Responding to a growing demand for global curriculum, Link TV (www.linktv.

org), an
independent television channel dedicated to presenting diverse international
perspectives, is proud to launch the Global Link of World Educators (GLOWE) pilot
initiative. The GLOWE project uses Link TV programming to develop global cultural
understanding and media literacy. All media is delivered free of charge, online
(www.linktv.org/teachers) or via DVD, and accompanied by standards-based,
participatory learning guides. To contact us: teachers@linktv.org

One Nation – Lesson plan modules for grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12

LESSON #1: A COUNTRY OF IMMIGRANTS

GRADES: 3-5
SUBJECT AREA: GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY

LEARNING GOAL grades 3-5: How has immigration shaped our country?

LESSON #2: AMERICA’S PROMISES KEPT?

GRADES: 6-8
SUBJECT AREA: HISTORY, CIVICS

LEARNING GOAL grades 6-8: How does U.S. history reflect the promise of justice and
equality for all?

LESSON #3: A NATION CHALLENGED

GRADES: 9-12
SUBJECT AREA: U.S. HISTORY

LEARNING GOAL grades 9-12: Where do current misperceptions about Islam and
Muslim Americans come from? How does current U.S. policy impact Muslim
Americans?

Overview: This 4 minute video, produced by the One Nation organization, is a call for tolerance and citizen
engagement. Pointing to discrimination and troubling perceptions of Muslims post 9/11, the film reminds viewers
that the United States is a country of immigrants…and that today, as in times past, we must all work to ensure
that our country fulfils its promise of liberty and justice for all.
Prerequisite Knowledge: NONE

This lesson plan created by Jayeesha Dutta, co-director of Youth in Focus and co-
founder of Mind Power Collective
 LESSON #1: A COUNTRY OF IMMIGRANTS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL [GR. 3-5]

SUBJECT AREA: GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY

LEARNING GOAL grades 3-5: How has immigration shaped our country?

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Online media (http://www.linktv.org/teachers) computer with internet access, projector or
SMARTboard, Map Handout, Fast Facts Handout (may need to be read aloud by teacher),
markers, pencils.
Access to computer; or dictionary, almanac and encyclopedia.

TIME NEEDED: 2 CLASS SESSIONS, or 1 CLASS SESSION AND 2 NIGHTS HOMEWORK

STEP 1: PRE-SCREENING HOMEWORK OR DO-NOW [45 minutes-1 hour]

VOCABULARY: Ask students to define the following terms

Equality, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Immigrant, Immigration, Justice

GEOGRAPHY: Find and label locations on the map handout

On the map of world continents find and label Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North
America.

STEP 2: VIEW “ONE NATION” DVD [4 minutes]

SUGGESTED VIEWING HINTS:

- As there is no narration to the video, students’ reading may be slower than screen time
of many important messages. We suggest an adult narrate the words as they appear on
the screen.
- Ask students to take notes around any terms they don’t understand.

STEP 3: Q & A: CONTEXT SETTING [10-15 minutes]

ALLOW 5-10 MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT FILM—TIPS:

- You can read the Fast Facts sheet to the class before the Q & A.
- You can use the Fast Facts sheet as a reference guide for the Q & A.
- Go over all of the vocabulary words as review during this time.

DISCUSS SOME, OR ALL OF, THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

- Who are immigrants? Why have people immigrated to the United States over time?
- Do you know why your ancestors, or family, came to this country?
- Do you know how and where your ancestors, or family, first came to the U.S.?
- Where is Ellis Island and what is its role in our country’s history?
- Who are recent immigrants to our country?
- Which countries do Muslim American immigrants come from? Why do you think they
have come to this country?
- Why do you think Muslim American immigrants are sometimes treated badly?
 - What do you think we can do to prevent this kind of treatment of our neighbors?
- What does freedom mean to you? What kind of freedom is important to you?
- What do justice and equality mean to you?

STEP 4: TRACING THE PATHS OF OUR ANCESTORS [15-20 minutes]

STUDENTS TRACING THE PATHS OF THEIR ANCESTORS

- Using the map handout, ask each student to trace the immigration path of his/her
ancestors, pencil first, and go over their path with a marker.
o Ensure they mark “starting point”/s and “ending point”/s.
- If students aren’t sure where their families came from, help them think through and
coach them into a general geographic area. If this proves difficult, just say, “OK, well
then, let’s imagine your family is from _________.”
- Once students have completed their maps, ask them to share their stories with a
partner.

STEP 5: SHARING THE PATHS OF OUR ANCESTORS [10-15 minutes]

GALLERY WALK
Place all the students maps on the walls, or lay out on desks. Have students walk around with
their partners and a notebook to document things they find interesting.
- What do they SEE in these paths?
- What do they THINK these paths might show?
- What do they WONDER about these paths?

FINAL CLOSING CIRCLE

Most of our ancestors came here from distant shores and found America to be place of
freedom to make their homes. How can we help our Muslim American friends, neighbors and
fellow citizens have those same freedoms?

