positive social change.  We summarize and share their stories here.  In addition to describing their athletic pursuits, our summaries of their stories include key terms, concepts, and definitions related to socially just causes.  We also include short video overviews of the athletes' sporting lives and social activism. 

Beautiful Language asks students to demonstrate their narrative skills when writing to gain the understanding of others.

Students identify and investigate a community problem and propose a solution. They then plan and implement action directed at solving the problem.

This activity was produced in conjunction with The Library of Congress and the TPS at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. This activity allows learners to examine and listen to first-hand accounts and primary sources images of history during the Civil Right time period.  This activity will allow learners to develop empathy and understanding of:why someone might feel they should protest or stand up for their beliefs.how we can interact and respect others who may be different or have experiences we cannot fully understand.

Boal is a play written and performed by high school students from the Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, North Carolina. Boal brings a variety of social issues to the stage, focusing on racism and Islamophobia.

The play was inspired by Augusto Boal, a Brazilian theater director, writer, and politician. Boal was the founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical group dedicated to creating political change.

The performance was taped as part of the High School Theatre Festival during the Southeastern Theatre Conference.

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

Break it Down asks students to demonstrate their explanatory and descriptive writing skills.

Students choose a mode of expression—e.g., writing, art or storytelling—to share theme-related ideas and feelings with a “buddy” from outside the classroom.

This lesson plan helps students understand the context of the 1992 L.A. civil unrest (L.A. riots). Korean Americans in solidarity with Black Americans and others, formed coalitions to call for racial justice, community healing and rebuilding. Various police reforms, community programs and rebuilding efforts came about after. It covers the importance of building community consciousness and coalitions to fight systemic racism. By using the transcripts from the segment this lesson plan will ask the students to analyze the movement by using guiding questions to identify the issue, research the problem, respond to the problem and reflect on why learning about this topic is important to their lives and current social movements.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 7.5, HS.2
Economics: 7.8
Geography: HS.42, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 8.22, 8.25, HS.60, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 7.30, 8.31, HS.67, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.77, HS.78

 The LA riots of 1992 were a pivotal moment in American history.  Not only did they raise awareness of issues of police violence related to African Americans in the beating of Rodney King, they were also the first instance when film footage by an ordinary citizen (well before cell phone cameras) would lead to such direct and widespread consequences.  Obviously, with those cell phone cameras, such incidents are now reported regularly, with the largest recent consequences being the summer protests of 2020 after the death of George Floyd.  For HS students, 30 years ago might seem like ancient history, but they witnessed 2020.  This provides an excellent opportunity not only to provide context for an historical event, but also to connect it directly to the world in which they live, and to explore the concepts of continuity and change.  This project is designed to not only help students achieve a better understanding of the events of 1992 as an historical event, but also to refine their skills as historians.  Finally, in the culminating part of the project, students will be able to evaluate the judgment of USC criminal justice and law professor Jody David Armour’s comment, “Ain’t nothing changed but the year it is.”

Cause and Effect asks students to demonstrate their explanatory and informative writing skills.

CARLA's Social Justice in Language Education project is creating instructional materials that address a wide range of social justice topics in ten languages. Grounded in multiliteracies pedagogy, these materials will improve students' language abilities, intercultural understanding, and career competencies through critical engagement with target language texts.

The Social Justice in Language Education website currently includes the following:
--Social Justice Bibliography: provides a curated list of resources in three main categories--general social justice resources; social justice and language education; and language-specific resources.
--Social Justice and Language Education Presentations: includes recordings of a webinar highlighting the intersection of language and social justice and another webinar that describes the process of developing research-based curricular unit and lesson plan templates that support language instructors in the teaching of social justice themes.