Advocacy in Action
Overview
This unit begins by inviting students to tell the story of their community using artifacts from Washington's history. This allows them to reflect on shared values as well as how people have organized to advocate for those values. Then, students explore how rights are established in their community by analyzing the Washington State Constitution, the Puyallup Tribe Constitution, and the Treaty of Medicine Creek. Next, students investigate four different historic examples of how people have advocated for their rights and values in their community and choose one to research in further depth. In the final phase of the unit, student teams develop an advocacy campaign for a right that is currently being challenged. They conduct research on an issue of their choice, create and execute an action plan, and participate in an advocacy fair to campaign for change in their community. Finally, students draw on what they've learned to answer the unit driving question: "Why do people advocate for issues in their community?"
Educator Welcome
Dear Educator,
We understand the joy every teacher experiences when they discover what lights up a student, and how that breakthrough can make way for a powerful shift in student learning. We’re thrilled to partner with you in bringing project-based learning (PBL) to your classroom, and we think you’ll love these lessons, which were created in collaboration with educators, learning scientists, and experts in the field.
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Acknowledgements
Unit Credits & Acknowledgments
Educurious would like to express sincere gratitude to our partners from Tacoma Public Schools for contributing their expertise, insights, and energy. Thank you to Nichol Everett and Ryaan Whitlock for their leadership and support. Their collaboration was instrumental in the co-design of this project-based learning Washington State History unit.
A special thank you to Anna Trammell, Archives and Special Collections Manager at the Northwest Room of the Tacoma Public Library, for her pivotal role in curating and digitizing rich, local primary sources.
This resource was made possible with generous funding from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Design Teachers and Schools:
- Gavin Morgan, Baker Middle School
- Robin Strong, Mason Middle School
The Educurious Team:
Unit Development Team:
- Writer: Emily Krank
- Educurious Reviewer: Naomi Tsai
- Editor: Clare Lilliston
Production Team:
- Erik Robinson, Angela Rosenberg
Project Manager:
- Naomi Tsai
Educurious Leadership:
- Jane Chadsey, CEO
Unit Poster Image Credits:
- Poster created by Educurious with Canva
License & Attribution
Except where otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action by Educurious is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are free to share this material (by copying and redistributing it in any medium or format) and adapt it (by remixing, transforming, or building upon it). However, you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate whether changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your adaptation. You may not use this material, or any adaptation of it, for commercial purposes. Please take care that adaptations do not introduce cultural bias.
All logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All art, illustrations, and photos in this work are used with permission and are not included in the open license. This resource contains links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only, and do not constitute or imply any endorsement or monitoring by Educurious. Please confirm the license status of any third-party resources and ensure that you understand their terms before use.
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Unit at a Glance & Teacher's Edition Download
Download full PDF Teacher's Edition Here
Module 1: Know Your Rights
Module Overview
Module 1: Know Your Rights
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question
Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?
Module Driving Question
How are rights established in a community?
Module Overview
In this unit, students take on the role of activist as they develop a campaign centered on a local issue. The opening module helps prepare students for the final product by developing their concept of community and how rights are established. They begin by analyzing historical and contemporary primary sources to tell the story of their local community. In the next lesson, students return to a few of these sources to analyze them again through the frame of community values. After they practice identifying values in local artifacts, students take this skill and apply it to foundational documents, including the Washington State Constitution and Puyallup Tribe Constitution. Using the Puyallup Tribe as a case study, students use primary sources to investigate the ways in which tribal nations establish and fight for their values and rights. In the final lesson of the opening module, students create a public service announcement with the goal of educating their peers about individual rights in Washington State. These legal rights will support students’ background knowledge as they explore examples of local advocacy efforts in the next module.
| Lesson 1.1: Our Story (60 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students interpret historical and contemporary primary sources to try to tell the story of Washington. They begin by reflecting on their personal connections to their community. Then, in partners, they analyze and interpret an artifact that helps them understand one part of Washington’s history. Working as a class, they organize their artifacts in a way that tells a story. Finally, they reflect on what these artifacts reveal about what it means to be part of a community. |
| Lesson 1.2: Constitutional Values (70 minutes) | |
Key Standard for Success Criteria Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students analyze a state or tribal constitution for evidence of community values. First, they practice identifying values in their own lives and in local artifacts. Then, students learn about the structure and content of a constitution and how it can reflect the values of a community. Next, students identify values in the Washington State Constitution and Puyallup Tribe Constitution and discuss similarities and differences between the constitutions. To close out, students write a paragraph that identifies key values in the constitutions they studied. |
| Lesson 1.3: Tribal Rights (60 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria C1.6-8.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.2 Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students are introduced to key vocabulary that will allow them to understand some of the different ways that rights are established in a community. Then, using the Puyallup Tribe as a case study, students learn about how tribal nations establish and fight for their values and rights. They analyze excerpts from the Treaty of Medicine Creek, the Puyallup Tribe Constitution, and the Puyallup Tribal Council’s Vision and Mission to identify shared rights and values in the Puyallup Tribe. Finally, they synthesize their learning by reflecting on how tribal rights were established in Washington. |
| Lesson 1.4: Know Your Rights (75 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria C1.6-8.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.9 Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students learn about established individual rights in Washington. Working in their project teams, they learn about one right in Washington, how it was established, and why it is important. Then they create a public service announcement informing people in Washington state about the right and what it protects. Students close out by sharing their PSAs with their classmates and answering the module driving question: "How are rights established in a community?" |
| Module Assessments |
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| Suggested Word Wall Vocabulary |
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| Lesson-Specific Vocabulary |
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Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 1.1: Our Story
Teacher Guide
Lesson 1.1: Our Story
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How are rights established in a community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will interpret historical and contemporary primary sources to try to tell the story of Washington. To start, you will reflect on your personal connections to your community. Then, with a partner, you will analyze and interpret an artifact that helps you understand one part of Washington’s history. Working as a class, you will organize your artifacts in a way that tells a story. Finally, you will reflect on what these artifacts reveal about what it means to be part of a community. Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 60 minutes |
| Standards | |
H2.6-8.2: Explain and analyze how individuals and movements have shaped Washington state history since statehood. SSS4.6-8.1: Analyze multiple factors, make generalizations, and interpret sources to formulate a thesis in a paper or presentation, while observing rules related to plagiarism and copyright. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students interpret historical and contemporary primary sources to try to tell the story of Washington. They begin by reflecting on their personal connections to their community. Then, in partners, they analyze and interpret an artifact that helps them understand one part of Washington’s history. Working as a class, they organize their artifacts in a way that tells a story. Finally, they reflect on what these artifacts reveal about what it means to be part of a community. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Share personal connections to your community | (5 min) |
Purpose: Students begin by defining community and sharing personal connections to their local community.
You might say: Today we begin a new unit called Advocacy in Action. In this unit, we will consider how we can create change in our community. We are all part of many communities, but the community we will be focusing on in this unit is Washington. What does it mean to be connected to the people who live near us? To the places we visit? What are the things we share—traditions, jokes, or insider knowledge? Let’s take a moment to reflect on what connects us to the place we live.
[Slide 2] Students describe personal connections to their local community.
- Invite students to consider the question: What connects you to your local community?
- Share an example of how you’re connected to your local community.
- Facilitate a Turn and Talk in which students share ways they are connected to their local community. Possible responses may be related to people, places, traditions, beliefs, shared knowledge, or inside jokes.
[Slide 3] Reflect on what it means to be part of a community.
- Distribute Community Artifact Notes Organizer and review the directions in Part 1.
- Invite students to respond to the following questions:
- What are some of the benefits of being part of a community?
- What are some of the challenges of being part of a community?
| Step 2: Analyze a community artifact | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students analyze primary source artifacts directly connected to their local community.
You might say: A community is a group of people who share common values, interests, or goals. Today we are going to learn more about the story of Washington with the help of several local artifacts. By analyzing these artifacts, we can find clues to help us understand the values, beliefs, and hopes of people who lived in our community.
[Slide 4] Introduce community artifacts.
- Organize students into pairs.
- Distribute Community Artifacts and review directions for Part 2 and Part 3 of the Community Artifact Notes Organizer.
- Provide a designated amount of time for teams to complete the guided analysis.
Teacher Tip: Navigating Text-Heavy Sources A few of the Community Artifacts students will engage with are text-heavy. Consider using the following strategies to support students in managing and making meaning of the materials without feeling overwhelmed:
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Teacher Tip: Encouraging Ambiguity in Source Interpretation In this exercise, students practice interpreting a source by making inferences with little historical context. As students navigate this activity, it’s important to acknowledge that some may find the inherent ambiguity or the lack of a single "correct" answer challenging.Remind students that it’s okay not to have all the answers during this exercise. Foster a classroom culture where curiosity is celebrated and students feel comfortable expressing uncertainty and sharing interpretations that may not be historically accurate.When conferencing with students, consider asking the following questions to encourage student inquiry:
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| Step 3: Tell the story of where you live | (25 min) |
Purpose: Students collaborate to build a narrative about Washington based on their analyses of the given artifacts.
You might say: As you may have noticed, it’s difficult to make conclusions about a community when looking at only one piece of evidence. But what about if we look at all of these artifacts together? What more will we learn about our community? Together, we are going to try to tell a story about Washington, using these artifacts to help us.
[Slide 5] Define chronological.
- Share the definition of chronological.
- chronological: arranging events or artifacts according to the time they occurred (i.e., first to last)
- Explain to students that their challenge will be to arrange artifacts chronologically—from oldest to most recent—to create a timeline of Washington. This will be challenging, because while some students know the exact date that their artifacts were created, others have to make inferences.
[Slide 6] Prepare students to line up chronologically.
- Prompt students to gather their artifacts and descriptions from Part 3 of their Community Artifact Notes Organizer.
- Share directions with students:
- Your goal is to line up with your artifacts chronologically.
- You will have to talk to your classmates to figure out where your artifact should go! Some of you may not be sure when your artifact was created—do the best you can.
- You will need your artifact and description.
- Prompt students to get up and work with one another to arrange their artifacts chronologically.
- Set a timer so that students know how much time they have.
[Slide 7] Facilitate a share out.
- Invite students to briefly share their descriptions to help others learn about their artifacts.
- The share outs can start with the oldest artifact and progress towards the most contemporary.
- Suggested timing for each share-out: 30–60 seconds.
- Encourage students to listen actively for common themes or connections between artifacts.
[Slide 8] Facilitate a class discussion.
- Ask: Collectively, what do these artifacts tell us about the people and story of Washington?
- Possible response: Looking at these artifacts collectively, we learn about the challenges community members have faced in the last century and what they did to protect their values and rights.
- Ask: What common themes do you notice between the artifacts?
- Possible response: Common themes include advocacy, hope, democracy, and prejudice.
- Ask: What problems do you see people facing in their community? How do they respond to these problems? What strategies do they use?
- Possible response: I can see people protesting, putting up posters, and writing articles in local newspapers.
- Ask: What does it mean to be part of a community?
- Possible response: Being part of a community means advocating for change and supporting each other in hard times. As human beings, we need a sense of belonging, and that sense of belonging is what connects us to the many relationships we develop.
Teacher Tip: Preparing Students for Whole-Class Discussion Consider preparing students for whole-class discussion by giving them an opportunity to share initial ideas in a lower-stakes setting. Below is one strategy for how to prepare students for whole-class discussion.Think-Pair-Share: First, support individual thinking about a topic or question. Then, pair students to discuss their ideas in a focused way.
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| Step 4: Learn about the final product | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students are introduced to the arc of learning for the unit and the focus for the final product, and initial student thinking is gathered through a Know & Need to Know chart.
You might say: Today we analyzed primary sources to help us better understand the histories and stories of Washington. In our coming lessons, we will be focusing on the rights and values that are important to our community and how different groups of people have advocated for their rights and values. Later in our unit, we will take what we learned in this module and apply it to our final product: an advocacy campaign based on local rights and values.
[Slide 9] Review the unit poster and introduce the final product.
- Talking points:
- In the rest of Module 1, you will learn about how rights are established in a community.
- In Module 2, you will learn about how people have organized to advocate for their rights and values, and at the end of the module you will choose a contemporary issue for your campaign.
- In Module 3, you will create a campaign in which you will advocate for rights and values in your local community.
- This project work will help us to answer the unit driving question: Why do people advocate for issues in their community?
[Slide 10] Create a class Know & Need to Know chart.
- Organize students into small groups of 3–4.
- Distribute the Know & Need to Know chart to each student; review the directions and preview the questions they will be answering.
- If needed, share examples of campaigns (strikes, boycotts, marches, sit-ins, etc.) and an example of a contemporary issue (climate change, racial inequality, healthcare access, etc.).
- Provide small groups time to discuss what they know and need to know about community advocacy and the advocacy campaign.
- Invite small groups to share out. Track student ideas and questions on a class Know & Need to Know chart.
- Explain to students that as they progress through the unit they will revisit and update the Know & Need to Know chart.
