Overview
Thousands of high school students walked out of classes in East Los Angeles in 1968 to protest unequal treatment of Mexican Americans in the public education system. Among the students' concerns were classes that omitted Hispanic history, a lack of bilingual teachers and a system that steered Chicano students to vocational training rather than college-prep classes.

The Two Day plan is intended to be completed in two fifty-minute class periods, with 2 homework assignments, the lesson includes the definition of genocide, historical background on the Armenian case, a review of other major genocides, a short national TV news piece, and readings from survivor testimonies.The Ten Day lesson includes film, primary documents, and the UN Declaration of Human RightsPart II, examines the economic developments of competing empires with subsequent loss of territory and rise of state repression over time. The final product is a colorful timeline linking seemingly disparate elements into a visible pattern. Students will also gain the opportunity to place the Armenian Genocide next to other acts of genocide and human rights abuses throughout history.Part III builds on the basic information learned in Part I and the larger historic and political overview gained in Part II. Students can participate in a mock re-enactment of the 1921 trial of Soghomon Tehlirian, who assassinated the mastermind of the Armenian Genocide and was later acquitted. The mock trial allows students to develop historical empathy with the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

The American Yawp constructs a coherent and accessible narrative from all the best of recent historical scholarship. Without losing sight of politics and power, it incorporates transnational perspectives, integrates diverse voices, recovers narratives of resistance, and explores the complex process of cultural creation. It looks for America in crowded slave cabins, bustling markets, congested tenements, and marbled halls. It navigates between maternity wards, prisons, streets, bars, and boardrooms. Whitman’s America, like ours, cut across the narrow boundaries that strangle many narratives. Balancing academic rigor with popular readability, The American Yawp offers a multi-layered, democratic alternative to the American past.

Students will examine how patriotism comes in many forms through an analysis of the short film "Patriotism and Protest." In the film, experts and Minidoka survivors highlight how the infamous "loyalty questionnaire" during WWII divided the Japanese American community.   

Students will examine how news outlets and government propaganda shaped war hysteria and racism against Japanese Americans during WWII. In the short film, "Power of the Press," students will learn about the pre-war racism against Asian Americans and how community allyship can have a profound effect in combating propaganda.  

Students will examine how language shapes public perception through an analysis of the short film "Power of Words." In the film, experts highlight the various euphemisms used by the US government to describe the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans and how the language used to describe this event did not match the reality.  

Students will examine the responsibility of citizens through an analysis of the short film "Standing Up for Others." In the film, Japanese Americans draw parallels between their experience during World War II and the experiences of Muslim Americans and asylum-seeking migrant children.  

These four lessons are provided by Echoes and Reflections. The lessons come from a new book, "Teaching the Holocaust By Inquiry" by Beth Krasemann. The book is scheduled for release at the end of May 2022.

Consider the need for home education for Black and African-American families in Southern Maryland in the 1870s through 1920s, when public education was unavailable or inaccessible. This resource combines 3D models and 2D interaction to introduce students to Alphabet Wares/Alphabet Plates as found at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum when excavating "Sukeek's Cabin," a late-19th century home by a newly-freed family on the park grounds. Themes include unjust limitations, archaeology as a primary source, and home life in the 1870s-1920s. The resource includes simple prompts and resources for hypothesizing about archaeological findings, researching them, drawing conclusions, and suggestions for further reflection.

This resource uses Genial.ly, an online-presentation service, with additional tools by S'CAPE to increase the interactivity. Public Genial.lys may be remixed into new presentations after signing up for an account with the service.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. More of our content can be found on OER Commons, YouTube, and SketchFab. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning.

Grade Level: Middle - High SchoolLength of Lesson: Two 90 minute block periods, Four 50-55 minute block periodsEssential QuestionsIn what ways do “single stories” impact our own identities, how we view others, and the choices we make?How do stereotypes influence how we view and treat others?How, when, and why do stereotyping and scapegoating escalate to discrimination, prejudice, and violence?What are different ways people can combat stereotypes and scapegoating?

ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDINGS• Genocide • Language • History • IdentityLEARNING OUTCOMESStudents will utilize primary documents for historical investigationStudents will define cultural genocideStudents will identify how attempts at education affected the culture of PNW Native Americans2018 SOCIAL SCIENCE STANDARDS• 4.12, 4.14, 4.16-4.22 • 8.3, 8.24, 8.25, 8.28-8.33 • HS.55, HS.56, HS.60-74ESSENTIAL QUESTIONSWhat are the intended and unintended consequences of government policies?What is cultural imperialism?What is destroyed in the name of progress? What is created?

A Lesson Plan based on The Armenian Genocide – News Accounts from the American Press, 1915-1922This curriculum extracts articles from the book, “The Armenian Genocide: News Accounts from the American Press,” compiled by Richard Kloian (available from GenEd and can be ordered for $25 by emailing). Including 200 New York Times articles, other journalistic accounts, U.S. Ambassador Morgenthau’s personal account of the genocide, survivor accounts, telegrams from the genocide perpetrator, photographs, and more, the book presents a compelling chronicle of the systematic deportations and massacres of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire, perpetrated by the Turkish governing authorities between 1915 and 1922. The lesson allows students to:Discuss the significance of the language used in the articles as it relates to a modern definition of genocideComprehend the extent to which American readers/public were aware of the persecution against Armenians by Ottoman rulers.Understand the importance of media in exposing and preventing human rights abuses

The documents and questions may be used for classroom investigation or as a unit assessment. Documents can be distributed and assigned as a jigsaw or as a complete set. Students read the document and apply historical investigation skills. Students should have access to prior learning about the nature of Indian and white settler contact.Updated video link for Broken Treaties

The California History and Social Science Project hosted a webinar on March 2nd and shared a list of resources for teaching and understanding the war in Ukraine. 

The Stages of Genocide Toolkit contains six case studies of historical genocide:• Armenian Genocide• Genocide in Cambodia• Genocide in Guatemala• The Holocaust• Genocide of Native Americans in the United States• Genocide in RwandaThese specific case studies were chosen for their wide geographic range and their place in modern historical chronology. It is important to note that these genocides are not the only examples of genocide that one can find throughout history, nor do the authors of this toolkit consider them to be “worse” or more important than those that are not included in this toolkit. We believe strongly that there is no place for a “hierarchy of suffering” in genocide education. Additionally, these summaries are not meant to be comprehensive histories of each genocide. They were written to align with Dr. Gregory Stanton’s Ten Stages of Genocide and as such, there are many historical details that are not included in the summaries.

This video segment explores how the song Strange Fruit became one of the best-known and most enduring songs of protest. In 1939, the legendary blues singer Billie Holiday performed the song as a daring criticism of the commonplace practice of the lynching of African-Americans. Civil rights groups such as the NAACP had made countless appeals, but it was Holiday’s haunting rendition that made it impossible for white Americans and lawmakers to ignore the widespread crime.

A second video segment includes the story of Abel Meeropol, son of Russian Jewish immigrants and a high school English teacher in the Bronx neighborhood where he was born, wrote a poem entitled Strange Fruit. This video discusses how the poem would later be performed by the legendary Billie Holiday as a song of protest, bringing national attention to the crime of lynching.
https://opb.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/bf09.socst.us.prosp.songborn/abel-meeropol-billie-holiday-and-a-song-born-in-protest/

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.

Openendedsocialstudies.org created this collection of background readings, images, and questions on William Walker and U.S. imperialism in the years between the War with Mexico and the U.S. Civil War. The College of Wooster also hosts a webpage dedicated to Willam Walker's adventurism which includes primary documents, timelines, an historical context essay, discussion questions, and additional resources. https://williamwalker.voices.wooster.edu/

The period between the end of the Mexican-American War and the U.S. Civil War included numerous attempts by U.S. business interests to expand into Central America. William Walker was interested not only in the mining, banana plantations, and possible canal, rail, and steamship routes to connect the East and West coast of the United States but also in the expansion of slavery into the tropical climate of the region.