Organized around the compelling question "How have Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders engaged civically and contributed to U.S. culture?" and grounded in inquiry-based teaching and learning, this lesson brings history, civics, and the arts together to learn about the experiences and perspectives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in U.S. history. Primary sources, literature, and works of art created by AAPI individuals and related organizations provide an historical as well as contemporary context for concepts and issues including civic participation, immigration, and culture.

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.  

Grounded in the belief that students need to explore climate change for themselves, the high school-level Climate Project course from the OER Project equips students with the knowledge and skills to take action. The course aims to understand the climate crisis by examining facts, impacts, and solutions, fostering civic action, education, and career readiness, and promoting constructive discussion. Through an inquiry-based approach, students interrogate diverse sources, build data and digital literacy skills, and engage with timely materials. Flexible in design, the course can be taught as a comprehensive semester program or through standalone lessons, culminating in projects ranging from climate-focused careers to community civic action.

This resource provides a description and links to the original materials for a multi-day unit created by teacher-librarians at Highline Public Schools. The unit shows 9th grade students how to access, analyze, evaluate, and cite information sources.

This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members and their supporters, images, news footage, an interactive timeline, and other sources about an important campaign to secure the treaty rights and sovereignty of Native Nations of the Pacific Northwest. Scroll to begin an exploration of the actions Native Nations took to address injustices.

Friends Across The Wires is an original, full-length play, written and directed by Laura Ferri and produced by Tamara Bunnell, exploring the impact of the Japanese American Incarceration during WWII through the lens of young people in Seattle. 

These lessons are part of the Reform to Equal Rights K-12 Disability History Curriculum from Emerging America, part of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium.

An introduction to disability helps establish safe and respectful study of the topic. Lesson 1 examines the context and causes of the growth of schools and asylums in the early 19th century through analysis of images, documents, and slide presentation. Lesson 2 studies federalism and roles of government and adds the voices and perspectives of people with disabilities and journalists, including critics of mass institutions. Students may continue to research institutions in their state. These lessons lay a foundation for discussion of the difficult topic of mass institutionalization, continued in units on the Progressive Era and on Disability Rights.

Grades 6-12 - Intro Lesson: Introduction to Disability History
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 1: Disability and 19th Century Moral Reformers
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 2: Perspectives on Schools and Asylums

Reform to Equal Rights uses 250+ primary sources. Most are in the public domain. Many others come from public online collections. For the rest, Emerging America secured permission so that teachers can use all these sources in creative ways. https://www.emergingamerica.org/disability-history-curriculum.
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These lessons are part of the Reform to Equal Rights K-12 Disability History Curriculum from Emerging America, part of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium.

An introductory lesson calls students to use words about disability with respect. Lesson 1 generates questions about the war, using the Question Formulation Technique. Lesson 2 discusses the scale and historical context of the Union's capacity to care for injured soldiers. Students predict how disability might impact veterans and the nation. Lesson 3 analyzes a story of care for a disabled veteran. Pairs or groups analyze one of seven stories and share key points for discussion. In lesson 4, students analyze ten institutions that served veterans. In the unit assessment, students explain how the war changed ideas about government. In lesson 5, students examine experiences of disabled veterans today through video interviews from the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Students may research veterans' needs and organize a project to support them.

Grades 6-12 - Intro Lesson: Introduction to Disability History
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 1: A Nation Shocked by War
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 2: Care for Wounded and Disabled Soldiers
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 3: Stories of Men and Women Who Served
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 4: Agents of Care
Grades 8-10 - Lesson 5: Veterans Today

Reform to Equal Rights uses 250+ primary sources. Most are in the public domain. Many others come from public online collections. For the rest, Emerging America secured permission so that teachers can use all these sources in creative ways. https://www.emergingamerica.org/disability-history-curriculum

These lessons are part of the Reform to Equal Rights K-12 Disability History Curriculum from Emerging America, part of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium.

An introduction to disability helps establish safe and respectful study of a difficult topic. Students examine eugenics policy, including forced sterilization and examine how values change. Primary sources include challenges to eugenics from the 1930s as well as 21st century efforts to come to terms with its impacts. The grades 4-5 lesson 2 on immigration policy can provides primary sources and guiding questions that can provide solid support to expand this unit. Unit resources support optional research projects.