Teacher Tip: Tracking and Resolving Questions With a Know & Need to Know Chart A Know & Need to Know chart provides an opportunity for students to track how their thinking changes over time on a whole-class level. For project-based learning units, the chart helps leverage students’ ideas about the connections between the content they are learning and their project work. To learn more about Know & Need to Know charts in PBL, read about how to use students’ questions for planning and assessment from PBLWorks. |
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 1.2: Constitutional Values
Teacher Guide
Lesson 1.2: Constitutional Values
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How are rights established in a community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will analyze a state or tribal constitution for evidence of community values. First, you will practice identifying values in your own life and in local artifacts. Then, you will learn about the structure and content of a constitution and how it can reflect the values of a community. Next, you will identify values in the Washington State Constitution and Puyallup Tribe Constitution and discuss similarities and differences between the constitutions. To close out, you will write a paragraph that identifies key values in the constitutions you studied. Lesson Steps
Explore More
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 70 minutes |
| Standards | |
C1.6-8.2: Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government. C2.6-8.2: Distinguish the structure, organization, powers, and limits of government at the local, state, and tribal levels. SSS3.6-8.1: Engage in discussion, analyzing multiple viewpoints on public issues. SSS4.6-8.1: Analyze multiple factors, make generalizations, and interpret sources to formulate a thesis in a paper or presentation, while observing rules related to plagiarism and copyright. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.B: Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students analyze a state or tribal constitution for evidence of community values. First, they practice identifying values in their own lives and in local artifacts. Then, students learn about the structure and content of a constitution and how it can reflect the values of a community. Next, students identify values in the Washington State Constitution and Puyallup Tribe Constitution and discuss similarities and differences between the constitutions. To close out, students write a paragraph that identifies key values in the constitutions they studied. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Identify key values in community artifacts | (20 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students clarify the definition of values and practice identifying values in community artifacts. This prepares students to identify values in state and tribal constitutions in Step 3.
You might say: In our last unit, Decisions that Define Us, you learned about the values of different groups of people in Washington. Today, we will revisit this work through a different lens. Let’s start by spending a moment reflecting on what our own values are and what values we have in common with our classmates.
[Slide 2] Facilitate a Jot-Pair-Share.
- Distribute the Constitutional Values Notes Organizer and review directions for Part 1.
- Invite students to jot their initial ideas to the following sentence starters:
- Values are…
- Examples of values are…
- Ask: What are values? What are some examples of values?
- Invite students to share out their responses, first in pairs, then as a whole class.
[Slide 3] Review the structure of the Venn diagram.
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Constitutional Values Notes Organizer.
- Invite students to work with a partner seated nearby.
- Designate a specific amount of time for students to complete the Venn diagram (suggested timing: 5 minutes).
- Invite students to share out one value they have in common with their partner. Consider facilitating a Whip-Around (see Teacher Tip below) for equitable and efficient sharing.
You might say: Now that we’ve identified some values that we have in common in our classroom, we will work together to identify some shared values in our larger community. Let’s look back at a few of the artifacts we analyzed yesterday and see what values we notice.
[Slide 4] Model the process of identifying values based on a community artifact.
- Talking points:
- In this photograph, we see three women putting up posters advocating for suffrage. The posters say "Women Vote in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Norway, Finland, and New Zealand. Are the Women of Washington Less Entitled to Vote?"
- There are quotes from Mark Twain, President Lincoln, and President Roosevelt stating that women should be able to vote.
- Based on these observations, I can infer that the women in the picture value equality because they were working to establish equal rights for women.
- The message of the posters advocating for suffrage shows that they value democracy, and the act of campaigning (putting up educational posters) shows that they value activism.
[Slide 5] Facilitate student identification of values based on a community artifact.
- Ask: Who are the people represented in this artifact?
- Possible response: Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Seattle and allies.
- Ask: What do you know about the values of the people represented in this artifact? How do you know?
- Possible response: Some of the values demonstrated in this picture are activism, community, and democracy. First, the value of activism is clear as participants publicly demonstrate their commitment to fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, pushing for societal change and greater acceptance. Second, the sense of community is strong among the marchers, who come together to support one another and show solidarity in their shared experiences and struggles. Finally, the value of democracy is reflected in their use of public demonstration to voice their demands and influence public opinion and policies.
[Slide 6] Facilitate student identification of values based on a community artifact.
- Ask: Who are the people represented in this source?
- Possible response: The people represented in this source are Spokane artists who participated in the creation of the Black Lives Matter mural.
- Ask: What do you know about the values of the people represented in this artifact? How do you know?
- Possible response: Some of the values demonstrated in this picture are community, diversity, and artistic expression. In the video, we see the work of community members who came together and created a vibrant work of art. The decision to include a range of community artists in the mural’s creation speak to the values of community and artistic expression. The city’s decision to create a mural honoring Black lives demonstrates a value of diversity.
Teacher Tip: Equitable Sharing With a Whip-Around A quick and equitable way to invite students to share out a value they have in common with their partner is through a whip-around.
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| Step 2: Examine the structure and content of a constitution | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students examine the structure and content of a constitution to prepare them to analyze the Washington State Constitution or Puyallup Tribe Constitution in the next step.
You might say: Today, we will learn more about the values in our community by looking at an artifact that continues to play a key role in our society today—a constitution. Because we live in the United States, you have probably heard of the United States Constitution, which is sometimes referred to as the "supreme law of the land." However, the United States Constitution is just one example of a constitution. We will explore two other constitutions that are important to people in our local community.
[Slide 7] Define constitution.
- Share the definition of a constitution.
- constitution: a legal document that establishes the values and laws of a nation or state, including the powers and responsibilities of government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
- Share the parts of a constitution.
- preamble: an introduction to the document. It may outline the purpose of the constitution.
- articles: the main sections of the constitution that describe the structure and powers of government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
- amendments: modifications to the original constitution that may reflect changing values or needs
[Slide 8] Share a quote from the Northwestern Buffet Institute for Foreign Affairs (source).
- Read the following quote: "Constitutions represent how people see themselves—what they see as important, what they care about protecting, and how they see the role of citizens in their societies."
- Ask: According to this quote, what can we learn from reading a constitution?
- Possible response: We can learn about what people value and care about.
[Slide 9] Explain the distinctions between federal, state, and tribal constitutions.
- Talking points:
- The U.S. Constitution forms the basis for federal law; it establishes government power and responsibility and preserves the basic rights of every citizen. Federal laws are created at the national level and apply to the entire nation (all fifty states and the District of Columbia), and U.S. territories. Federal laws also apply on Indigenous reservations, although state laws do not.
- States also have their own constitutions. The state law applies to residents and visitors of the state, as well as businesses and organizations operating in that state. When a state law is in direct conflict with federal law, the federal law prevails. A state law can give more rights to its residents than federal law. But state laws should not reduce or restrict the rights of a U.S. citizen.
- Tribal nations also have their own constitutions that establish government structure and powers, laws, and tribal member rights. Tribal laws apply to tribal members and to individuals who live on reservation land.
- Update your class Word Wall based on this new information.
Teacher Tip: Interactive Word Walls There is a lot of unit-specific academic vocabulary that students will need to recall in this unit. Develop a unit-specific Word Wall early on in this unit and continue to add to it as students encounter important vocabulary. Refer to Module Overviews for a list of vocabulary we suggest that you include in your Word Wall. Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you create (and add to) your Word Wall:
The following resources may be helpful for developing your Word Wall:
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| Step 3: Work with a partner to identify key values in a constitution | (30 min) |
Purpose: Students work with primary source documents to identify values in two constitutions. Later in the unit, students will need to connect issues in their community to the values that they identified in the state or tribal constitution.
You might say: Now that you can describe the structure of a constitution, we are going to examine two different constitutions to see if we can identify values in the language of the documents. A constitution is supposed to reflect what people believe is important. Before you dive in, let’s take a moment to practice how to analyze a constitution—or any challenging text—using the same reading strategies we practiced in our last unit.
[Slide 10] Model analyzing the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
- Distribute the Values Bingo Sheet to students.
- Explain to students that they will be looking for the values on this bingo sheet in the Washington State Constitution and the Puyallup Tribe Constitution.
- Share the language of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution:
- "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Remind students of the three-part Navigating Text Framework.
- Identify the reading purpose:
- Read to find evidence of values in the U.S. Constitution.
- Map our course: Prompt students to scan the preamble.
- Ask students to identify anything that looks challenging about the text; they will likely note the vocabulary.
- Identify tools: Explain to students that they should use an annotation system to identify evidence that supports the purpose for reading.
- Underline = any information that supports the purpose for reading (add summarizing notes)
- ? = anything confusing (words or phrases)
- Prepare the Survival Kit: Share strategies with students that they can use when they encounter challenging vocabulary.
- Use context clues: Look for surrounding words or phrases that might provide hints about the meaning of the unfamiliar word. Consider how the word is used in the sentence and what seems to make sense in the context.
- Use a dictionary: Look up words that are necessary to understand the overall meaning of the passage.
Model reading strategies.
- Demonstrate how to read the preamble with the reading purpose and strategies in mind.
- Demonstrate how to link information in the U.S. Constitution to the reading purpose by annotating the text.
- Example: One phrase that I’m going to underline is "We the people." It stands out to me not only because it comes first, but also because it reminds me of the value of unity on my bingo sheet—the writers of the U.S. Constitution are coming together in pursuit of a common goal, which is a more perfect union. I’m going to write "unity" next to this phrase to remind myself of how it connects to the reading purpose.
- Model how to identify a confusing word and use one of the Survival Kit strategies.
- Example: One word that I’m struggling with is "posterity." When I look at the word in context, I notice that this section is about having liberty for ourselves and for something else—but I’m not sure what that something else is. Liberty is one of the values on my bingo sheet, so I don’t really need to know what "posterity" means, but I’m going to go ahead and look it up anyway. [Model looking up the word in a dictionary.] "Posterity" means all future generations, so this section is about making sure that we have liberty not only for ourselves, but also for all of the people who will live after us; in other words, our children and our children’s children.
[Slide 11] Invite students to analyze a state constitution.
- Organize students into pairs.
- Remind students that reading the language of a legal document, like a constitution, is supposed to be challenging. Encourage them to work with their partner and lean on their Survival Kit as they read the excerpts.
- Distribute the Washington State Constitution to each pair.
- Explain to students that the constitution they’ll be analyzing includes both summary and direct quotes.
- Preview the constitution with students:
- Clarify that direct quotes from the constitution are italicized and in quotation marks; summaries are not.
- Remind students that their goal is to find as many values as possible in their assigned constitution and to get a BINGO (four in a row) on the Values Bingo Sheet.
- Remind students that there is a citation guide on the second page of their Values Bingo Sheet to support them as they cite each location where they identified a value.
[Slide 12] Facilitate small group debrief.
- Organize pairs into groups of four.
- Ask:
- What values did you find in the Washington State Constitution?
- What was your reasoning for connecting the language in the document to the value you identified?
- Invite students to discuss responses in small groups. Students can add to their Values Bingo Sheet based on the small-group conversation.
[Slide 13] Introduce the Puyallup Tribe.
- Talking points (source):
- Over the next couple of lessons, we'll be learning about tribal rights using the Puyallup Tribe as a case study.
- The Puyallup Tribe is located in the Pacific Northwest, primarily around what is now Tacoma, Washington.
- This area has been their ancestral homeland for thousands of years. Traditionally, the Puyallup people have a rich cultural heritage that includes fishing, especially salmon fishing, which plays a central role in their lifestyle and economy.
- Through studying the Puyallup Tribe, we will explore how they have maintained their cultural traditions and how they navigate their rights and relationship with the U.S. government today.
- Project a map of Washington State Tribes. Encourage students to identify the Puyallup Tribe on the map.
[Slide 14] Invite students to analyze a tribal constitution.
- Distribute the Puyallup Tribe Constitution to each pair.
- Prompt students to repeat the activity with the second constitution by identifying values and adding more citations to their Values Bingo Sheet.
[Slide 15] Facilitate whole-class discussion.
- Ask:
- What do you notice as you look at your bingo sheet?
- Which values are in both constitutions? Which values are in only one constitution?
- What do these documents tell you about the values of people in Washington?
Teacher Tip: Vocabulary in Context In units where vocabulary is heavily tied to a concept (such as values), it's important to set realistic and clear expectations for your students. Emphasize that the goal of learning this vocabulary is not to memorize all the terms by heart, but to understand and use them meaningfully within context. Explain that these words are tools to express and analyze values, which is central to the project work.Encourage students to practice using the vocabulary in sentences or discussions that relate to their own experiences or societal observations. This approach helps students see how these terms apply in real life, enhancing their comprehension and retention. Remind them that the objective is to feel comfortable recognizing these words in texts and confident in using them to convey ideas about values, rather than just recalling definitions for a test. This strategy not only makes vocabulary learning more engaging, but also more applicable and memorable. |
| Step 4: Synthesize your learning | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students identify three key values in the constitutions they analyzed and support their thinking with evidence and reasoning. This step also allows students to practice quoting and citing a constitution—a skill they will need later in the unit.
