Middle School Lesson Plans
Lesson plan created by Stephen Sobocinkski
Grade Level: 7–8
Students will analyze primary sources excerpted from the series “Caste in America.” This lesson plan utilizes a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) model to address the question, “Is caste important in determining social relationships?”
Lesson plan created by Breanne Mannes
Grade Level: 7–8
Students will research and analyze three landmark Supreme Court cases, Ozawa v. United States, United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, and United States v. Wong Kim Ark, and their implications for the 14th Amendment right of birthright citizenship.
Lesson plan created by Liz Lestrange
Grade Level: 6–8
Students will learn about Executive Order 9066 and the Japanese American incarceration camps during WWII. This lesson plan includes a gallery walk activity with a corresponding graphic organizer.
Lesson plan created by James Tan
Grade Level: 5–7
Students will learn about the history of European colonization and Manifest Destiny, then compare and contrast this to U.S. colonization of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. This lesson plan includes a slide deck, political cartoon analysis, and guided discussion questions.
Lesson plan created by Sulynn Miao, Teach Asian American Stories
Grade Level: 6–8
Connie Chung was the first woman to co-anchor CBS Evening News and the first Asian American to anchor a major American newscast. This Roots & Routes lesson plan explores the theme of intersectionality and the dual racism and sexism that Connie experienced in the news industry, as well as the significance of representation.
Lesson plan created by Sulynn Miao, Teach Asian American Stories
Grade Level: 6–8
New Jersey is made up of several Asian American ethnoburbs, which are suburban neighborhoods where ethnic communities have formed. This Roots & Routes lesson plan explores why New Jersey’s ethnoburbs are a popular migration destination and includes a media analysis activity.
Lesson plan created by Sulynn Miao, Teach Asian American Stories
Grade Level: 6–8
Sana Amanat co-created the Marvel character, Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani American Muslim girl from New Jersey—just like Sana. This Roots & Routes lesson plan includes reading and analysis activities of the graphic novel, Ms. Marvel.
Lesson plan created by Sulynn Miao, Teach Asian American Stories
Grade Level: 6–8
In 1870, a group of Chinese laborers migrated to Belleville, New Jersey to work at the Passaic Steam Laundry factory, establishing the first-ever Chinese community on the East Coast. This Roots & Routes lesson plan includes media and primary source analysis.
Lesson plan created by Sulynn Miao, Teach Asian American Stories
Grade Level: 6–8
Starting in the 1880s, Bengali Muslim merchants established a thriving network, traveling between West Bengal and the beach towns of New Jersey to sell handicrafts. This Roots & Routes lesson plan includes textual analysis and a migration mapping activity.
