Grades/Level: High School (9–12)
Subjects: Visual Arts, English–Language Arts, History–Social Science
Time Required: 3–5–Part Lesson
3 class periods, plus independent research
Author: J. Paul Getty Museum Education Staff

Permissions:
The lesson plan and downloadable materials on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Lesson Overview

Students will create a timeline outlining various groups' struggles for equal opportunity and create a 30-second radio or video public service announcement (PSA).

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:
• research and construct a timeline to contextualize Dorothy Lange's Pledge of Allegiance, Rafael Weill Elementary School, San Francisco within the history of the struggle of African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans for equal opportunity;
• create a 30-second radio or video public service announcement (PSA) for middle school students.

Materials

• Reproduction of Pledge of Allegiance, Rafael Weill Elementary School, San Francisco by Dorothea Lange
• Reproduction of Display of Flag and Japanese Family Photographs by Dorothea Lange
• Background Information and Questions for Teaching about the photographs (click on the thumbnails of the photographs below)
• Copies of the article "S.F. Clear of All But 6 Sick Japs", published in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 21, 1942, and available on the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco Web site
• PowerPoint software (optional)
• Student Handout: The Japanese in California
• Student Handout: Civil and Human Rights Violations in Our Times
• Three or more examples of PSAs prerecorded from TV or radio or viewed on or downloaded from the Teaching Tolerance Web site
• Video camera
• Tripod
• Microphone
• Clip light
• Digital recording equipment or tape recorder with audiocassettes

Lesson Steps

Download the complete lesson by clicking on the "download this lesson" icon above.

Glossary Terms:
Words in bold on these pages and in the lesson are defined in the glossary for this curriculum (see "For the Classroom" links above).

Standards Addressed

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts

Grades 9–12

WRITING
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.


For more national and California state standards for this curriculum, refer to the charts found in the links at the top right of this page.