Grades 6-12 - Intro Lesson: Introduction to Disability History
Grades 9-12 - Lesson 1: The Dehumanizing Effects of Eugenics

Reform to Equal Rights uses 250+ primary sources. Most are in the public domain. Many others come from public online collections. For the rest, Emerging America secured permission so that teachers can use all these sources in creative ways. https://www.emergingamerica.org/disability-history-curriculum.
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These lessons are part of the Reform to Equal Rights K-12 Disability History Curriculum from Emerging America, part of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium.

An introduction helps establish safe and respectful study of disability history. In lesson 1, students the Question Formulation Technique helps develop questions. Then a presentation highlights disabled advocates across American history. In lesson 2, students research the causes, goals and methods, successes and setbacks of the Disability Rights Movement. Students present research with multiple media options: talk with slides, podcast, video, essay, or poster. Lesson 4 guides a genuinely inclusive civic engagement project.

Grades 6-12 - Intro Lesson: Introduction to Disability History
Grades 9-12 - Lesson 1: The Roots of the Disability Rights Movement
Grades 9-12 - Lesson 2: Research and Share Disability Rights History
Grades 9-12 - Inclusive Civics Project - Disability Rights

Reform to Equal Rights uses 250+ primary sources. Most are in the public domain. Many others come from public online collections. For the rest, Emerging America secured permission so that teachers can use all these sources in creative ways. https://www.emergingamerica.org/disability-history-curriculum.
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This collection of lessons represent adapted and remixed instructional content for teaching media literacy and specifically civic online reasoning through distance learning. These lessons take students through the steps necessary to source online content, verify evidence presented, and corroborate claims with other sources.

The original lesson plans are the work of Stanford History Education Group, licensed under CC 4.0. Please refer to the full text lesson plans at Stanford History Education Group’s, Civic Online Reasoning Curriculum for specifics regarding background, research findings, and additional curriculum for teaching media literacy in the twenty-first century.

The students will be able to look to multiple sources to verify information they find online. This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website "Who Am I Online?"

This activity teaches students how to break down different elements of a political cartoon. Students examine how different symbols and images can be combined to convey meaning. Then students analyze a 1902 political cartoon about U.S. expansion overseas and the acquisition of new territories in the Philippines in Cuba. This activity includes a Smartboard Notebook file.

Students analyze James Madison’s notes to understand why delegates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 compromised on equality in order to form a United States government, what steps they later took to create a Bill of Rights, and whose rights were protected and whose were not. Students learn about key efforts to uphold the rights of people in the United States, from the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to examples of participatory journalism today in order to respond to the question: How can we use examples of activism from the past and present to recognize America’s potential for living up to its democratic ideals? Students then analyze artifacts from the Colored Conventions, which was one of the first Black political intellectual movements in the United States to advocate for the rights of people who have been marginalized. Students create an original political pamphlet to raise awareness and inspire action on issues of injustice and inequality today.

Students learn about the efforts of Ida B. Wells and other Black female journalists who used investigative reporting to challenge ideas and people that perpetuated social and political injustices. Students look to Black female journalists today by learning about Natasha S. Alford’s feature stories on race in Puerto Rico, and draw on past and present examples of journalism to help them respond to the unit driving question: How can journalism challenge inequality and injustice? Students use the tenets of investigative reporting to explore the achievements and challenges of the era, then work to shine a light on the possibilities of racial equity by writing and publishing a feature story about an issue of injustice today.

The Power & Influence module, from the Supporting Readiness through Vital Civic Empowerment (SRVCE) curriculum, focuses on how public policy affects individuals, how technology impacts communities, and how to build skills around communication and advocacy.

The 15 lessons include video, student-facing slides, a teacher toolkit and handouts. Resources are aligned with the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards, National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) Core Principles of Media Literacy Education, and Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Social and Emotional Learning Competencies.

SRVCE blends inquiry-based civic learning, media literacy education, and exploration of public service careers to prepare students to be active citizens and thrive in the workforce. All SRVCE materials are free. These materials are intended solely for educational purposes. Educators may modify the materials to suit the specific needs of their students. This may include adapting the materials for various settings and purposes, provided that such changes are made within the scope of the specific educational use.
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