You might say: Later in this unit, you will need to write an argumentative paragraph that includes a claim, evidence, and reasoning. Today, you will examine this structure by analyzing an example CER paragraph. Then, you will practice outlining a CER paragraph. This will prepare you to draft your own CER paragraph that answers the module driving question: "How are rights established in a community?"
[Slide 16] Prompt students to assess their learning.
- Share the prompt with students:
- Which three values are essential to one of the constitutions you read?
- Share the elements of the CER format.
- C = Claim
- E = Evidence
- R = Reasoning
- Share a Model CER Paragraph using the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
- Point out how to cite a constitution.
- Consider having students highlight the different parts of a CER paragraph (claim, evidence, and reasoning) in three different colors.
- Invite students to complete Part 3 of their Constitutional Values Notes Organizer.
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 1.3: Tribal Rights
Teacher Guide
Lesson 1.3: Tribal Rights
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?
Module Driving Question: How are rights established in a community?
Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will learn key vocabulary that will allow you to understand some of the different ways that rights are established in a community. Then, using the Puyallup Tribe as a case study, you will learn about how tribal nations establish and fight for their values and rights. You will analyze excerpts from the Treaty of Medicine Creek, the Puyallup Tribe Constitution, and the Puyallup Tribal Council’s Vision and Mission to identify shared rights and values in the Puyallup Tribe. Finally, you will synthesize your learning by reflecting on how tribal rights were established in Washington.
Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 60 minutes |
| Standards | |
C1.6-8.2: Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government. C3.6-8.3: Recognize that, according to the United States Constitution, treaties are “the supreme law of the land;” consequently, treaty rights supersede most state laws. C3.6-8.4: Explain elements of the agreements contained in one or more treaty agreements between Washington tribes and the United States. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
|
| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students are introduced to key vocabulary that will allow them to understand some of the different ways that rights are established in a community. Then, using the Puyallup Tribe as a case study, students learn about how tribal nations establish and fight for their values and rights. They analyze excerpts from the Treaty of Medicine Creek, the Puyallup Tribe Constitution, and the Puyallup Tribal Council’s Vision and Mission to identify shared rights and values in the Puyallup Tribe. Finally, they synthesize their learning by reflecting on how tribal rights were established in Washington. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Meet with your project team to define rights | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students define the term rights in their own words and practice thinking critically about how rights are established and protected.
You might say: In our previous lesson, we learned about the values that shape our local community and government. In a well-functioning society, our values are protected and upheld by rights. You might have heard the phrases "the right to free speech" or "the right to an attorney" on a television show. Now, I ask you to consider what rights really mean.
[Slide 2] Facilitate a Think-Pair-Share.
- Prompt students to consider how they would define rights.
[Slide 3] Define rights.
- Share the definition of rights:
- right: something that should not be taken away and is often written into law
[Slide 4] Facilitate small-group discussions.
- Organize students into project teams (4–5 students per group).
- Ask:
- What are three rights that all people should have? Why?
- Does everyone have these rights (in our state, in the nation, in the world)?
- (Optional) Provide chart paper for students to write down the three rights they believe all people should have.
- (Optional) If time permits, facilitate a whole-class discussion on these two questions.
| Step 2: Learn about some ways that rights are established in a community | (10 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students explore how foundational documents establish rights in a community.
You might say: Rights are powers that we have as members of a community that should never be taken away. Throughout history, people have fought for their rights. While the United States Constitution guaranteed some rights when it was ratified in 1789, many of those rights were only for white, land-owning men. For example, it was not until much later that African Americans, Indigenous people, women, and other groups of people won the right to vote. Today, there are people still fighting for their voting rights. In this next activity, we are going to learn about some of the different ways that rights can be established.
[Slide 5] Introduce a vocab sorting activity.
- Distribute the Tribal Rights Notes Organizer and review the directions for Part 1. Students will remain in their project teams for this activity.
- Distribute one set of the cut-out and shuffled Tribal Rights Sorting Cards per group.
- Consider adding an element of competition to the activity (e.g., the first group to correctly organize each of the four rows wins!).
- Encourage students to raise their hands once they believe they have the correct answers.
- Once answers have been confirmed, invite students to complete the table in Part 1 of their Tribal Rights Notes Organizer.
| Step 3: Learn about tribal sovereignty | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students explore the unique government-to-government relationship between federally recognized tribes and the U.S. government.
You might say: In the United States, many Indigenous people are citizens of both their tribal nation and of the United States. This means that their rights are established not only from federal and state laws, but also from treaties and tribal laws. Today we will learn more about how rights and values are established and maintained in the Puyallup Tribe.
[Slide 6] Introduce tribal sovereignty.
- Play the Washington Tribes video, "What Is Tribal Sovereignty?"
- Review instructions for Part 2 of the Tribal Rights Notes Organizer.
- Play video from [0:00–1:23], then pause.
- Ask: What were some of the reasons Indigenous leaders in Washington signed treaties with the U.S. government in the 19th century?
- Possible response: Indigenous leaders signed treaties because they thought they were protecting both their communities and generations to come.
- Play video from [1:23–2:17], then pause.
- Ask: What are some of the responsibilities of the Puyallup Tribal Council? How are these responsibilities similar to or different from our state government?
- Possible response: The Puyallup Tribal Council functions in a very similar way to the state government. They make decisions that impact the lives, health, housing, and rights of people within their community. In Washington State, city councils and the state legislature also make decisions that impact the lives of residents in terms of health, housing, and rights.
- Play video from [2:17–3:22].
- Ask: What are some rights that are connected to sovereignty?
- Possible response: Sovereign nations are independent nations. They have the right to make their own laws, choose a form of government, arrange treaties with other countries, build infrastructure, and establish institutions.
| Step 4: Identify shared values and rights in the Puyallup Tribe | (25 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students explore more of the rights and values of members of the Puyallup Tribe and practice interpreting primary and secondary sources. The goal of the stations is for students to identify rights and values of the Puyallup Tribe and differentiate between the two.
[Slides 7–8] Prepare students for a source exploration.
- [Slide 7] Review the directions for Part 3 of the Tribal Rights Notes Organizer.
- Determine groupings for the source exploration (three students per group is ideal).
- [Slide 8] Distribute materials for the source exploration activity.
- Sources 1–3 are included in the Tribal Rights Source Exploration handout.
- Source 4 is a video from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians titled "Medicine Creek Treaty History." Set the video up on a computer or other device for students to watch.
- Inform students that they will explore sources 1–3 in their small groups and rotate to watch source 4.
- Suggested timing: 5 minutes per station
| Teacher Tip: Localize to Enhance Student Engagement Consider tailoring the lesson to focus on a Native American tribe local to your students' community. Start by researching and gathering primary sources related to a local tribe—such as treaties, tribal council visions, mission statements, and excerpts from tribal constitutions or bills of rights. This approach not only makes the lesson more relevant to students but also deepens their understanding of and connection to their local community’s history and current issues. This method can help students see the direct impact of historical events and legal frameworks in their own lives and surroundings. |
| Step 5: Write to reflect | (5 min) |
Purpose: Students reflect on the significance of values in Indigenous communities and the way rights are established in Washington State. The goal is for students to make connections between community values and how those are translated into legal rights.
You might say: Today we identified rights and values of the Puyallup Tribe. Now, you have the chance to reflect on what values are most important to the Puyallup Tribe and how tribal rights are established and maintained in Washington. I encourage you to use at least two specific examples in your response.
[Slide 10] Invite students to write to reflect.
- Review the directions for Part 4 of the Tribal Rights Notes Organizer.
- Invite students to respond in writing to the following questions using evidence from the source exploration activity:
- What values are most important to the Puyallup Tribe?
- How are tribal rights established and maintained in Washington?
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 1.4: Know Your Rights
Teacher Guide
Lesson 1.4: Know Your Rights
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How are rights established in a community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will learn about established individual rights in Washington. Working in your project teams, you will learn about one right in Washington, how it was established, and why it is important. Then, your team will create a public service announcement (PSA) informing people in Washington about the right and what it protects. You will close out by sharing your PSA with your classmates and answering the Module 1 driving question: How are rights established in a community? Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 75 minutes |
| Standards | |
C1.6-8.2: Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government. SSS4.6-8.1: Analyze multiple factors, make generalizations, and interpret sources to formulate a thesis in a paper or presentation, while observing rules related to plagiarism and copyright. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
|
|
| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students learn about established individual rights in Washington. Working in their project teams, they learn about one right in Washington, how it was established, and why it is important. Then they create a public service announcement informing people in Washington state about the right and what it protects. Students close out by sharing their PSAs with their classmates and answering the module driving question: How are rights established in a community? |
| Teacher Preparation |
|
Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Learn about individual rights in Washington | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students examine individual rights in Washington State and practice crafting citations.
You might say: Yesterday, we explored some of the different ways that rights are established—in a constitution, in a treaty, or in a law. We learned about some of the rights of members of the Puyallup Tribe and the different documents that protect those rights. Today, we will explore other rights that Washington residents have and that are guaranteed by the Washington State Constitution or by state law.
[Slide 2] Facilitate a Write-Pair-Share.
- Invite students to differentiate between a right and a privilege.
- right: something that should not be taken away and is often written into law
- privilege: something that can be given and taken away
- Invite students to spend two minutes with a partner creating a T-chart of rights and privileges in Washington.
- What are rights that you have in Washington?
- What are privileges that you might have in Washington?
- Invite students to share out some examples they identified.
- Possible responses:
- Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, public education, etc.
- Privileges: driver’s license, private education, etc.
- Possible responses:
[Slide 3] Introduce individual rights in Washington State.
- Organize students into project teams.
- Distribute the Individual Rights so that each project team has a different right to focus on.
- Distribute the Individual Rights Notes Organizer and review the directions for Part 1.
- Invite students to use their assigned individual right to complete Part 1 of their notes organizer.
[Slide 4] Demonstrate how to create a citation for state legislation.
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Individual Rights Notes Organizer.
- Review the citation abbreviations and two examples as a class. This should be review from Lesson 1.2.
- Washington State constitution = WA const.
- Article = art.
- Section = §
- Revised Code of Washington = RCW
- Remind students that they already have all the information they need to create a citation for the right they were assigned. Their responsibility is to add the formatting (order of components and punctuation).
- Prompt students to individually work on their citations.
| Teacher Tip: Reminding Students When to Use CitationsIn this step of the lesson, students practice creating citations for government documents. While students will not likely cite government documents often, this is an example of citing evidence from a source. In students’ own writing, it is important to always cite evidence when using both primary and secondary sources for academic purposes. |
| Step 2: Create a PSA about one established right in Washington | (35 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students consider how to educate others about individual rights. After brainstorming the design, the goal is for students to create posters or infographics that effectively communicate their ideas to others.
You might say: So far in this unit, we have learned about rights, values, and how our foundational documents are meant to establish and uphold our rights and values. Now, your goal is to educate others about the rights we have in Washington State. To do this, you will create a public service announcement (PSA). A PSA is a message given to the public to educate or raise awareness about a topic. The format of your PSA will be a poster or an infographic to explain an established right to the public in a way that is easy to understand.
- [Slides 5–6] Introduce PSA formats (infographic or poster). Students have the option to choose either an infographic or a poster as the medium for their PSA.
- [Slide 5] Infographic talking points:
- Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. Infographics consist of charts, images, and some text that explains the topic in a straightforward way. Infographics can be created using online templates.
- Share an example of an infographic.
- [Slide 6] Poster talking points:
- Posters are another form of graphic visual representation of information. Posters gather various types of information about a subject and display it in an engaging way. Our posters will be created with paper and markers.
- Share an example of a poster.
- [Slide 5] Infographic talking points:
[Slide 7] Facilitate student work time on their PSAs.
- Review the directions for Part 3 of the Individual Rights Notes Organizer.
- Invite students to determine the content, structure, and design of their PSAs. Students can work with a partner or individually.
- Review helpful resources they may reference while creating the content and design of their PSAs.
- For content:
- Constitutional Values Notes Organizer (Lesson 1.2)
- Tribal Rights Notes Organizer (Lesson 1.3)
- Part 1 of the Individual Rights Notes Organizer (Lesson 1.4)
- For structure:
- What: An explanation of an established right
- Where: In what document(s) was this right established?
- When: When was this right established?
- Why: Why is this important? (Connect to values.)
- How: How does this right impact you?
- For design:
- For content:
- Distribute materials as needed and estimate a specific amount of time for students to complete their PSAs.
| Step 3: Participate in a Gallery Walk | (10 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students share their PSAs as they walk around and interact with the other PSAs created by their peers. The goal of this step is for students to receive peer feedback on their work and thoughtfully engage with other creations.
You might say: You created PSAs with the goal of educating the public about individual rights. You included components that explained what the right is, why it matters, and how it impacts people personally. Now we get to share our creations in a class Gallery Walk. Pay close attention to the different rights posted around the classroom because you will need to understand all of these rights for your project work later in this unit.
[Slide 8] Prepare students for a Gallery Walk.
- Post students’ posters and infographics around your classroom. Ensure there is enough space between each so that students can easily move around and access each one.
- Distribute two sticky notes per student.
