Oregon House Bill 2845 defined ethnic studies as the instruction of public school students in kindergarten through grade 12 in the histories, contributions, and perspectives of individuals who are: 

• Native American or Americans of African, Asian, Pacific Island, Chicano, Latino, or Middle Eastern descent. It also includes the histories, contributions, and perspectives of women, people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, and individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (ODE, 2021).

• 12 Resources to Consider: Check out the below (free!) resources which are consistent with the 2021 Integrated Ethnic Studies Standards  ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇

• *Note: Tribal History info and resources are in the below section: "Tribal History Shared History (SB 13)"

• Current Events: 

  • Guidance & Resources for Navigating Discussions on Recent Events in Israel and Gaza (ODE)

  • Centering Humanity While Following News of the Israel-Hamas War (Facing History)

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1. Oregon Historical Society Classroom Resources (K-12)

• A table of Curriculum Resources by Topic 

  • includes but is not limited to local Oregonian histories: Black, LGBTQIA, Latino/a/x, Asian American, Women's, Tribal History, local Social Justice Movements, and general primary source materials/activities. 

• Racing to Change curriculum: Oregon history units for grades 6–8 and 9–12; designed to help educators explore the civil rights movement within an Oregon context. (a collaboration between OHS & Oregon Black Pioneers)

• It Did Happened Here curriculum: Grades 9-12 curriculum where students connect policies from Oregon’s early decades to racism in the last decades of the twentieth century, including the rise of hate groups in the 1980s. 

• Oregon Encyclopedia:  ~2,000 entries about the state’s people, places, and events written by historians, also includes Primary Source Packets with digitized and annotated primary sources as well as historical context, guided questions, further readings, and social studies standards!

• More complete, recently revised Oregon History instructional units: these do not require a trip to the museum but you can go (OHS offers free admission & buses!)

2.  Oregon OER Commons (K-12) 

• A public digital library of open, Oregon Social Science educational resources (free, fast sign-up required), also consider joining the specific hub: Oregon Social Science

3. Oregon Black Pioneers (K-12)

• Elementary, Middle, and High School Units and Lesson Plans

• National and local scope: 

  • Powerful K-12 Black History Framework (Dr. Lagarrett J. King)

  •  Black-led racial justice activism & interactive timeline in the United States from the 1950s to today (Brown University)

  • History Day winning student work: Racism in Portland: Redlining, Zoning, and Restrictive Covenants (Lewis and Rosen from ACCESS Academy)

4. Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education (K-12)

• Lesson plans/resources: Lots to choose from in a variety of learning experiences and formats.

• 3rd grade: From Near and Far: Jewish Americans and the Making of Portland (Pittock Mansion Educators)

5. Five Oaks Museum Classroom Resources (4-12)

• DISplace: Hawaiians in the Pacific Northwest (grade 6 or high school U.S. History)

• Stand Up Forest Grove: Latinx student activism in the Willamette Valley (secondary)

• This IS Kalapuyan Land (Portland metro local Indigenous history and arts (Grade 4, 6, and/or 8)

6. LGBTQ+ Resources

• Hidden Voices LGBTQ+ Stories in US History (NYC Dept of Edu)

• Resource Guide & Lessons: Transgender Rights and Identities (Choices - Brown Univ)

• #WontBeErased source analysis lessons (Choices - Brown Univ)

7. Latino/a/x Resources (K-12)

• “Latinos in Oregon: An Essay” (Oregon Historical Society, Garcia, 2012)

  • Latinos in Oregon - High School Instructional Unit: An overview on the presence, influence, and stories of Oregon's Latino community (OER Commons)

• Hispanic & Latinx Culture (El Hispanic News and Travel Oregon, 2023)

• Mexican-American history in the United States and the social activism of Chicanx artists as seen through screenprints (OER Commons)

• Latino Network (Local Latino-led education organization, grounded in culturally-specific practices and services, check out La Plaza Esperanza in Gresham!)

8. Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JAMO) (High School)

• The Hood River Incident (post WW2)- Racism & Reconciliation: Critical Analysis of Primary Source Documents (JAMO, 2023)

• A Forgotten Community: An interactive digital Story Map; 20 different locations across Portland’s Japanese community, especially Northwest Portland known as Japantown—Nihonmachi, in Japanese—in the early 1900s (JAMO, 2023)

•  2024 Minoru Yasui Student Contest for middle and high school students: an art contest for youth 10-18 years old: What does an ideal democracy look like to you? What is a challenge (or challenges) to achieving your vision for democracy, and what can be done to overcome it? Submission deadline: March 1, 2024 (submission form to come in January)

• Add'l resources: 

  • National Veterans Network & Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Curriculum for Elementary and Middle School Students

  • Japanese American Incarceration in World War II (Free unit from Brown University)

9. Portland Chinatown Museum (Upper elementary - high school)

• Chinatown Live! Oral History Collection: More than 40 oral history recordings of Portland Chinatown elders since 2000. 

• 3rd grade: From Near and Far: Jewish Americans and the Making of Portland (Pittock Mansion Educators)

10. Women's Studies

• Women & the American Story (WAMS): free curriculum from the New-York Historical Society; connects educators with classroom resources that illuminate diverse women’s contributions to the American past (1492-2001).

• History Day winning student work: Lola Baldwin: Breaking Barriers, Empowering Equality (Chan, Gaston, Wong, and Yu from Sunset High School)

11. Disability History and Studies

• Brown University Resource Guide: Lesson plans and resources on how to teach disability history, how to incorporate the ideas and methods of disability studies into history and social studies classrooms, and how to teach any subject while keeping questions of accessibility and anti-ableism in mind.

Teacher-Crowdsourced Supplementary (and free!) Social Sciences Resources for MESD teachers

• Check out this vetted list of strong resources (relevant for K-12) all of which were shared by classroom teachers

Additional Ethnic Studies Resources & Grounding (ODE & NCSS)

• Ethnic Studies Themes and Possible Essential Questions (ODE)

• Reference Guide: Tribal History/Shared History, Holocaust and Other Genocides, and Ethnic Studies and Inclusive Education (ODE)

• Ethnic Studies (HB2845/HB2023)

• Ethnic Studies Library Book List and Resources (ODE)

• Recommended Supplemental Texts - Ethnic Studies (ODE)

• Racial Justice Text Tool - An Anti-Racist Educators Tool to Select Materials for Class Use (ODE)

• Racial Literacy: A Position Statement of National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS, 2023)

Educator Night @ the Historical Society: Join us on August 15, 4-6pm, for an educator happy hour at OHS! This special event for educators and administrators will provide information and materials about school tours, Oregon History Day, free standards-aligned curriculum, and digital resources for students. Enjoy complimentary appetizers, beer and wine, and the chance to win a Pendleton Blanket! Please see the attached flyer or visit ohs.org/events/educator-night to learn more.

 2024 Pacific Northwest History Conference, October 18 and 19, in Portland. The conference has an amazing array of northwest history sessions (see the conference program for descriptions), and will also feature educator workshops and special events. 

More Summer and Fall opportunities coming soon! 😎 🧠