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For me, the challenge with teaching multiculturalism to college-aged students is that many are not willing to make the connection that gaining an understanding of different cultures means acknowledging and exploring difficult histories. It's easy to say we are comfortable with the expression of culture from a pop culture or media standpoint, but we are often lacking in our knowledge of the story behind the heroes and icons we tend to celebrate or emulate. I'll give you two examples. To more deeply understand and appreciate the cast of the Jersey Shore and the tight-knit connection between them is to also appreciate that Italian- Americans share a particularly strong bond that happened as a result of immigration and discrimination in the early 20th century. To more deeply understand and appreciate the marriage of Cardi B and Offset as part of hip-hop, street, and trap culture is also to appreciate the history of Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican music as it developed over generations of colonization and survivance. Beats and music are key to the storytelling culture of African Americans and Islanders.

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Alexis K - Southern Tenant Farmers Union

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Alexis K - Southern Tenant Farmers Union

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I think this lesson is the perfect blend of the usage of primary sources and creative thought. It allows the child to be immersive into the topic while exposing them to the real thoughts of the time they are learning about. I think this lesson would be the perfect fit for children who strive in creative writing or love theater. I think having the kids perform the dialogue allows the children to see the differences in everyone’s perspectives on the primary sources. This type of lesson sparks open dialogue and conversation about the differences between the time the primary sources were written and today. It would also spark conversations where the students could compare the unions we have today from the unions of the time.

Some of the challenges I think I would face as an instructor is to have the kids be motivated to want to do this type of lesson where they must write the dialogue. I have some concerns that some students wouldn’t take the assignment seriously. My other concern would be if I was to pair up a diverse group of students what roles they would play, and if “joking” racism would occur because of these pairs. (I put the word joking in quotations because I firmly believe it should never be joked about but kids at certain age levels still do make jokes at one another and themselves). I think that this lesson plan would have to be done at the high school level, maybe it could be done at the second half of their 8th grade year, but I think to have the kids understand how to make this an appropriate and informative lesson a lot of rules and expectations would have to be set in place before the lesson is even started. My concern is that parents would think this assignment is racist or targeting the children of color in my classroom, attempting to ostracize them.

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I thought this lesson provided beneficial usage of primary source to depict the idea of what happened with the Southern Tenant Farmers union. I believe this type of lesson provides different angles of racism and what was occurring. The goals of this stood out to me the one that talked about students will explore the difficulties of farm labor organizing in the 1930s. According to the lesson plan, this will be done with 3 different handouts. With developmental appropriateness, I think this is true as the handouts offer different perspectives of the facts surrounding this time. With student engagement, I feel like a video or two could have been added to develop a sense of visuals to go along with the readings. Although I love the idea of a dialogue. I think that is a beneficial way to get the students talking and learning about this. I personally like this lesson as it offers a unique perspective of what truly happened. The main concern with parents I would have is it could be perceived as having a racist connotation towards students of color inside the classroom. Overall, I think this lesson plan is unique and offers a lot to the students. -Anthony M

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Kunal Patel - Southern Tenant Farmers Union

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Kunal Patel - Southern Tenant Farmers Union

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I think this is a great lesson plan because it shows that history always repeats itself. The lesson is more suited for high school students. It allows the students to see the perspectives of whites and blacks. Even though the American civil war ended in 1865 ending slavery, there is much to be desired when it comes to racial and economical equality. Whites still have privilege in all facets of society from education to politics, as reflected in the two handouts in this lesson. Rather than have students read about the mistreatment and oppression of the poor black farmers, writing a dialogue makes the lesson much more interactive and helps students raise awareness of what it was like to be in the shoes of a black and a white farmer back in the 1930's when racism was very pervasive. Students can also understand that three aspects of time are always at work: past, present, and future. What is happening today (present) in society regarding racial inequity is due to the past (legacy of slavery). The present actions of whites and blacks will decide what will happen in the future, i.e bringing about increased racial equality for blacks.  Depending on the school district, some parents may object to how the lesson is taught.