- Explain that as they observe the PSAs, they should use the sticky notes to leave comments responding to the following questions:
- How does this right connect to an issue today?
- How does this issue connect to your own life?
- Encourage students to read sticky notes as they interact with the PSAs.
- Leave PSAs displayed around the classroom for the remainder of the unit so students can reference them for project work in Modules 2 and 3.
[Slide 9] Debrief with a discussion. Ask:
- Why is it important to know our rights?
| Step 4: Explain how rights are established in a community | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students synthesize and apply what they have learned by responding to the module driving question in writing.
[Slide 10] Prompt students to respond to the Module 1 driving question.
- Review the directions for Part 4 of the Individual Rights Notes Organizer.
- Explain that a CER paragraph consists of:
- C = claim
- E = evidence
- R = reasoning
- Identify where students can find evidence to support their response:
- Tribal Rights Notes Organizer (Lesson 1.3)
- Individual Rights Notes Organizer
- PSAs
- Ask: How are rights established in a community?
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Module 2: Advocacy and Action
Module Overview
Module 2: Advocacy and Action
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question:
Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?
Module Driving Question:
How have people organized to advocate for their rights and values?
Module Overview
In this module, students prepare for their final product by conducting local case studies in which people advocated for their rights. To do this, students define advocacy and examine examples of civil disobedience. Students then begin the work of investigating four case studies from their local community in the twentieth century. In Lesson 2.3, students reflect on the outcomes and legacies of their case studies by creating a visual timeline. They then use the knowledge gained about advocacy to research advocacy campaigns from Washington State and beyond as inspiration for their own campaigns. In Lesson 2.4, students prepare to campaign for change in the final module by identifying an issue in their local community and developing a research question to guide their future research.
| Lesson 2.1: Defining Advocacy (100 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students define advocacy and are introduced to local examples of citizens advocating for their rights and values in their community. First, students learn about the McCleary decision as an example of advocacy and practice identifying the issue, stakeholders, and rights in question. Then, using those same inquiry strategies, students engage in a station activity to learn about other moments in Washington’s history when people advocated for their rights and values. At the end of the lesson, students meet with their project teams to select one case study they would like to explore further. |
| Lesson 2.2: Advocacy Methods (70 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria H2.6-8.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1 Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students learn about different advocacy methods that people have used to bring awareness to issues and create change. They look at both historical and contemporary examples of advocacy tools and analyze their purpose. Through an investigation of multiple primary and secondary sources, students apply their learning to their case study by looking for evidence of different examples of advocacy. Finally, they respond to the module driving question using evidence from their case study. |
| Lesson 2.3: Outcomes and Legacies (105 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students reflect on the outcomes and legacies of local examples of advocacy. First, they learn about the outcomes and legacy of the McCleary decision and the ongoing struggle to ensure fully funded schools. To demonstrate the life cycle of their case study, they create a visual timeline that helps the public understand the issue, stakeholders, rights in question, outcomes, and legacy. Students share their timelines and engage in a discussion to reflect on the ways in which people advocate on a local level for rights and values. |
| Lesson 2.4: Identify an Issue (70 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students learn about a student-run advocacy campaign and the steps they took to create change in their own school. Students then work with their project team to identify an issue for their own advocacy campaign by researching current issues, selecting topics, and generating research questions. Finally, they revisit the Know & Need to Know chart to synthesize learnings and develop further inquiry questions as they prepare to design their advocacy campaign. |
| Module Assessments |
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| Suggested Word Wall Vocabulary |
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| Lesson-Specific Vocabulary |
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Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 2.1: Defining Advocacy
Teacher Guide
Lesson 2.1: Defining Advocacy
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How have people organized to advocate for their rights and values? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will define advocacy and be introduced to local examples of citizens advocating for their rights and values in their communities. First, you will learn about the McCleary decision as an example of advocacy and practice identifying the issue, stakeholders, and rights in question. Then, using those same inquiry strategies, you will engage in a station activity to learn about other moments in our state’s history when people advocated for their rights and values. At the end of the lesson, you will meet with your project team to select one case study you would like to explore further. Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 100 minutes |
| Standards | |
C4.6-8.2: Describe the relationship between the actions of people in Washington state and the ideals outlined in the Washington state constitution. H2.6-8.2: Explain and analyze how individuals and movements have shaped Washington state history since statehood. H4.6-8.2: Analyze how a historical event in Washington state history helps us to understand contemporary issues and events. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
|
| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students define advocacy and are introduced to local examples of citizens advocating for their rights and values in their community. First, students learn about the McCleary decision as an example of advocacy and practice identifying the issue, stakeholders, and rights in question. Then, using those same inquiry strategies, students engage in a station activity to learn about other moments in Washington’s history when people advocated for their rights and values. At the end of the lesson, students meet with their project teams to select one case study they would like to explore further. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Engage in a Four Corners activity | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students participate in a position-taking activity about whether their rights are protected in Washington State. This activity serves as a transition from learning about established rights in Washington to learning about the ways in which people advocate for their rights when they are not being upheld or protected.
[Slide 2] Prepare students for a Four Corners activity.
- Review the directions:
- For this activity, I will share a claim. Using background knowledge and personal beliefs, you will determine whether you agree, disagree, strongly agree, or strongly disagree with the claim. Each corner of the room corresponds to a different position. Think about the claim, then move to the corner that best reflects your position. Be prepared to discuss and explain your position with your classmates that take the same position.
- Remind students that when taking positions, it is about what they think, not what their peers think. It’s okay to have differences of opinion.
[Slides 3–4] Facilitate a Four Corners activity.
- [Slide 3] Share the claim: The laws in Washington do a good job of protecting and supporting my rights.
- If needed, clarify the meaning of any vocabulary terms that are unclear for students.
- Provide students 30 seconds to move to their position in your classroom.
- Prompt students to share their thinking with other people in their group. Have someone from each group be prepared to explain their group’s position.
- Invite a student from each group to share out. Encourage students to cite examples in their explanations.
- After all groups have shared, invite students to change their positions if someone’s explanation changed their thinking.
- [Slide 4] Share the claim: The laws in Washington do a good job of protecting and supporting the rights of everyone in the state.
- Repeat the same steps above.
| Step 2: Define advocacy | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students define advocacy, a central term to the unit and project work.
You might say: In the last module, we learned about different ways that rights are established in a community. However, as we discussed in our Four Corners activity, sometimes the rights of people in Washington are not protected or upheld. When this happens, people are forced to advocate for their rights or the rights of others. But what does it really mean to advocate? Let’s take a moment to read an excerpt that will help us understand this term.
[Slide 5] Prepare to read an excerpt.
- Share the reading purpose: Read to learn about the definition of advocacy and identify examples of advocacy.
- Prompt students to read pages 37–39 from The State We’re In: Washington.
- Invite students to create a class definition and brainstorm examples of advocacy.
- Add the term to your class Word Wall.
| Step 3: Learn about an example of legislative advocacy | (25 min) |
Purpose: Students learn about the fight for fully funded schools in Washington as a case study. In the next step, students will follow the same process to investigate a time in state history when people advocated for an issue in their community.
You might say: Later in this unit, you will create an advocacy campaign about an issue in your community. Today, you will explore five examples of people advocating for their rights and values in their community. This will help you understand how and why people organize to advocate for their rights. Before you dive into some local examples, we’re going to start by exploring one issue together. This is an issue we should all know something about—education. According to the Washington State Constitution, it is the "paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children."
[Slide 6] Facilitate a Turn-and-Talk. Ask:
- Do you think Washington is meeting its constitutional duty? Why or why not?
- Talking points:
- In 2007, two families in Washington decided to sue the government because they felt like the state was not meeting its constitutional duty.
- Today we are going to learn about how they advocated for their right to a fully funded education.
[Slide 7] Introduce the 2007 Supreme Court case, McCleary v. State of Washington.
- Distribute the Case Studies Notes Organizer and review the directions for Part 1.
- Define the term issue.
- issue: something that affects or hurts many people
- Read aloud the excerpt from the 2012 MyNorthwest article, "State Doesn’t Fund Basic Education. Now What?"
- Model reading strategies for students, including annotating for evidence that helps you understand the issue.
- Ask: What is the issue according to this article?
- Possible response: Schools do not have enough funding. Students’ learning is affected because of old textbooks, inadequate classroom supplies, and poor school facilities.
[Slide 8] Play the King 5 Seattle video "Following the Money: How Schools in Washington State Are Funded" [4:30].
- Play the video in its entirety.
- Invite students to take notes on the following questions in their notes organizer.
- Issue: What is the issue?
- Stakeholders: Who are the people impacted by this issue? What do they value or care about?
- Rights: What rights are people advocating for? What rights are people exercising?
- Relevance: What connections can I make to my own life and present-day issues?
- Review answers with students using the Case Studies Notes Organizer Teacher Key.
| Step 4: Participate in a station activity | (50 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students are introduced to the four case studies that are central to this module. The goal of the stations is for students to identify the issue, stakeholders, and rights at stake for each of the case studies.
You might say: Now that we have examined one example together, you are going to explore four stations centered around local issues in the 20th century. At the end of each station, you should be able to identify the issue, the people involved, and the rights that people are advocating for using the details you noted from the sources. Our goal today is for you to explore how people have advocated for themselves and others in our community when their rights were threatened.
[Slides 9–10] Demonstrate how the stations function.
- [Slide 9] Review the directions for Part 2 of the Case Studies Notes Organizer.
- [Slide 10] Show students the components of one of the stations:
- Explain that they will need to interact with all of the sources at each of the stations in order to answer each of the station questions.
- Let students know that they may leave each station with some unanswered questions. They’ll have an opportunity to choose one case study to learn more about later.
[Slides 11] Facilitate the station activity.
- Set up the stations:
- Inform students that they will all visit four stations and how much time they will have at each station.
- Suggested timing: 10 minutes per station
- Set expectations for how students should interact with the materials at each station and how they should work with their group.
- Clarify the direction in which students should move after each station is complete.
Teacher Tip: Building Inquiry Around Case Studies The purpose of this step is to build inquiry and interest in the four case studies that students can research in Module 2. Your role is to facilitate this activity for students and support them in understanding and engaging with the stations. You want students to walk away from this activity excited about learning more about one of these case studies. If you find that students are having a challenging time engaging with the materials or figuring out what makes each case study a unique example of advocacy in their state, consider the following talking points:
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Teacher Tip: Navigating Text-Heavy Sources A few of the sources students will engage with in the Station Activity are text-heavy. Consider using the following strategies to support students in managing and making meaning of the materials without feeling overwhelmed:
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| Step 5: Choose a case study you would like to investigate further | (5 min) |
Purpose: Students have a chance to convene with their project teams and select the case study that will become the basis for their advocacy campaign later in the unit.
You might say: In this lesson, you’ve explored several moments of local advocacy in Washington. You now have a chance to meet with your project teams and select a case study you would like to explore further. You will use this case study as inspiration for your advocacy campaign later in the unit.
[Slide 12] Provide time for project team discussions.
- Encourage students to move around the room to meet with their project team members.
- Give each team an index card. Invite them to write the following information on their index card:
- Their names
- The case study they’re interested in exploring further
- What interested them about this case study
- Collect the index cards at the end of the class. You will use this information to prepare materials for Lesson 2.2.
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 2.2: Advocacy Methods
Teacher Guide
Lesson 2.2: Advocacy Methods
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How have people organized to advocate for their rights and values? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will learn about different advocacy methods that people have used to bring awareness to issues and create change. In a class Gallery Walk you will look at both historical and contemporary examples of advocacy tools and analyze their purpose. Through an investigation of multiple primary and secondary sources, you will apply your learning to your case study by looking for evidence of different examples of advocacy. Finally, you will respond to the module driving question using evidence from your case study. Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 70 minutes |
| Standards | |
C4.6-8.2: Describe the relationship between the actions of people in Washington state and the ideals outlined in the Washington state constitution. H2.6-8.2: Explain and analyze how individuals and movements have shaped Washington state history since statehood. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students learn about different advocacy methods that people have used to bring awareness to issues and create change. They look at both historical and contemporary examples of advocacy tools and analyze their purpose. Through an investigation of multiple primary and secondary sources, students apply their learning to their case study by looking for evidence of different examples of advocacy. Finally, they respond to the module driving question using evidence from their case study. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Learn about different advocacy methods | (15 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students explore different advocacy methods as they participate in a Gallery Walk. The goal of this step is for students to identify forms of advocacy and describe how these methods can be used to evoke change.
You might say: In our previous lesson, you explored four different examples of advocacy in Washington. There are many different methods and tools that you can use to advocate for change. In today’s lesson, you will learn about some of those different methods and practice identifying them.
[Slide 2] Invite students to do a Turn and Talk.
- Ask: Thinking back to the case studies you explored yesterday, what are some ways in which people advocate for their rights?
[Slide 3] Preview Gallery Walk.
- Explain that students are going to walk around to view images posted around the room. Each image is an example of an advocacy method.
- Distribute the Advocacy Methods Notes Organizer and review the directions for Part 1.
