Appendix on Implementing District Standards
In order to ensure that the learning outcomes were appropriate for each grade represented in the class, I have selected standards from the state of Delaware middle school History grade band including:
This curriculum unit is written to focus on Delaware grades 6-8 Civics standard a: Students will understand that the concept of majority rule does not mean that the rights of minorities may be disregarded and will examine and apply the protections accorded those minorities in the American political system. The standard is intended to ensure students understand how the relationships between different coalitions impact the rights of minority groups, as well as how the structure of American democracy includes safeguards to attempt to offer equitable involvement in our government to all constituencies. The unit will address this standard through the focused study of Asian Americans as a minority group and the events that have impacted them throughout US history.
The unit is designed to go beyond simple memorizing the definitions of terms like “majority rule”, “coalition” and “minority rights”. Rather than an overview of each minority group and their experiences in the political system, students will delve further into the history of a minority group that is not always a visible topic within our education system. Having invested themselves more strongly in the narrative of Asian Americans, students will explore the standard’s subject matter of Asian Americans within the American political system and how preservation of their rights in the shadow of majority rule has manifested itself over the course of the country’s history.
Overarching Understandings and Questions of the Unit
The unit will be divided into four general sections focusing on the following Essential Questions: (1) What is a majority group? A minority group? (2) Why are certain groups demonized throughout US history? (3) Why are minority rights an essential part of a representative democracy? (4) Who are Asian Americans? How are their experiences similar to other minority groups in the US? (5) Which legislation/policies have negatively impacted Asians as a minority group throughout US history? Which have positively impacted them? (6) How has the perception of Asian Americans changed over time? (6) How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Asian Americans? (7) What can individual citizens do to reduce inequity for Asian Americans?
The Enduring Understandings for this unit are based off the standards described above; The objectives following this unit are that students will understand that the position of a majority group within a society allows them to have power, resources, and opportunities over other group. They will recognize that minority groups are any group that is not part of the majority. They will know that democracy as a form of government encourages all groups to participate in the government. They will be aware that in the US, minority groups, for example, Asian Americans, have not always enjoyed equal rights. They will be able to summarize how minority rights for groups such as Asian Americans have developed over a long period in US history. They will be able to explain how Asian American rights have been impacted by a series of events, policies, and laws throughout the course of US history.
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