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Billings White - Southern Tenant Farmers' Union

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Billings White - Southern Tenant Farmers' Union

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One of the promises I see for these lessons as an instructor is that I enjoy history and I believe these topics shed valuable light on America's past. One of the lessons that caught my attention was the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union as I have some familiarity with this time period and the awful conditions that sharecroppers dealt with, especially those who were African American. I think having students read about the attempts of both white and black people to organize collectively for better working conditions can show them a side of history that is often ignored. Even though slavery had ended, many former slaves ended back on planatations in which their labor was treated as igsificant as they worked as sharecroppers and received meeasly compensation for their work. Students will have to consider the reasons white people struggled to decide whether or not to join a union with black people as they desired better working conditions but still had negative feelings towards African Americans as a whole. Teaching students about this will present an opportunity for students to understand that just because slavery was outlawed does not mean that America became a postracial society as powerful, white owners still find ways to exploit them. Students may have a hard time understanding this topic as society tends to ignore the inhumane conditions that workers, especially those of color, experience. This lesson may even cause some parents at homes to have concerns about what their children are learning as they believe that this lesson is about elevating students of color and bringing down those who are white. This is obviously not true, but would only prove my point as many Americans are not taught this part of history and may not know how to respond when hearing about it. Overall, I believe that this lesson and lessons like these can present a window into a time period to better understand the struggles that African Americans went through and how it affects them to this day.

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What I like about this lesson plan is that it promotes the use of both primary documents and course knowledge to apply to a creative product. This is an engaging assignment which strays away from traditional history lessons of the lecture and note-taking model. The traditional lesson would really only test students regurgitation of facts surrounding the time period, which does not get students to really think about race and its effect on policies. This lesson instead encourages the students to get involved with the material. By creating a dialogue, the students not only need to understand the historical time period, but also consider what it would be like to be in the shoes of this union member trying to convince a southern farmer to join a union. I love that students need to be creative and use critical thinking skills to come up with a convincing argument. This lesson also asks students to consider multiple perspectives as well as provides some context as to why white supremacy  and Klan buy-in existed. I think many students wonder why anyone would ever join the Klan (or the Hitler youth for that matter). But by getting a first-hand perspective regarding the allure of the Klan (and then the rejection of it) students can understand how it gained popularity.
History can often be presented in black-and-white terms of either one side being right and the other wrong. But I think this lesson really shies away from that. I like that this lesson throws students into the gray area of a controversial topic.

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Through this activity, students are able to understand and discuss the equity, righteousness, and consequences of the Indian Removal act from 5 distinct roles/POVs. I believe the students will be able to learn in a more active, personal, and nuanced way about the material, thereby allowing them to gain an appreciation for what and why the Removal act was passed. The merits of this activity include active learning of a perspective involved in advocating for or against this bill; giving each student more ownership in how they learn; showing them the depth of the problem from multiple angles including intersectionality (ex. Black x Seminole, AJ administration= white x male x land owner x slaveholder); giving them a lens/practice to apply to current/future legislation that is trying to be passed (ex. Voting Rights Reform). The challenges include sensitizing students to the issues without alienating individual students based on their own identities (ex. placing a white male student in AJ administration will provide a different experience than a white male student in the Black Seminole group); getting buy-in from parents, especially if the school is in a predominately conservative community; ensuring students' feelings are acknowledged for while discussing the difficult concepts of race, slave ownership, etc, in either a mostly homogenous and diverse classroom (feel like each will have its own difficulties). Tilan Karunanayake

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The Cherokee/Seminole Removal Role Play-Stephanie Persiani

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The Cherokee/Seminole Removal Role Play-Stephanie Persiani

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I really enjoyed reading this role play activity and seeing how it would be taught in a classroom. I thought that the scaffolding created to allow students to interact with the material was really helpful; each student would read a short article on their specific role and discuss with their group, then ‘travel’ around to meet and talk with those from other groups, and finally have a meeting with Congress on their opinions and perspectives on the removal. It allows the students to first read and learn about their role, then discuss this with other individuals in their group and with those outside of their group before actually participating in the hearing. I thought this was smart because it would let students have multiple opportunities to discuss their perspectives and hear others, and then remold their thoughts and arguments before heading into the official meeting. This activity allows students to see five different perspectives of a moment in history, and gain a much deeper understanding of the removal. I also appreciated that the students got to interact with the activity first and gain interest and understanding before reading about the entire situation. I thought this allowed them to engage much more with the learning process.