- Note that students might be missing context surrounding the historical events of each image, but they should still be able to use visual clues to match the images with the list on their notes organizer.
[Slide 4] Facilitate Gallery Walk.
- Post the eight images of advocacy around the room. Ensure there is enough space between each piece so students can easily move around and access each one.
- Provide students a designated amount of time to observe the images and complete Part 1 of their notes organizer.
- After the Gallery Walk, invite students to meet with their project team to share their answers and discuss the question: How might this form of advocacy spark change?
- Use the Advocacy Methods Notes Organizer Teacher Key to support student responses.
| Step 2: Conduct additional research on your case study | (40 min) |
Purpose: After being introduced to all four case studies, students work with their project teams to dive into more sources related to the case study they decided to focus on. The goal is for students to identify the various ways people advocated for their rights in these examples.
[Slide 5] Facilitate time for students to build content knowledge.
- Review directions for Part 2 of the Advocacy Methods Notes Organizer.
- Prompt students to sit with their project teams.
- Explain that they will be examining one case study (chosen in the previous lesson) in more depth. The evidence they gather from this case study will help them write a response to the Module 2 driving question.
- Distribute one of the selected case study files to each team:
- Invite students to take out the copies of the article on their topic (pages 1–4 of each case study file).
- Explain that the first step of the additional research will be building content knowledge on their case study.
- Identify the reading purpose: Read to identify different ways that people advocated for change.
- Provide students with time to read the article and complete Part 2 of their Advocacy Methods Notes Organizer.
[Slide 6] Introduce additional research.
- Share an example of additional sources from the Hawthorne Case File.
- Note that some of the sources will be the same as in the previous lesson, but there are new primary and secondary sources available for each of the case studies.
[Slide 7] Explain steps for source analysis.
- Review directions for Part 3 of the Advocacy Methods Notes Organizer.
- Invite student teams to take out the primary sources from their case file and to use them to identify advocacy methods and stakeholder values.
Lesson Extension: Digital Primary Sources The case files are set up so that all materials can be printed and student investigation can take place without computers. However, additional digital primary sources can be used to deepen student learning and inquiry. Please see below for optional additional primary sources that can be shared with student teams digitally.
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| Step 3: Explain how people have organized to advocate for their rights and values | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students synthesize and apply what they have learned by responding to the module driving question in writing.
[Slide 8] Prompt students to respond to the Module 2 driving question.
- Remind students that a CER paragraph is:
- C = claim
- E = evidence
- R = reasoning
- Ask: How have people organized to advocate for their rights and values?
- Remind students to use at least two pieces of evidence from their case study investigation (Part 3 of their Advocacy Methods Notes Organizer).
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 2.3: Outcomes and Legacies
Teacher Guide
Lesson 2.3: Outcomes and Legacies
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How have people organized to advocate for their rights and values? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will reflect on the outcomes and legacies of local examples of advocacy. First, you will learn about the outcomes and legacy of the McCleary decision and the ongoing struggle to ensure fully funded schools. To demonstrate life cycle of your case study, you will create a visual timeline that helps the public understand the issue, stakeholders, rights in question, outcomes, and legacy. You will share your timeline and engage in a discussion to reflect on the ways in which people advocate on a local level for rights and values. Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 105 minutes |
| Standards | |
H4.6-8.2: Analyze how a historical event in Washington state history helps us to understand contemporary issues and events. SSS4.6-8.1: Analyze multiple factors, make generalizations, and interpret sources to formulate a thesis in a paper or presentation, while observing rules related to plagiarism and copyright. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students reflect on the outcomes and legacies of local examples of advocacy. First, they learn about the outcomes and legacy of the McCleary decision and the ongoing struggle to ensure fully funded schools. To demonstrate the life cycle of their case study, they create a visual timeline that helps the public understand the issue, stakeholders, rights in question, outcomes, and legacy. Students share their timelines and engage in a discussion to reflect on the ways in which people advocate on a local level for rights and values. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Reflect on the outcome and legacy of the McCleary decision | (20 min) |
Purpose: Students practice describing the legacy of the McCleary decision based on their own experiences. They also observe examples of visual timelines to prepare them for later steps in this lesson. The goal is for students to become more familiar with the concept of a legacy and to gain clarity on how to create a visual timeline.
You might say: Today our focus is on outcomes and legacies. An outcome is the way something turns out; a consequence. A legacy, in contrast, is the long-lasting impact of an event. We are going to return to our class case study on education, McCleary v. State of Washington, and practice describing the difference between outcomes and legacies.
[Slide 2] Facilitate a Mingle-Pair-Share.
- See the Teacher Tip for guidance on how to facilitate this discussion protocol.
- Round 1: Brainstorm at least two services or supplies our school offers that make your experience in school better.
- Round 2: Brainstorm at least two services or supplies our school has an insufficient supply of.
- After completing the Mingle-Pair-Share, ask a few students to share their examples.
[Slide 3] Review key points from the McCleary decision.
- Talking points:
- McCleary v. Washington State was a court case about how schools in Washington were funded. The court said the state wasn’t doing enough to give all students a good education. They said the way money was given to schools wasn’t fair and didn’t meet the standards. The state had to make changes to give schools more money and make sure all students had the opportunity for a good education.
- On one hand, the McCleary case was a success. After the case was over, things changed for schools in Washington. The state had to find more money to help schools and make sure they were fair for all students. They had to make new plans to give schools enough money. This meant hiring more teachers, improving buildings, and getting better books and supplies for students. The goal was to give every student a good chance to learn and succeed.
- On the other hand, the outcome of the McCleary case was far from perfect. Some changes took time, so schools didn’t see improvements right away. Even though schools in Washington received more money from the state, they received less money from local taxes (called levies). In 2019, Spokane Public Schools had to lay off many staff members because of the decrease in funding from local taxes.
[Slide 4] Define a visual timeline.
- Visual timeline: a chronological arrangement of events with additional visual elements. While a traditional timeline might have several names of events with their dates, a visual timeline has information in multiple formats: text, images, maps, videos, illustrations, etc.
[Slide 5] Invite students to identify outcomes of the McCleary decision.
- Distribute the Outcomes and Legacies Notes Organizer and review the directions for Part 1.
- Explain to students that they are going to see some examples of visual timelines connected to the McCleary case.
- Model for students how to read and analyze one of the three timelines from Washington Courts, McCleary v. State of Washington.
[Slide 6] Prompt students to reflect on the legacy of McCleary.
- Designate a specific amount of time for students to complete the right-side column of the table in Part 1 of their Outcomes and Legacies Notes Organizer.
- (Optional) Provide an example of a legacy vs. an outcome.
- Talking points:
- For most of our history, people of color have been discriminated against and denied the right to vote. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act finally passed.
- The outcome of the Voting Rights Act was that discrimination at the ballot box became illegal. By the end of the year, a quarter of a million new Black voters had been registered.
- The legacy of the Voting Rights Act is that it changed the scope of American democracy by ensuring that all voices, regardless of race, faith, gender, or disability were heard throughout the electoral process.
- Talking points:
Teacher Tip: Mingle-Pair-Share Protocol Mingle-Pair-Share: This protocol gets students out of their seats and invites them to share ideas with classmates they might have less opportunity to talk to.
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| Step 2: Identify outcomes and legacies from your case study | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students practice identifying outcomes and legacies in the case studies to support their timeline creation.
[Slide 7] Prepare students to identify the outcomes and legacy of their case study.
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Outcomes and Legacies Notes Organizer.
- Explain to students that they should take notes on the outcomes and legacies of their case study during the class share-outs for the relevant slide.
- (Optional) Restructure this whole-class activity into a small-group activity by giving each project team a printed copy of the relevant slide with before/after images of their case study. Then, circulate among teams and use the Outcomes and Legacies Notes Organizer Teacher Key to support student brainstorming.
[Slide 8] Hawthorne case study:
- Ask: Does the "after" image represent an outcome or a legacy? Why?
- Possible response: The modern image of the Tacoma Dome represents an outcome of the Hawthorne case study. Despite the advocacy work of Hawthorne residents, construction of the Tacoma Dome went ahead.
- Ask: What is an example of a legacy of this case study?
- Possible response: The construction of the Tacoma Dome led to the displacement of many residents in the Hawthorne neighborhood. This event highlighted the challenges communities face when city development plans disrupt their homes and lives.
[Slide 9] Fish Wars case study:
- Ask: Does the "after" image represent an outcome or a legacy? Why?
- Possible response: The image of Puyallup Tribe members fishing represents a legacy of the Fish Wars. The legal battle that ended with the Boldt Decision has lasting effects today. The Boldt Decision has been upheld in multiple other cases, guaranteeing treaty rights to Indigenous people in Washington State.
- Ask: What is an example of an outcome of this case study?
- Possible response: The Boldt Decision is an example of an outcome from the Fish Wars case study.
[Slide 10] Hanford case study:
- Ask: Does the "after" image represent an outcome or a legacy? Why?
- Possible response: The image of the Yakama Nation Swan Dancers represents a legacy of the Hanford Site. After years of grassroots advocacy work, there is still a very long way to go to clean up the radioactive waste and contaminated areas around the Hanford Site. The image of the children holding up a “Clean Up Hanford” sign demonstrates how the advocacy work is now being passed down to another generation along with a legacy of care and value for health and the environment.
- What is an example of an outcome of this case study?
- Possible response: While the Hanford site is an ongoing contemporary environmental issue, one outcome from the case study was the establishment of the Tri-Party Agreement in 1989 between the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Washington State Department of Ecology.
[Slide 11] Initiative 13 case study:
- Ask: Does the "after" image represent an outcome or a legacy? Why?
- Possible response: The protest poster reading “Thank you LGBT elders” represents a legacy of the defeat of Initiative 13. The advocacy work helped raise awareness and educate the public about the importance of equality in employment, housing, and public spaces. This not only fought against the initiative but also sparked broader discussions on rights and acceptance for marginalized communities in Seattle.
- What is an example of an outcome of this case study?
- Possible response: In the November 1978 elections, Initiative 13 was defeated, which was a big win for civil rights in Seattle. This outcome showed that the city stood for protecting the rights of all people, no matter their sexual orientation.
Facilitate work time for students to complete Part 2 of their notes organizers.
- Encourage students to work with a partner who has the same case study.
- Use the Outcomes and Legacies Notes Organizer Teacher Key to support student brainstorming.
- Allocate a specific amount of time for students to outline additional outcomes and legacies.
- Suggested timing: 5 minutes
| Step 3: Create a visual timeline that tells the story of your case study | (50 min) |
Purpose: Students demonstrate their knowledge of the outcomes and legacies of their case studies by creating a visual timeline.
You might say: You now have time to create the rough drafts of your visual timelines. Look back at your notes from previous lessons to make a list of events you think are important for your case study. Your goal is to communicate the outcomes and legacy of your case study using the visual timeline.
[Slide 12] Facilitate student work time on visual timelines.
- Review the directions for Part 3 of the Outcomes and Legacies Notes Organizer.
- Split project teams into groups of 2–3.
- Review helpful resources they may reference while creating the content and design of their timelines.
- For content:
- Case Studies Notes Organizer (Lesson 2.1)
- Forms of Advocacy Notes Organizer (Lesson 2.2)
- Primary and secondary sources from their Case File (Lesson 2.2).
- For help with citations:
- Citation Guide
- Individual Rights Notes Organizer (Lesson 1.4)
- For content:
- Encourage students to select a medium for their timeline:
- Suggested options: Chart paper, Canva, or PowerPoint.
- Rough drafts will be done on paper, but students may decide to create the final draft digitally.
- (Optional) Provide students with chart paper to make their rough drafts if more space is needed than the draft outline on their notes organizers.
- Remind students that they should not spend time creating the visual portion of each event on the rough draft. The purpose of the rough draft template is for students to identify which events to include, place them in chronological order, and practice making citations.
- Provide students with a designated amount of time to sketch ideas for their timeline before transitioning to the final draft.
| Step 4: Share your timelines | (20 min) |
Purpose: Students share their visual timelines and practice communicating their ideas in a small group setting.
[Slide 13] Facilitate small-group presentations.
- Encourage each pair to partner up with another group with a different case study.
- Designate a specific amount of time for each group to present to each other.
- After each presentation, the groups participate in a small-group discussion:
- What were the similarities between your two case studies?
- What were the differences between your two case studies?
- How did people advocate for their rights and values?
- Why did people advocate for these issues? Why did they care?
You might say: We’ve spent the last few lessons exploring how people in Washington advocated for rights values. In our next lesson, you will get back into your project teams to identify an issue that you would like to advocate for. Before we close out, let’s take a moment to return to our unit driving question.
[Slide 14] Reflect on the unit driving question with a Chalk Talk.
- Write the unit driving question on a piece of chart paper or on the whiteboard: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?
- Distribute one sticky note per student.
- Invite students to write their initial ideas down on the sticky note and take turns putting their sticky note up on the whiteboard or chart paper.
- If space and time permits, invite students to gather around the chart paper or whiteboard.
- Ask: What themes or patterns do you notice?
