Using Indigenous Social Justice Models to Inspire Students

Lynn Gallo

This unit is designed for EL middle school students, but could be modified for upper elementary grades and high school students. Students will learn about the concept of false narratives and how that applies to the founding of the United States as it pertains to Native people. They will also study Indigenous social activism events in the 20th and 21st centuries, which they will use as a model for effecting change in the school community and for themselves. Students will make both oral and written observations about class readings and documentaries on the Google online journaling application Journey, which is compatible with Chromebooks and is available as an Android and iOS app. Students may also download audio and video files, as well as pictures, and incorporate those on their Journey postings. The goal of this unit is for students to realize that they can control the narratives surrounding themselves, and to study and apply Indigenous models of civic engagement to their daily lives and to causes or issues they hold dear.

Learning objectives include SL.8.5 , WHST.6-8.7, Colonial’s ELA standards, and WIDA’s English Language Development standards.