As for possible challenges, I would have some concerns about students being appropriate while role playing, and ensuring that they are operating from factual information and not taking it too far. The opposite could also happen, with students minimally interested in the role playing, and not participating enough to really delve into the learning. I also would worry that individual biases may come up, or students may not be cognitively and emotionally prepared to participate in the activity - or that their parents would not approve of it. There can be large gaps in many high school classrooms with emotional and intellectual maturity levels and it definitely could be a challenge to ensure the activity was appropriate for everyone.

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Jamie Bannon - The Cherokee/Seminole Removal Role Play

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Jamie Bannon - The Cherokee/Seminole Removal Role Play

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The Cherokee/Seminole Removal Role Play lesson plan is true to its title. In this lesson, students are told that they will be placed in certain groups representing one of five roles. These roles include the following: Cherokees, the Andrew Jackson Administration, Missionaries and Northern Reformers, and Black Seminoles. Each group has been invited to a congressional hearing to discuss the Indian Removal Bill. They must decide whether they support the bill, questions they have for other groups, and reactions to the bill passing or failing. During this lesson students will meet with their groups, have a dedicated time to negotiate and form alliances, present their findings, and ask questions.

The lesson in itself requires strong student engagement. They are encouraged to create their own interior monologues and detailed persona. By role playing and creating their character, students will gain a deeper understanding of their assigned group than they would by solely reading an article on the topic. They will also learn more about those involved in the Indian Removal Law by taking part in the teaching/negotiating/alliance building session and listening to the other sides during the discussion. Dialogue between students and groups is highly encouraged.

This lesson is developmentally appropriate. High school students should have some understanding of US history. They should be able to successfully role play and have deep conversations regarding this topic. History should be understood from different perspectives and should not be sugar-coated.

One challenge regarding this lesson plan is possible backfire from parents. They may not appreciate that their children are learning more about this part of history. Some parents may feel that it is not necessary for their children to learn about this topic or that they are not ready to hear about it. Others may be displeased that it paints their own country, state, or family history in a negative light. It also may be challenging to keep all students engaged. Some students may learn better by working independently while others would thrive in this situation. However, this challenge may be corrected by offering additional opportunities for students to write down their thoughts and taking time to digest this information independently before joining the group.

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This lesson plan about The Cherokee/Seminole Removal helped students to gain a better understanding of the Cherokees and Seminoles from a variety of perspectives, as well as the problems they faced. Students are informed that they will be assigned to one of five groups: Cherokees, Andrew Jackson Administration, Missionaries, Northern Reformers, or Black Seminoles. Each group has been invited to a congressional hearing to debate the Indian Removal Bill; they must decide whether to support the bill, what questions they have, and how they would react if it passed or fails. All reactions should be based on how they predict their new identity reacting. Students will meet with their classmates from the same group, negotiate and make alliances with members from different groups, present their findings, and ask questions throughout this lesson. The course involves high levels of student participation, and students are encouraged to build their own inner narratives and identities. Students will obtain a better understanding of their allocated group through role playing and constructing their character than they would by simply reading an article.

An issue I see in this lesson is ensuring that the students do not take this role playing too far, or, on the other hand, that the students do not try. To make this lesson work, you'll need all of the students to participate and be fully devoted to it, but you'll also need to ensure that they're still respectful of one another. I can see parents becoming a challenge, if they do not want their children do not want to participate in something like this, It can become a bigger issue.

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Chicano Blowout organizer, Carlos Montes, at a 1968 rally for the Poor Peoples' March to Washington. 

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I liked this lesson because it discusses the history of Mexican Americans in schools. It describes the Mendez v. Westminster (1947) which eliminated de jure segregation for Mexican students. It was also influential in the Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954). I find that fact to be interesting because it was never discussed in school.I would agree that many students will leave high school with little to no knowledge of Mexican American history. It is a piece of history that is often overlooked in our history books. I believe the author encapsulates the value of this lesson by saying, "By not providing students with the tools to understand the historical continuities and changes in schools, we may be reinforcing beliefs that so-called student failure is rooted in individual students, families, and teachers--not in a legacy of structural and educational injustice."