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 2.4: Identify an Issue
Teacher Guide
Lesson 2.4: Identify an Issue
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How have people organized to advocate for their rights and values? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will learn about a student-run advocacy campaign and the steps they took to create change in their own school. You will then work with your project team to identify an issue for your own advocacy campaign by researching current issues, selecting topics, and generating research questions. Finally, you will revisit the Know & Need to Know chart to synthesize learnings and develop further inquiry questions as you prepare to design your advocacy campaign. Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 70 minutes |
| Standards | |
C4.6-8.2: Describe the relationship between the actions of people in Washington state and the ideals outlined in the Washington state constitution. C4.6-8.3: Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students learn about a student-run advocacy campaign and the steps they took to create change in their own school. Students then work with their project team to identify an issue for their own advocacy campaign by researching current issues, selecting topics, and generating research questions. Finally, they revisit the Know & Need to Know chart to synthesize learnings and develop further inquiry questions as they prepare to design their advocacy campaign. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Learn about a local advocacy campaign | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students use the story of a Tacoma middle school to help them break down the individual steps of an advocacy campaign. The goal is for students to familiarize themselves with the steps of a campaign in preparation for their final product in the next module.
[Slide 2] Facilitate a Draw-Pair-Share.
- Prompt: Draw an example of a way students can advocate for change.
- (Optional) Remind students about some of the examples they saw during the Gallery Walk in Lesson 2.2.
- Provide students with two minutes to draw an advocacy method on a piece of scratch paper or in their notebook.
- Encourage students to share their drawings with a partner for one minute.
- Invite students to share their ideas and drawings with the class.
You might say: Today, you are going to begin the process of developing your own student-run advocacy campaign. To inspire you, we’re going to learn about some students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School in Tacoma, Washington started their own advocacy campaign. This will help you understand what an advocacy campaign might look like and the different steps that you’ll need to take in order to create your own campaign.
[Slide 3] Learn about a local advocacy campaign.
- Distribute the Local Issues Notes Organizer and review the directions for Part 1.
- Play the Tacoma Public Schools video, "Solar Panels Atop Hilltop Heritage Middle School Offset Building Energy Use" [1:29].
- Invite students to read the excerpt from the Hilltop Heritage article, "Hilltop Heritage MS First to Get Solar Panels."
[Slide 4] Invite students to identify how Hilltop Heritage students implemented their campaign.
- Introduce students to the six steps of an advocacy campaign:
- Step 1: Identify an issue.
- Step 2: Learn about the issue.
- Step 3: Identify the rights and values at stake.
- Step 4: Make an action plan.
- Step 5: Implement the action plan.
- Step 6: Reflect and identify next steps.
- Invite students to identify these six steps in the example advocacy campaign.
- Review responses with students:
- What is the issue that Hilltop Heritage students addressed in their campaign?
- Possible response: The issue at the core of this campaign is climate change. The campaign to raise funds for the implementation of solar panels was centered on the goal of increasing clean energy sources and reducing harmful effects of nonrenewable energy sources that schools usually rely upon.
- How did the Hilltop Heritage students learn about the issue?
- Possible response: The learning process began with a project in their eighth-grade science class. They researched the issue themselves over the course of the project and also gained insight from their science teacher.
- What is the issue that Hilltop Heritage students addressed in their campaign?
- What are the rights and values at stake? Remind students to think back to their Values Bingo Sheet and the PSAs they created in Module 1.
- Possible response: Environmental stewardship, land, and community are values at stake. Environmental rights and even personal rights are at stake.
- What was their action plan to address these issues in their community?
- Possible response: Getting solar panels on the roof of Hilltop Heritage Middle School.
- How did students implement their action plan?
- Possible response: The students implemented their action plan by researching solar panels, preparing a presentation, presenting their plan at the Governor’s STEM Alliance meeting, and then engaging in fundraising efforts such as spaghetti feeds, fun runs, and car washes.
- Do you think further action is needed?
- Possible response: Yes; while this initiative was an impressive first step, the students’ goal was to serve as an example for how other schools might take concrete steps to raise the funds and reduce their environmental footprints.
- What are the rights and values at stake? Remind students to think back to their Values Bingo Sheet and the PSAs they created in Module 1.
| Step 2: Explore current issues | (30 min) |
Purpose: In this step, students research current issues around the country related to the five case studies explored so far in this unit. The goal is for students to identify a topic from the source list they would like to explore more.
You might say: The first step of an advocacy campaign is to identify an issue. This will be our goal today. By the end of this lesson, your team will have selected an issue that matters to you and that you would like to explore more. We’ll start by brainstorming contemporary issues related to the case studies you explored over the last several lessons. Then, you’ll have an opportunity to learn about campaigns centered around these issues, both locally and nationally.
[Slides 5–6] Invite students to reflect on the larger issues identified in their case studies.
- [Slide 5] Remind students of the six steps of an advocacy campaign. Explain that today they will be focusing on Step 1.
- [Slide 6] Introduce students to some of the issues that they can choose for their advocacy campaign. All issues correspond with a case study that they explored in Module 2.
- McCleary v. State of Washington education (school funding, standardized testing, affirmative action, etc.)
- Fish Wars Indigenous rights (treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, etc.)
- Hanford environment (land use, water rights, Indigenous rights, conservation, etc.)
- Hawthorne housing (fair housing, gentrification, housing discrimination, displacement, etc.)
- Initiative 13 politics (grassroots organizing, elections, local city issues, etc.)
[Slide 7] Facilitate a Chalk Talk.
- Put five pieces of chart paper up around the classroom, one for each issue.
- Distribute one marker per student.
- Explain to students that their goal is to brainstorm current events, problems, or questions that are connected to these issues.
- Model thinking for students:
- I know that the Duwamish Tribe are fighting for federal recognition. That would mean they’d be granted the same rights that other federally recognized tribes, like the Puyallup Tribe, have. I’m going to add "Duwamish Tribe’s fight for federal recognition" to the chart paper for tribal rights.
- I know that rent and housing prices have gone up a lot in Seattle recently. Some people cannot afford houses anymore. I’m going to add "housing prices are too expensive" to the chart paper for fair housing.
- Invite students to silently walk around and add their ideas. If they feel inspired by another student’s idea, they can add on or put a check mark to show they agree.
- Set a timer for 5 minutes. Feel free to participate in the Chalk Talk by adding your own ideas.
[Slide 8] Facilitate and support student research.
- Encourage students to sit with their project teams.
- Review the directions of Part 2 of the Local Issues Notes Organizer with students.
- Digitally distribute the Issues Source List for each student.
- Inform students that they will work with their teams to explore the articles on the source list that spark interest. They do not need to read every article individually or collectively. Encourage project teams to explore the issues that most interest them.
- The purpose of the wide variety of sources is to give students more ideas and options for the topic of their campaigns. Their goal is to identify an issue they would like to research for their own local advocacy campaign.
Provide students a designated amount of time to conduct research.
- Here are some different ways you can support students in their research:
- Consider giving students the option to research independently or work in teams.
- Intentionally check-in with students.
- Consider using a colored card system for students to self-reflect on how they are doing, so that you can see which students you need to check in with.
- Yellow = I have a question or need help.
- Green = I have no questions at this time.
| Step 3: Connect your issue to your local community | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students work with their teams to make a local connection to an issue before developing their own research question.
You might say: Now that your team has selected an issue for your final project, your task is to make a connection to why this issue is also relevant to your local community. Remember, the students at Hilltop can’t solve all of the issues connected to climate change. But they were able to make a real difference locally. For them, that meant advocating for the installation of solar panels on their middle school roof. Thinking "small" is not a bad thing when it comes to advocating for change. Lots of small changes can make a big difference.
[Slide 9] Share an example topic.
- Share an example of how to complete the table on the slide.
- Note: this topic was chosen at random and is unrelated to the sources students will read.
- Identify an issue:
- Accessible public transportation.
- How is this issue connected to your local community?
- Sometimes when I ride a public bus around my city, I notice that people in wheelchairs need to use a ramp to enter the bus. All of the buses have ramps, but they don’t always work.
- What do you already know about this issue?
- I already know that there are laws about accessibility. I know that sometimes buses are not wheelchair accessible.
- What questions do you have about this issue?
- What specific laws are there about public transportation and accessibility? What happens when the standards are not followed? What changes would make public transit more accessible in our city?
[Slide 10] Prompt students to connect their issue to their local community.
- Review the directions of Part 3 of the Local Issues Notes Organizer with students.
- Check-in with project teams as they work. Use the Teacher Tip below to support teams who are stuck.
Teacher Tip: Helping Students Identify Local Connections One of the key steps project teams will need to take is identifying how their issue connects to their local community and what change they can advocate for within their own community that will help address the larger issue. To support students in this work, consider the following supportive strategies.As project teams work together to complete Part 3 of their planning guide, meet with each project team briefly. Share with them the following ideas and strategies if they are struggling to make local connections:
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| Step 4: Revisit the Know and Need to Know chart | (10 min) |
Purpose: As a class, students collaborate to discuss what they have learned about advocacy campaigns in the last two modules and what they still need to know in order to create their own campaigns with their teams.
You might say: In our next module, you will conduct additional research on your issue and plan and develop a campaign that advocates for a right in your local community. Let’s take a moment to reflect on what we now know about why and how people advocate for issues in our community.
[Slide 11] Update the Know & Need to Know chart (why).
- Prompt students to share their responses to the questions:
- What do I already know about why people advocate for issues in their community?
- What do I need to know about why people advocate for issues in their community?
[Slide 12] Update the Know & Need to Know chart (how).
- Prompt students to share their responses to the questions:
- What do I already know about how people advocate for issues in their community?
- What do I need to know about how people advocate for issues in their community?
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Module 3: Campaign for Change
Module Overview
Module 3: Campaign for Change
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question
Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?
Module Driving Question
How do I advocate for rights and values in my community?
Module Overview
In this final module, students step into the role of activist and prepare to advocate for change at an advocacy fair. They begin by researching their chosen issue to address their research question. They identify a target demographic and reflect on their values in order to effectively engage their audience. Student teams craft their mission statements, elevator pitches, and advocacy tools. They then participate in practice presentations with peers to provide and receive constructive feedback. Students use the peer feedback to carry out revisions before submitting the final drafts of their campaigns. The unit culminates in an advocacy fair where students present the elements of their campaign to members of the community. They conclude by reflecting on potential next steps to address their issue and respond to the unit driving question: "Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?"
| Lesson 3.1: Make an Action Plan (75 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria C4.6-8.3CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7 Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students kickstart their advocacy campaign by organizing their teams and assigning roles based on individual strengths. Students dive deeper into their chosen issue by conducting further research to better understand the issue and how they can advocate for rights and values in their community. Finally, students develop an action plan by outlining the goal, target audience, and components of their advocacy campaign. |
| Lesson 3.2: Create Your Campaign (90 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria C1.6-8.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7 Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students create their advocacy campaign. First, they draft their mission statement, drawing inspiration from example mission statements to articulate the purpose and vision of their campaign. Next, students create advocacy tools that will help them educate and engage the public. Finally, students reflect as a team to evaluate what they have accomplished and what more still needs to be done. |
| Lesson 3.3: Feedback and Revision (80 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In this lesson, students share their advocacy campaigns with another team to receive feedback. After both giving and receiving feedback, project teams reconvene to identify and implement specific revisions they wish to make. They ensure that all components of their advocacy campaigns are ready to be shared with the public. Finally, students prepare a physical booth for public outreach. |
| Lesson 3.4: Campaign for Change! (90 minutes) | |
Key Standards for Success Criteria C4.6-8.3CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.4 Success Criteria By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
| In the final lesson of the unit, students share their advocacy campaign with the public. Student teams set up booths where they share their campaigns with the public. They inform community members about an issue they should care about and encourage them to take action. They also visit team booths to learn about other issues in their community. Afterward, teams meet to evaluate the successes and challenges of their campaign and identify next steps to reach a broader audience. Finally, students close out by responding to the unit driving question and reflecting on how they can continue to advocate for their rights and values in their community. |
| Module Assessments |
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| Suggested Word Wall Vocabulary |
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| Lesson-Specific Vocabulary |
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Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 3.1: Make an Action Plan
Teacher Guide
Lesson 3.1: Make an Action Plan
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How do I advocate for rights and values in my community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will kickstart your advocacy campaign by organizing your team and assigning roles based on individual strengths. You will also dive deeper into your chosen issue by conducting further research to better understand the issue and how you can advocate for rights and values in your community. Finally, you will develop an action plan by outlining the goal, target audience, and components of your advocacy campaign. Lesson Steps
Explore More |
Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 75 minutes |
| Standards | |
C4.6-8.3: Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue. C4.6-8.2: Describe the relationship between the actions of people in Washington state and the ideals outlined in the Washington state constitution. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students kickstart their advocacy campaign by organizing their teams and assigning roles based on individual strengths. Students dive deeper into their chosen issue by conducting further research to better understand the issue and how they can advocate for rights and values in their community. Finally, students develop an action plan by outlining the goal, target audience, and components of their advocacy campaign. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Determine team roles | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students determine team roles for their advocacy campaign. The goal of the team roles is to provide structure and guidance for the different elements of the campaign.
