8 Learning Outcomes for Ethnic Studies:

(1) Pursuit of justice and equity

(2) Working toward greater inclusivity

(3) Furthering self-understanding

(4) Developing a better understanding of others

(5) Recognizing intersectionality

(6) Promoting self-empowerment for civic engagement

(7) Supporting a community focus

(8) Developing interpersonal communication

English Goals (Extremely Simplified):

Reading - Informational

Reading - Literary

Writing - Informational

Writing - Argumentative

Writing - Creative, Journal, or Personal

Semester 1: Units (24 Weeks)

Unit 1: Identity and Community Building

Central Questions:

What shapes our identities, and how do they influence our place in the community?

How can we possibly move into the future if we don’t know our past and who we are?

Sample Key Texts:

Afrofuturism Focus: Excerpt from Black Panther (screenplay or film clip), N.K. Jemisin’s The Ones Who Stay and Fight, Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower (excerpts).

Core Identity Focus: "The Danger of a Single Story" (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), "Theme for English B" (Langston Hughes), "won’t you celebrate with me?" (Lucille Clifton).

English Overlap:

Reading: Informational & Literature

Writing: Creative, Journal, or Personal

Ethnic Studies Overlap:

(3) Furthering self-understanding

(4) Developing a better understanding of others

(7) Supporting a community focus

Unit 2: Intersectionality

Central Question:

How do our intersecting identities impact how we experience the world?

Sample Key Texts:

Excerpt from Kimberlé Crenshaw’s "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex"

The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)

Citizen (Claudia Rankine, excerpts)

English Overlap:

Reading: Literature

Writing: Informational & Argumentative

Ethnic Studies Overlap:

(1) Pursuit of justice and equity

(5) Recognizing intersectionality

(4) Developing a better understanding of others

Unit 3: Stereotyping, Media, and Protests – Oppression and Resistance

Central Question:

How do stereotypes and media shape our perceptions of ourselves and others, and how can we resist oppression?

Sample Key Texts:

Media & Stereotypes: Selected advertisements, So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo, excerpts).

Poetry & Protest: "We Wear the Mask" (Paul Laurence Dunbar), "Still I Rise" (Maya Angelou).

Historical & Rhetorical Resistance: "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (Martin Luther King Jr.), "The Ballot or the Bullet" (Malcolm X).

English Overlap:

Reading: Informational

Writing: Argumentative

Other: Speech Writing

Ethnic Studies Overlap:

(1) Pursuit of justice and equity

(2) Working toward greater inclusivity

(6) Promoting self-empowerment for civic engagement

(7) Supporting a community focus

Semester 2: Units (27 Weeks)

Unit 4: Resilience and Resistance – The Big Book Unit

Central Question:

How do storytelling and language preserve cultural identity and serve as acts of resistance?

Sample Key Texts (Teachers Choose 1-2 for Whole-Class Study):

We Are Not From Here (Jenny Torres Sanchez)

Indian Horse (Richard Wagamese)

Night (Elie Wiesel)

Maus (Art Spiegelman)

English Overlap:

Reading: Literature (Full-length novel)

Writing: Informative & Analytical

Ethnic Studies Overlap:

(3) Furthering self-understanding

(4) Developing a better understanding of others

(7) Supporting a community focus

Unit 5: Cultural Ownership and Storytelling

Central Question:

Who owns stories, and how do they shape identity and collective memory?

Sample Key Texts:

Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)

The Odyssey (Homer)

West Side Story (Film & Script)

Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave"

English Overlap:

Reading: Literature

Writing: Comparative & Analytical

Ethnic Studies Overlap:

(4) Developing a better understanding of others

(5) Recognizing intersectionality

(6) Promoting self-empowerment for civic engagement

Unit 6: Civic Discourse and Literacy Groups

Central Question:

How can literature and discussion foster civic engagement and personal growth?

Sample Key Texts (Student Choice – Organized by Theme):

Identity & Belonging: Bless Me, Ultima (Rudolfo Anaya), Crying in H Mart (Michelle Zauner)

Friendship & Love: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz), Frankly in Love (David Yoon)

Resilience & Overcoming Hardship: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie), Long Way Down (Jason Reynolds)

Revolution & Taking Control of One’s Story: Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi), Dear Martin (Nic Stone)

English Overlap:

Reading: Literature & Informational (Flexible for teacher/student needs)

Writing: Reflective & Creative

Ethnic Studies Overlap:

(3) Furthering self-understanding

(4) Developing a better understanding of others

(6) Promoting self-empowerment for civic engagement

(7) Supporting a community focus