A challenge with teaching about Mexican American history is how parents will perceive the lesson. For example, there has been a strong resistance and divisiveness in regard to Critical Race Theory. Furthermore, states have passed legislation to limit how and what content is delivered in the classroom. As a future history teacher, I worry about what barriers lie ahead when trying to give my students the full picture of our history.

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I enjoyed this lesson plan because it talks about segregation and the laws that were needed to be followed. Students were read ", Back of the Bus and Welcome Home" to show students that even though people may have comprehended the idea around segregation, they still obeyed the law. I think this is powerful to show students that people gave into segregation because it was what they were instructed to do. This shows students that even though laws are put in place, we should understand them, and in the second part of the lesson plan, she read to the students " Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott " to show students how people reacted to get laws to change. I believe this is the most powerful part of the lesson because it teaches students to stand up for what they believe in against laws or racism or privilege and they too can create change like Rosa Parks for example. Parents may be upset with this lesson plan, however, the whole point of the lesson is exactly for this reason as an example. Students need to be educated on the racism and privilege within America and be exposed to it more than just at home.

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I really enjoyed reading about this lesson, I think for the very beginning when the teacher has the students walk through a photo gallery of the forced removal and incarceration of JLAs (Japanese Latin Americans) and have them just comment on what they are seeing, ask questions that pop into their head and allow for them to have their natural reaction before jumping in, is super powerful. Students were able to organically express themselves and draw parallels to what they have seen before. For example, one student said 'It looks like they are being treated like animals'.
The role play that this teacher decided to do with the class was really interesting - it seemed like a bold idea that worked out well because the students were so interested in it. Students were put into groups that represented the groups involved during this time. The goal was for the groups to role play the discussion reparations, should there be redress? if so, what should it be? Some students were put in groups were they would have to argue against reparations so in an effort to stay in character but also be respectful and mindful of the things that might be said, a student apologized and gave warning before the debate/conversation. The way that the teacher presented this lesson forced the students to have a conversation about reparations before knowing what actually happened. Once students learned that JLAs have yet to receive reparations, the students were encouraged to write letters to the U.S. government expressing their opinions. The teacher did a wonderful job, in my opinion, of taking a historical event that has not had the expected or fairest outcome and has motivated her students to be positive and optimistic not pessimistic.
Overall, I really loved this lesson and when I was in high school, I loved doing activities like this. History courses were my favorite. I would say one challenge I can see this lesson having is just students being mindful of what they say, how they say it and being able to manage the emotion that this type of activity will possibly cause students to have. I can also imagine some parents being upset with the content. I am sure there are some parents who do not want their children learning of the United States' dark past especially in a forum where students are assuming the roles of groups of people who were involved. I think it would be important to the teacher doing this lesson to really know and understand what happened during that time to be able to provide additional support to students who have questions. I think one of the biggest promises of a lesson like this is the ability for students in the class to draw connections and similarities to the people who went through the forced removal and incarceration.

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While reading over the lesson about The Cherokee/Seminole Removal, I liked how the lesson enabled students to see different perspectives, see the challenges, and understand what the Cherokees and Seminoles were going through. This lesson allows you to step into the shoes of these groups and reflect on the situation. While reading about the Cherokees, I found it upsetting how Georgia wanted to kick them out of their land, knowing that there was a treaty signed to prevent this. They wanted the land because gold was being found and the land was good to grow cotton. What’s even more upsetting is that the Cherokees were forbidden to testify in court or protest about the plans that were moving them out of their land. As I continued reading about each group, I found how selfish people were being. The second and third groups didn’t care that the treaty was going to be broken, that the Cherokees were going to lose their homes, and be forced to move out west of the Mississippi River. These groups only saw how they would benefit from the land. These groups did not see the fear the Black Seminoles had. They didn’t want to be forced out of their land because that meant they would return to being slaves and be sold to the southern slave markets. It’s upsetting to read about this but it’s also important to teach. By the student’s role-playing, it would allow them to comprehend the history well.