You might say: In our previous lesson, you learned about advocacy campaigns in Washington and around the country. In teams, you identified an issue relevant to our local community and brainstormed questions about the issue. Today, you will clarify the goal of your advocacy campaign and the way in which you will achieve your goal. First, let’s take some time to review what an advocacy campaign is and the different elements that you will include in your advocacy campaign.
[Slide 2] Introduce students to the Advocacy Campaign Rubric and Advocacy Campaign Guide.
- Distribute the Advocacy Campaign Guide to each student.
- Review the first page of the guide.
- Distribute the Advocacy Campaign Rubric to each student.
- Prompt students to reflect on the following two questions:
- What are the features of a successful advocacy campaign?
- What questions do you have about the advocacy campaign?
- Invite students to share out their responses and answer any questions students have at this point.
[Slide 3] Introduce the team roles.
- Explain that each team member will play an important role in putting together their team’s advocacy campaign.
- Introduce the team roles:
- Campaign Manager
- Communications Director
- Head Designer
- Outreach Coordinator
- (Optional) Lead Researcher
[Slides 4–8] Describe the responsibilities for each role.
- [Slide 4] Campaign Manager:
- The Campaign Manager is responsible for leading team meetings and keeping track of team goals. The campaign manager will take the lead on the mission statement with support from the rest of the team.
- [Slide 5] Communications Director:
- The Communications Director is responsible for making sure that the mission and vision of the campaign are clear, concise, and well communicated. The communications director will take the lead on the elevator pitch with support from the rest of the team.
- [Slide 6] Head Designer:
- The Head Designer is responsible for the design of the educational tool (e.g., a poster, an infographic, a brochure) and in developing the overall brand identity for the campaign (e.g., color, design, logo).
- [Slide 7] Outreach Coordinator:
- The Outreach Coordinator is responsible for taking the lead on communicating the "call to action" through an engagement tool. The outreach coordinator will create any materials that communicate the campaign's call to action (e.g., a petition, an invitation to a protest, a flyer about a boycott).
- [Slide 8] Lead Researcher:
- The Lead Researcher is an optional position for teams with five members rather than four. The lead researcher is responsible for organizing their team's research and tracking relevant source information for the educational and advocacy tools.
[Slide 9] Facilitate project team meetings.
- Emphasize the importance of collaboration. Explain that a successful project team will delegate responsibilities, but they will also help one another out. Just because someone is taking the lead on a task does not mean they should do it alone.
- Review the directions for Part 1 of the Advocacy Campaign Guide.
- Provide teams some time to identify who will take on each role.
Teacher Tip: Supporting Material Management In this lesson, students receive several important documents that they will need to refer to throughout the module, including their project guide and rubric. One strategy to support material management is to set up physical folders for student teams to keep track of important documents throughout the course of the unit. Folders should include any materials that students will need for project work. Consider putting the Campaign Manager in charge of keeping the team folder organized. |
| Step 2: Conduct additional research on your issue | (40 min) |
Purpose: Students conduct additional research to develop deeper knowledge of their issue. The objective is for students to be able to articulate the goal of their campaign by the end of this research session.
[Slide 10] Prepare for research time.
- Distribute and review the directions for Part 1 of the Research Notes Organizer.
- Invite students to work with their project team to identify a research focus for today. Remind them that they can change or refine their research focus as needed.
- Prompt students to return to their questions from Part 3 of their Local Issues Notes Organizer (Lesson 2.4).
[Slide 11] Introduce keywords.
- Talking points:
- Keywords are the important words or phrases that you type into a search engine to find specific information.
- For example, if you're looking for information about local tribal rights, your keywords might be "Tribal Rights + [city name]" or "Tribal Rights + [Western or Eastern] Washington."
- These words help the search engine find the most relevant sources. Choosing the right keywords is like having a key to unlock the information you need!
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Research Notes Organizer. Invite students to add additional issue-specific keywords to the table.
Model research for students.
- Choose a topic to model research using keywords in a search engine.
- Note: The example below uses Spokane, but feel free to replace the city with a local example.
- Share your screen with students as you input keywords. Model how you identify the keywords to put into your search engine. For example:
- Identify your research focus: I want to learn about housing discrimination in Spokane. I think it would be helpful for me to start by getting some background information on the history of housing discrimination.
- Input keywords: "housing discrimination +history +Spokane"
- Explain how to use the plus (+) symbol and minus (-) symbol to filter results:
- Plus (+) symbol = The word must be present in each result.
- Minus (-) symbol = The word must not be present in any of the results.
- Choose a search engine result to click on and explain why you chose this web result:
- I’m going to click on this Spokane Historical web page, since it’s the first result, and I’m curious to learn more about what redlining is.
- Talk through how you scan for relevant information and what evidence you would add to your research notes organizer.
- Show students how to organize their research digitally. For example, if you are a Microsoft district, you might consider modeling features such as organizing research with Collections or adding websites to Favorites.
- Identify new keywords from the website (e.g., redlining, racial covenants, East Central). Add new terms to keyword bank.
[Slide 12] Facilitate and support student research.
- Review the directions for Part 3 of the Research Notes Organizer.
- Invite students to read the questions they will answer in their notes organizer.
- Prompt students to think about one additional research question they would like to answer today. Share examples of research questions and discuss their purpose.
- Causes: What are some of the causes of gentrification?
- Effects: What are some of the effects of gentrification on people today?
- Localize: Which local neighborhoods are most impacted by gentrification today and why?
- Advocacy: What laws or policies could we implement to resist the negative effects of gentrification in our city?
- Provide time for students to identify and write down one additional research question.
- Remind students to keep track of their sources for the works cited list they will create for their educational tool.
- Facilitate student research time. Conference with project teams as needed to support and direct their research.
Teacher Tip: Partner With a Librarian Librarians have invaluable expertise in information literacy and can guide students in effectively navigating library databases. Collaborate with your school librarian or a librarian from the public library.
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| Step 3: Create an action plan | (25 min) |
Purpose: Students clarify the goal, target audience, and deliverables for their advocacy campaign.
[Slide 13] Share an example of a campaign target.
- Explain that a campaign target is the people/organizations with the power to make a difference for your issue.
- Share an example:
- Issue: Increasing accessibility on public transportation in our city.
- Who has the power to give you what you want?
- The state governor is in charge of most of the money for buses and trains. This money belongs to the state. The city puts some money into trains and buses as well. The targets of our campaign are the state governor and the city mayor.
- What power do you have over them?
- The governor and mayor need to be well liked and they need votes to stay in office.
[Slide 14] Share an example of a target audience.
- Explain that a target audience is the people who care about your issue and who you want to educate and get involved in your campaign. Identifying a target audience for an advocacy campaign is crucial because it helps you focus your message.
- Who are the people who care the most about your issue? What are their values and motivations?
- Local residents, especially those who use public transportation. They value accessibility, inclusivity, and independence. They are motivated by a desire to help other members of the community.
- How can you educate this group of people about your issue?
- A social media post about our campaign would help educate local residents about the accessibility issues in our public transportation system. The post might contain a short video describing the issue and the petition they can sign to take action.
[Slide 15] Facilitate project team meetings.
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Advocacy Campaign Guide.
- Invite project teams to create an action plan.
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 3.2: Create Your Campaign
Teacher Guide
Lesson 3.2: Create Your Campaign
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How do I advocate for rights and values in my community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will create your advocacy campaign. First, you will draft your mission statement, drawing inspiration from example mission statements to articulate the purpose and vision of your campaign. Next, you will create advocacy tools that will help you educate and engage the public. Finally, you will reflect as a team to evaluate what you have accomplished and what more still needs to be done. Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 90 minutes |
| Standards | |
C1.6-8.2: Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government. C4.6-8.3: Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue. SSS4.6-8.1: Analyze multiple factors, make generalizations, and interpret sources to formulate a thesis in a paper or presentation, while observing rules related to plagiarism and copyright. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.= |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students create their advocacy campaign. First, they draft their mission statement, drawing inspiration from example mission statements to articulate the purpose and vision of their campaign. Next, students create advocacy tools that will help them educate and engage the public. Finally, students reflect as a team to evaluate what they have accomplished and what more still needs to be done. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Identify rights and values for your mission statement | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students develop their understanding of a mission statement and take time to identify specific rights and values to reference in their mission statement.
You might say: In the last lesson, you identified your campaign goal. Your task now is to communicate that goal to the public so that they care about this issue. One way to do that is through a mission statement. A mission statement is like a map for an organization. It's a short, powerful sentence or two that explains why the group exists and what it wants to achieve. It's the heart of what they do—it guides their actions and decisions. A good mission statement tells everyone what the group believes in and where they're headed.
[Slides 2–4] Share examples of mission statements.
- [Slide 2] Hilltop Heritage Middle School mission statement:
- "The mission of Hilltop Heritage Middle School is to help students realize their potential by providing rigorous academics, equitable opportunities, and programs that allow for student creativity in a diverse community where all are accepted, valued and supported."
- Ask: What values are mentioned in this mission statement?
- Possible responses: education, equity, creativity, diversity, inclusion
- [Slide 3] Puyallup Tribal Council mission statement:
- "To build upon what our ancestors and elders fought for by continuing to protect and preserve our tribal sovereignty, natural resources, environment, heritage, culture and our families by providing equitable programs and services that help our membership succeed and grow."
- Ask: What values are mentioned in this mission statement?
- Possible responses: tribal sovereignty, natural resources, environmental stewardship, heritage, culture, family, equity
- [Slide 4] Washington’s Paramount Duty mission statement:
- Explain that because their mission statements will be for an advocacy campaign, they need to include not only specific values, but also the specific right they’re advocating for.
- Share an example of how to reference a specific right in a mission statement.
- "Washington’s Paramount Duty is a non-partisan, grassroots group of parents and allies advocating for Washington to amply fund basic education and fulfill its paramount duty. We envision a future where every child has equitable access to an amply funded basic education."
- Explain that Washington’s Paramount Duty is an advocacy group. In this mission statement, they’re referencing values, such as education and equity, but they’re also referencing an established right: the right to an amply funded basic education, which is guaranteed in the Washington State Constitution.
[Slide 5] Support students as they identify an established right for their mission statement.
- Encourage project teams to sit together.
- Distribute the Mission Statement & Elevator Pitch handout and review the directions for Part 1.
- Review helpful resources they may reference while identifying a right for their mission statement.
- For content:
- Washington State Constitution (Lesson 1.2)
- Puyallup Constitution (Lesson 1.2)
- Tribal Rights Source Exploration (Lesson 1.3)
- Individual Rights or student-created PSAs (Lesson 1.4)
- For citations:
- Page 2 of the Values Bingo Sheet (Lesson 1.2)
- For content:
Support students as they identify values for their mission statements.
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Mission Statement & Elevator Pitch handout.
- Encourage students to reference Page 1 of their Values Bingo Sheet (Lesson 1.2) for examples.
| Step 2: Design your campaign | (60 min) |
Purpose: Students evaluate advocacy tools from the case studies to reflect on the outcomes of these strategies. The goal is for students to consider these tools as possible examples for their own campaigns. Students then use the dedicated work time to draft their mission statement, practice their elevator pitch, and develop their educational tool and engagement tool.
[Slide 6] Evaluate advocacy tools.
- Explain that before students create their advocacy tools, they have an opportunity to look back at some examples of advocacy tools from the four different case studies they researched in Module 2. These might serve as inspiration for their own tools.
- Distribute the Advocacy Tools handout and review the directions for Part 1.
- Ensure that students have digital access to the following sources linked in the handout:
- Prompt students to individually complete the graphic organizer.
[Slide 7] Facilitate project team meetings.
- Remind students about the definitions of the two advocacy tools.
- Educational tool: This is a tool that helps your target audience understand the issue and how it is a violation of an established right (e.g., social media post, poster, or brochure). The goal is to make the public care about your issue.
- The educational tool should include a works cited page.
- Engagement tool: This is a tool that helps your target audience get involved with solving the issue—think of this as your "call to action." It could be a petition, a boycott, or a form letter to send to local politicians.
- Educational tool: This is a tool that helps your target audience understand the issue and how it is a violation of an established right (e.g., social media post, poster, or brochure). The goal is to make the public care about your issue.
- Review the directions for Part 2 of the Advocacy Tools handout.
- Encourage teams to work together to draft their advocacy tools.
[Slide 8] Facilitate and support student work time.
- Share with students that they will complete a peer evaluation in the next lesson. In this peer evaluation they will present their campaign to another team. The presentation must include:
- Their mission statement
- Their elevator pitch
- Their educational tool (with works cited) and a verbal explanation of its function
- Their engagement tool and a verbal explanation of how it is connected to their goal
- Remind students of their tasks for the dedicated work time:
- Mission statement (led by Campaign Manager)
- Elevator pitch (led by Communications Director)
- Educational tool (led by Head Designer)
- Engagement tool (led by Outreach Coordinator)
- Inclusion of research and citations (led by Lead Researcher)
- Remind students that if they finish their task early, that does not mean they’re done; instead, they should support other team members. For example, if the Campaign Manager finishes the mission statement, they might help the Head Designer create the educational tool and ensure that it aligns with the mission statement.
