Multicultural studies also encompasses individuals who are considered social minorities. Social minority groups include the LGBTQIA community, and people with disabilities. The units within this cluster are designed to focus on a specific group. Students will explore the history, civil rights movements, and contemporary events concerning these groups. These units are designed to fulfill the social minority aspects of the new multicultural social studies standards for the state of Oregon.
Essential Question: What can we do to promote accessibility?
In this lesson, students will explore what it means to have a disability. They will learn about accessibility and accommodations necessary for those who live with specific disabilities. Students will read about each of the disability categories, document what they are, and then come up with accommodations people with those disabilities should have access to.
Lesson 2 - Accessibility in the Community
In this lesson, students will go out into their school to find examples of accessibility and accommodations for people with disabilities. The lesson will begin with examples of accommodations students with disabilities may need, and then students will brainstorm examples of accessibility they would expect to find in the community. Students will then spend time exploring their school and documenting examples of accommodations, as well as critiquing where areas could be improved.
Lesson 3 - Disability Civil Rights/Legislation
In this lesson, students will learn about how disability rights became law. In groups, students will focus on one out three key pieces of legislation that advanced civil rights for people with disabilities. These include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), IDEA, and Rosa's Law. While researching their chosen legislation, students will also be analyzing the political climate at the time of, and other civil rights events that may have been occurring along with their chosen legislation.
Lesson 4 - Representation of Disability in the Media
In this lesson, students will be taught how to be critical consumers of media, especially with how the media depicts people with disabilities. Students will research examples of media (movies, tv shows, books, etc) that features a character(s) with a disability. They will have to analyze the authenticity of the depiction. Do any of the creators behind the work experience the disability depicted? Does the actor portraying the disability actually have the disability? Is the disability driving the plot, or does the character just happen to have one?
Essential Question: How have laws and the interpretation of laws affected the LGBTQ community from the early 20th century to now?
Lesson 1 - Analyzing the 14th Amendment
The purpose of this lesson is to analyze the 14th Amendment and how it has been interpreted by the Supreme Court.
Lesson 2 - Analyzing the Bowers v. Hardwick Supreme Court Case
The purpose of this lesson is to analyze a Supreme Court ruling to show students how laws against LGBTQ people have evolved and shifted starting with a ruling which helped oust a social studies teacher from teaching due to his homosexuality.
Lesson 3 - Analyzing the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court Case
The purpose of this lesson is to analyze a Supreme Court ruling and analyze the biases and cultural norms associated with the decision.
Lesson 4 - Analyzing the Obergefell v. Hodges case
The purpose of this lesson is to analyze the Obergefell v.Hodges Supreme Court case, and learn how changing attitudes of the general population helped influence the Supreme Court's opinion.
Lesson 5 - The Equal Rights Amendment
The purpose of the lesson is to help students understand the evolution of the Supreme Court over the course of thirty years, and how this has lead to a renewed push for the Equal Rights Amendment.