·      Students were broken into five different groups:

Group one= Cherokees

Group two= The Andrew Jackson Administration

Group three= Plantation Owners and Farms

Group four= Missionaries and Northern Reformers

Group five= Black Seminoles

·      The students in each group would receive a handout that describes what each group is going through and what their thoughts are. As a group, they would discuss their ideas and questions that they would present at the Congressional Hearing. Some of the questions were; do you support the Indian Removal Bill? What questions do you have for members of the other groups that will be in attendance? What will you do if Congress passes this bill? What will you do if Congress does not pass this bill?

A challenge that I could see about teaching this lesson would be making sure the students don’t take the role-playing too far or make any inappropriate or offensive comments. Another challenge would be if this lesson is “too much” for the school district. I think history is history and it shouldn’t be sugarcoated, but now some schools are limiting what teachers are allowed to teach in history. So, this would be a challenge for many other lessons as well. Lastly, another challenge would be if the parents would be comfortable with this being taught in the way that it is.

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First and foremost, what I liked about this lesson plan is the fact that it addresses the Japanese Internment camps that were utilized during the United States during World War II. This is one portion of US History that is commonly omitted or forgotten about and many people/students don't ever truly learn about it, which is extremely unfortunate. As such, this lesson not only promises to teach students about what occurred with the Internment Camps but it also presents them with the multiple perspectives of everyone who was involved with these Internment Camps which not all lessons are able to successfully do. With that being said, the challenge of the lessons lies with making sure that the students understand the significance of this history and making sure that they take something away from all the different perspectives rather than just one. Another potential challenge is with the possibility of students not finding the lesson to be engaging, and this is where it really varies based on class to class and student to student. So this is where we as teachers have to be adaptable to ensure that the students stay engaged.

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Mary Kate Morton - Southern Tenant Farmers' Union

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Mary Kate Morton - Southern Tenant Farmers' Union

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As an instructor, one thing that I like about this lesson plan is that it helps students to really understand the material rather than just listing history facts for them to memorize. By creating dialogue and questions, students are able to grasp what it was like to be a Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union member trying to convince a southern farmer to join the union in the 1930s.

I think that this lesson would work well for high school students as it will help their critical thinking skills and to put what they’re learning into a real-life dialogue. This lesson would work well for students who enjoy creative assignments such as writing a dialogue or creating scenarios/scenes but might be a challenge for students who like to work independently.  Another challenge could be backlash from parents’ who are not comfortable with the way this lesson is taught, for example thinking students might create dialogue that could be negative towards students of color in the classroom.

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I like this lesson because it is a part of history that is most of the time overlooked and never taught to students. I went through all my years of schooling not learning about it until I read this lesson plan. Something I found interesting that the author said was, “Since the Chicana/o School Blowouts did not emerge in isolation, by discussing their relationship to other political movements, we can better connect our shared histories and struggles across race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and nationality.” I think this way of introducing the topic could help with student engagement because they might be passionate about another political movement, we, as the teacher, can try and connect it to the Chicana/o School Blowouts. A challenge that might come up with teaching about the Chicana/o School Blowouts is parent push back. Some parents may believe that this is a part of history that their children do not need to learn and push back on it to the school district. Some states and school districts might also be the barrier to giving student a full picture of our history.

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The Pump up the Blowouts lesson is important because it offers students a chance to learn about an event in Mexican American history. Mexican American history is not commonly taught in schools, I had never heard of the Chicano/a School Blowouts before I read this. By incorporating lessons about the histories of different ethnicities and identities more students are able to see themselves in the curriculum and connect with what they are learning. One potential challenge could be parent disapproval of the topic. The lesson plan mentioned that “Socialized in today’s schools, they [students] had neither been encouraged to see systemic injustices not to unmask romanticized images of the U.S.” Some parents have issue with lessons that paint the U.S. in a bad light and encourage students to criticize the country’s past. However, using skills of thinking critically should be treated as a benefit of this lesson. Another benefit of the lesson is that it gives the students an example of the way youths can cause influence. It is also encouragement for them to look at the pattern present of inequality and can therefore connect to many other events in history.