- Review helpful resources they may reference while creating the content of their campaign:
- Advocacy Campaign Guide (Lesson 3.1)
- Advocacy Campaign Rubric (Lesson 3.1)
- Citation Guide (Lesson 2.3)
Teacher Tip: Rotating Conferences Rotating conferences can help students stay on task and give the educator a sense of the common questions or points of confusion. Inform students that you will rotate around the room to check in with each group. The first and second conference will likely be an overview of team goals and drafts, whereas future conferences can serve as progress check-ins and opportunities to answer questions. |
| Step 3: Learn about the advocacy fair | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students learn about the goals of an advocacy fair and how they can maximize community engagement.
[Slide 9] Introduce the advocacy fair.
- Talking points:
- An advocacy fair typically involves showcasing various campaigns or projects dedicated to specific causes or issues. It's a way for different groups or individuals to present their advocacy efforts, share information, and engage with the public.
- At our advocacy fair, each group will have a booth to display information, hand out flyers or brochures, and talk to visitors about their cause. People who attend the fair can walk around, learn about various issues, and decide which ones they want to support or get involved in. It's a chance for campaigners to raise awareness, gather support, and recruit volunteers.
- The goal of our fair is to create a platform for dialogue and community engagement, allowing people to explore various issues and decide how they want to make a difference.
[Slide 10] (Optional) Share invitation components.
- Encourage students to consider campaign targets they could invite to the advocacy fair.
- Examples: a local mayor, members of city council, state governor, etc.
- Encourage students to consider members of their target audience they could invite to the advocacy fair.
- Examples: family members, community members, school staff members, etc.
- Share the location, date, and time of the advocacy fair with students.
- (Optional) Provide students with an invitation template.
- Allocate a specific amount of time for students to write invitations.
| Step 4: Complete a team Exit Ticket | (5 min) |
Purpose: Students reflect on their work so far, identify what they still need to complete, and discuss what questions they still need answered.
[Slide 11] Prompt students to complete a team Exit Ticket.
- Distribute one Team Exit Ticket per group and review the directions.
- Collect Exit Tickets to inform your planning for the next day.
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 3.3: Feedback and Revision
Teacher Guide
Lesson 3.3: Feedback and Revision
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How do I advocate for rights and values in my community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In this lesson, you will share your advocacy campaign with another team to receive feedback. After both giving and receiving feedback, your project team will reconvene to identify and implement specific revisions you wish to make. You will ensure that all components of your advocacy campaign are ready to be shared with the public. Finally, you will prepare a physical booth for public outreach. Tomorrow, you will share your advocacy campaign with the world! Lesson Steps
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 80 minutes |
| Standards | |
C1.6-8.2: Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government. C4.6-8.3: Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue. SSS4.6-8.1: Analyze multiple factors, make generalizations, and interpret sources to formulate a thesis in a paper or presentation, while observing rules related to plagiarism and copyright. SSS4.6-8.2: Use appropriate format to cite sources within an essay, presentation, and reference page. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.3: Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In this lesson, students share their advocacy campaigns with another team to receive feedback. After both giving and receiving feedback, project teams reconvene to identify and implement specific revisions they wish to make. They ensure that all components of their advocacy campaigns are ready to be shared with the public. Finally, students prepare a physical booth for public outreach. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Evaluate advocacy campaigns and provide feedback | (30 min) |
Purpose: Students practice peer review using a four-stage framework. Student teams will use peer feedback to inform their revisions in Step 2.
You might say: Providing feedback to others is a lifelong skill you’ll be able to use in many settings. Before you listen to another team present their campaign, let’s talk about what effective feedback looks like. People often think that feedback is just pointing out surface-level spelling and grammar mistakes. But that is not true. Let’s think about the word "revision." You might think of it as bringing a new set of eyes to a project. Remember that peer review includes critically analyzing aspects such as content and clarity. Therefore, it is not just about corrections. More importantly, effective peer review is about providing feedback and suggestions.
[Slide 2] Introduce peer review exercise.
- Distribute Peer Feedback Form and review the directions.
- Talking points:
- You now have an opportunity to practice presenting your campaign to another team. Each team will be paired with one other team.
- Team #1 will present all aspects of their campaign, including the mission statement, elevator pitch, educational tool, and engagement tool.
- Team #2 will serve as audience members and provide feedback and suggestions for revision.
- Each team member in Team #2 will complete the handout as they watch the presentation and share the handout with Team #1 at the end.
- Then, the teams will switch roles. Team #2 will present and Team #1 will complete the handout.
[Slides 3–7] Review peer feedback instructions.
- [Slide 3] Compliments: "Feel-good feedback." Making space for positive feedback is essential to building confidence. The team should always leave at least one specific compliment about a particular aspect of the campaign.
- Example: I love that you have a consistent brand identity across your advocacy campaign! Your color choices and imagery are visually appealing and engaging.
- [Slide 4] Corrections: This type of feedback is not up for debate. Corrections are meant to note mistakes in spelling and grammar or mark something that is missing.
- Example: You’re missing a works cited page. Make sure to add that before tomorrow!
- [Slide 5] Suggestions: Students shouldn’t take this type of feedback lightly. However, the how is up to the creator when implementing suggestions to their campaign. The reviewers provide insight, but the team decides what to do with it, if anything at all.
- Example: I suggest making your "call to action" more specific. Right now, it’s vague, and I’m not sure how to get involved.
- [Slide 6] Questions: Questions are similar to suggestions in that the team decides what to do with them when it comes to the next phase of development. However, keep in mind that if something is unclear to your audience, you won’t have an effective campaign!
- Example: Can you explain more why the McCleary decision didn’t solve the problem of school funding?
- [Slide 7] Remind students to use the Advocacy Campaign Rubric (Lesson 3.1) to guide their feedback.
- Example: The rubric says that your mission statement should include "the team’s core values and beliefs, and their goal." I suggest adding a sentence clarifying the goal of your campaign.
[Slide 8] Facilitate mock presentations.
- Inform students that their presentations should include the delivery of their elevator pitch, explanation of their issue, and descriptions of their educational tool and engagement tool.
- Provide guidance on the team pairings and designate time for students to present their campaigns.
| Step 2: Review feedback and set goals | (10 min) |
Purpose: Students review peer feedback and set goals for their work time by making a three-part plan. The goal of this activity is to provide individual structure for students during the work period. Having a to-do list in front of them helps keep the task at hand in focus.
You might say: With the feedback you received from your peers, you are now going to make a three-part individual plan to address these revisions in your work time today. Your three revisions should be able to be accomplished within forty minutes.
[Slide 9] Facilitate project team meetings to set goals for worktime.
- Encourage students to review the completed Feedback and Revision handouts from their peers.
- Invite teams to discuss the following questions:
- What feedback resonated with us?
- How can we incorporate the feedback into our revisions?
- What tasks still need to be completed?
- Who will do what?
- Distribute a sticky note or index card to each student.
- Invite students to write three individual goals for their work time on the sticky note or index card.
| Step 3: Campaign work time | (40 min) |
Purpose: Students have time to work on their advocacy campaigns and make revisions based on peer feedback.
You might say: You now have time to work on your projects and implement your revision plans. The goal is for your project to be complete at the end of these forty minutes. In our next lesson, you will present your work at the advocacy fair.
[Slide 10] Facilitate revision time for campaigns.
- Remind students of their tasks for the dedicated work time:
- Mission statement (led by Campaign Manager)
- Elevator pitch (led by Communications Director)
- Educational tool (led by Head Designer)
- Engagement tool (led by Outreach Coordinator)
- Inclusion of research and citations (led by Lead Researcher)
- Review helpful resources, they may reference while creating the content of their campaign.
- Advocacy Campaign Guide (Lesson 3.1)
- Advocacy Campaign Rubric (Lesson 2.4)
- Citation Guide (Lesson 2.3)
[Slide 11] Prepare a physical booth for the advocacy fair.
- (Optional) If time permits, encourage students to think about how they would like to set up and decorate their campaign booth. They might consider: signage, color scheme, matching outfits, slogans, etc.
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Lesson 3.4: Campaign for Change!
Teacher Guide
Lesson 3.4: Campaign for Change!
Advocacy in Action
Unit Driving Question: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities? Module Driving Question: How do I advocate for rights and values in my community? Learning Targets I can:
Purpose In the final lesson of the unit, you will share your advocacy campaign with the public. Your team will set up a booth where you will share your campaign with the public. You will inform community members about an issue they should care about and encourage them to take action. You will also visit team booths to learn about other issues in your community. Afterward, your team will meet to evaluate the successes and challenges of your campaign and identify next steps to reach a broader audience. Finally, you will close out by responding to the unit driving question and reflecting on how you can continue to advocate for your rights and values in your community. Lesson Steps
Explore More
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Teacher Preparation Notes
| Pacing | |
| Lesson Timing: | 90 minutes |
| Standards | |
C1.6-8.2: Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government. C4.6-8.3: Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue. H2.6-8.2: Explain and analyze how individuals and movements have shaped Washington state history since statehood. | |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.4: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. |
| Lesson Resources | ||
| For Students | For Teachers | Materials |
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| Lesson Overview |
| In the final lesson of the unit, students share their advocacy campaign with the public. Student teams set up booths where they share their campaigns with the public. They inform community members about an issue they should care about and encourage them to take action. They also visit team booths to learn about other issues in their community. Afterward, teams meet to evaluate the successes and challenges of their campaign and identify next steps to reach a broader audience. Finally, students close out by responding to the unit driving question and reflecting on how they can continue to advocate for their rights and values in their community. |
| Teacher Preparation |
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Lesson Steps in Detail
| Step 1: Set up your booth | (20 min) |
Purpose: Students take time to physically set up their booth by displaying the elements of their campaign for public viewing.
[Slide 2] Support students as they set up their booths.
- Allocate each team to a specific part of the venue to begin setting up their booth.
- Remind students that their mission statement, educational tool, works cited, and engagement tool should all be clearly on display.
- (Optional) Encourage students to make signs with poster paper that clearly identifies the issue at the center of their campaign or their campaign name or slogan.
- Encourage teams to rehearse their presentations. Invite them to consider: Who will say what? Who will share what?
| Step 2: Share your advocacy campaign with community members | (40 min) |
Purpose: Students share their campaigns with community members by presenting the elements of their campaign, and they walk around and interact with the campaigns created by their peers. The goal of this step is for students to present their final products and thoughtfully engage with other campaigns.
You might say: In our previous lesson, you created your final version of your advocacy campaigns. You included educational and engagement tools that served to inform the public and call the community to action. Now we get to share our creations in an advocacy fair. I encourage you to engage with other campaign presentations once you have presented your own.
[Slide 3] Remind students of how the advocacy fair will function.
- Booths: Each represents a cause or campaign.
- Info and interaction: People share info, hand out flyers, and chat with visitors about their cause.
- Learning and engagement: Visitors walk around, learn about different issues, and decide which causes they want to support.
- Community connection: It's a chance for everyone to talk, learn, and decide how they can make a difference.
- Remind students that their presentation should include the delivery of their elevator pitch, explanation of their issue, and descriptions of their educational and engagement tools.
[Slide 4] Facilitate and support advocacy fair presentations.
- For an advocacy fair held in a classroom, teams might present their campaigns to the whole class one after another.
- For an advocacy fair held in a larger venue, teams might present their campaigns multiple times: for community members who approach their booth, for fellow students, and for their teacher.
| Step 3: Identify possible next steps | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students complete a final reflection to consider what they have learned and identify possible next steps for their campaign.
You might say: Congratulations on hosting a successful advocacy fair! Over the course of this unit, you learned about individual rights in Washington, conducted case studies on how people in our community have advocated for their rights, identified an issue, and created a campaign to advocate for change in your community. You now have a chance to work with your team to discuss possible next steps to make a difference for your cause.
[Slide 5] Facilitate team reflections.
- Remind students of the six steps of an advocacy campaign. Today, they will consider the last step, because change doesn’t happen overnight.
- Distribute the Team Reflection (one per team) and review the directions.
- Allocate a specific amount of time for each team to complete their reflection.
Teacher Tip: Share Ideas for Possible Next Steps Share options and ideas for how students might get involved in the process of enacting change in their community.
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| Step 4: Respond to the unit driving question | (15 min) |
Purpose: Students synthesize and apply what they have learned by responding to the unit driving question in writing.
[Slide 6] Discuss the unit driving question.
- Ask: What did you learn today about why people advocate for issues in their communities?
[Slide 7] Prompt students to respond to the unit driving question.
- Explain that a CER paragraph is:
- C = claim
- E = evidence
- R = reasoning
- Prompt: Why do people advocate for issues in their communities?
- Remind students to use at least two pieces of evidence. They can reference the case studies in Module 2 and/or their own advocacy campaign.
Unless otherwise noted, Advocacy in Action © 2023 by Educurious is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.