Key Concepts: Reparations, Redlining, Gerrymandering
Below is a 3 lesson unit plan that is designed to work together in explaining the three concepts about. Although this unit plan is designed to teach each concept together, the sources, performance task, and staging activity can be modified to work as stand-alone lessons.
8th grade standard(s):
8.2.8 - Explain ways that citizens can participate in the election process (political parties, campaigns, and elections) at the national, state, and local levels.
8.2.7 - Explain the importance of responsible participation by citizens in voluntary civil organizations to bring about social reform.
8.3.8 - Analyze human and physical factors that have influenced migration and settlement patterns and relate them to the economic development of the United States.
8.4.9- Examine the importance of borrowing and lending (the use of credit) in the United States economy and list the advantages and disadvantages of using credit.
US History standard(s):
USH 7.6 - Identify the problems confronting different minorities during this period of economic and social change and describe the solutions to these problems.
USH 8.1 - Explain the significance of social, economic and political issues during the period 1980 to the present and how these issues affected individuals and organizations.
USH 10.3 - Analyze multiple, unexpected, and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
Inquiry Design Model - 3 Day Unit
Compelling Question: What concepts do I need to know to better understand racism and discrimination in America?
8th grade & US History:
To stage the activity we suggest writing the definitions of reparations, redlining, and gerrymandering on the board.
Provide students with time to read each definition. Following this, give students access to three different colored Post-it notes, designating one specific color to one specific definition. Ask students to write down questions, thoughts, and examples that come to mind for each definition and place them on the board.
Definitions:
Redlining: A discriminatory practice in which services are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous" to investment; these neighborhoods have significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities and low-income residents. - Oxford Dictionary
Gerrymandering: The act of changing the size and borders of an area for voting in order to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election. - Oxford Dictionary
Reparations: Reparations seek to acknowledge violations that were committed against a group of people, to repair the damage done by these violations, and to identify the root causes of the violations to prevent them from occurring again in the future. Reparations are generally issued by the government or group that is responsible for the violations. - International Center for Transitional Justice
Supporting Questions:
What are reparations?
What is redlining?
What is gerrymandering?
Featured Documents & Sources
Suggested Performance Tasks
8th Grade & U.S. History:
We suggest preparing a station activity with different instances in US History when reparations were awarded. Linked is an NYT article providing examples of times when reparations were awarded and why they were awarded. Students can complete the stations at their own pace, answering the questions on the graphic organizer as they go.
8th Grade:
We suggest using the Mapping Inequality Site, to analyze the maps of large cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit. Provide students with a worksheet to complete as you look at each city.
US History:
We suggest using the Mapping Inequality site for US History as well. Break the students into 4-6 groups and allow them to choose different city maps to analyze. Have students explain their findings to the class at the end of the period, allowing each group to present.
*Explain that the online mapping inequality website is the exact language used by the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) to define the different neighborhoods they would or would not lend to.
8th Grade & U.S. History:
We suggest letting students use the mini-golf game that highlights certain gerrymandered districts. After students complete the game and complete the graphic organizer, we recommend having a classroom discussion using the questions provided.
Summative Performance Task
Argument
8th Grade & U.S. History:
Students will be able to define each of these concepts and use them in the proper context, creating arguments for how each concept relates to the topic of racism and discrimination.
Extension
8th Grade & U.S. History:
Redlining - We suggest that students research if their community has been redlined in the past. In addition to this, students can research how redlining has taken other forms in the modern-day housing market.
Gerrymandering - We suggest having students look at their own districts to see how gerrymandering affects their communities. Students can research when their congressional districts were last redesigned, and by what party.
Reparations - We suggest that students research if there have been any reparations given in their state or local community from either the government or private organizations.
Taking Informed Action
8th Grade & U.S. History:
We suggest that students choose one of the above concepts to educate their community about. This can come in multiple forms. For example, participating in a petition for reparations in support of local community groups and their call to action, creating educational resources about modern-day tactics that mimic redlining in their city, petitioning Congress to redraw gerrymandered political maps, etc…