EXTENSION: DOCUMENTING THE PATHS OF OUR ANCESTORS [WILL VARY]

Have students go home and interview their family members to create an essay about their
family’s journey to America. This could even include photographs, primary and secondary
source research, or artifacts from their family’s journey to this country.
 World Continents

160°W 140°W 120°W 100°W 80°W 60°W 40°W 20°W 0° 20°E 40°E 60°E 80°E 100°E 120°E 140°E 160°E
80°N

Arctic Circle

60°N

40°N

Tropic of Cancer

20°N

Equator

20°S
Tropic of Capricorn

40°S W E

S km 0 1000 2000

mi 0 1000 2000
60°S
Antarctic Circle

80°S
 McREL NATIONAL STANDARDS

Grades K-4 History – Standard 5. Understands the causes and nature of movements of large
groups of people into and within the United States, now and long ago

[Grade: 3-4] Level II, 3. Understands the experience of immigrant groups (e.g.,
where they came from, why they left, travel experiences, ports of entry and immigration
screening, the opportunities and obstacles they encountered when they arrived; changes that
occurred when they moved to the United States)

Grades 3-5 Geography— Standard 3. Understands the characteristics and uses of spatial
organization of Earth's surface

[Grades 3-5] Level II, 2. Understands the spatial organization of places through such
concepts as location, distance, direction, scale, movement, and region
 LESSON #2: AMERICA’S PROMISES KEPT?
MIDDLE SCHOOL [GR. 6-8]

SUBJECT AREA: HISTORY, CIVICS

LEARNING GOAL grades 6-8: How does U.S. history reflect the promise of
justice and equality for all?

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Online media (http://www.linktv.org/teachers) computer with internet access, projector or
SMARTboard, Fast Facts Handouts, markers, pencils. Access to computer; or dictionary,
almanac and encyclopedia.

TIME NEEDED: 2 CLASS SESSIONS, OR 1 CLASS SESSION AND 2 NIGHTS HOMEWORK

STEP 1: VIEW “ONE NATION” DVD [4 minutes]

SUGGESTED VIEWING HINTS:

- You may want to point out the events for the timeline activity (below) as the images are
on screen. Alternatively, you may want to show the video twice ~ once without any
interruption, once asking students to speak up when they see instances of the timeline
events.
- Ask students to take notes around any terms they don’t understand.

STEP 2: POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION [20 minutes]

HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR A POST-SCREENDING DIALOGUE:

What do you think the film means by “Promises not always fulfilled”? What are the promises?

How has America kept its promises? How has it broken them?

Who do you think is suffering from “unfulfilled promises” today? Why? What can we do about
it?

STEP 3: POST-SCREENING HOMEWORK OR DO-NOW [45 minutes-1 hour]

Ask students to create a timeline spanning 1900 to today, with a short description of the
event and a personal reflection on the impact on American history.

- Women’s Suffrage
- World War II: Japanese Internment
- Assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement and passage of the Voting Rights Bill
- Passage of the USA Patriot Act
 STEP 4: PROMISES KEPT: BEYOND THE HEROES (45 minutes-1 hour or homework)

Ask students if they know any everyday heroes: Why are they important? Why don’t we hear
more about them? Who do you know who is an everyday hero?

Ask students to watch the following films:

“Calligraffiti,” a 60 second profile of Seattle peace activist and artist, Brandon Blake, who works
with Islamic calligraphy to build bridges between peoples.
http://www.linktv.org/onenation2007/films/view/106

"Healing Our Community," tells the story of a free health clinic in Los Angeles started by UCLA
Muslim students 10 years ago and serves mostly African Americans and Latinos in East LA.
http://www.linktv.org/onenation2007/films/view/213

"The Teacher,” a 60-second short film profiling a physics teacher, who is Muslim, in a Dallas
suburb. http://www.linktv.org/onenation/films/view/444

“The Green Blue Sea,” a profile of young Muslim scuba diver and budding environmentalist,
living in southern California. http://www.linktv.org/onenation/films/view/384

“Tahani,” a profile of a young Palestinian-American spoken word artist who uses her voice to
fight against injustice. http://www.linktv.org/onenation2007/films/view/208

“Most Improved Swimmer,” a young, female, Iranian immigrant struggles with her desire to
swim in her college coed swimming pool. http://www.linktv.org/onenation/films/view/410

Have students select one film/person and write a reflection on why they think that person is an
everyday hero, and how they think they, too, can be everyday heroes.

The One Nation online film contest (www.linktv.org/onenation) includes a number of films that
feature “everyday heroes.” To continue the discussion around civic engagement ("everyday
heroes"), you can encourage students with computer/internet access at home or school to
browse through the One Nation films.
 McREL NATIONAL STANDARDS

HISTORY: Historical Understanding

Standard 1.
Level III [Grade: 6-8]
Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns
Standard 2.
Level II [Grade: 5-6]
Level III [Grade: 7-8]
Understands the historical perspective

CIVICS
Standard 9.
Level III [Grade: 6-8]
Understands the importance of Americans sharing and supporting certain values, beliefs,
and principles of American constitutional democracy
 LESSON #3: A NATION CHALLENGED
HIGH SCHOOL [GR. 9-12]

SUBJECT AREA: U.S. HISTORY, CIVICS

LEARNING GOAL grades 9-12: Where do current misperceptions about Islam
and Muslim Americans come from? How does current U.S. policy impact Muslim
Americans?

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Online media (http://www.linktv.org/teachers) computer with internet access, projector or
SMARTboard, Fast Facts Handouts, markers, pencils. Access to computer; or dictionary,
almanac and encyclopedia.

TIME NEEDED: 2 CLASS SESSIONS & 2 NIGHTS HOMEWORK

STEP 1: PRE-SCREENING HOMEWORK OR DO-NOW [45 minutes-1 hour]

Ask students to look up and define the following federal policies:

Civil Rights Act of 1871, Fair Employment Act of 1941, Executive Order 11478[2], Civil Rights
Act of 1964[3], Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, Civil Rights Act of 1968, Civil
Rights Act of 1991, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Executive Order 13166, USA Patriot
Act

STEP 2: VIEW “ONE NATION” DVD [4 minutes]

SUGGESTED VIEWING HINTS:

- Ask students to take notes around any terms they don’t understand.

STEP 3: POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION [20 minutes]

What do you think is the message of this film?

From your homework, what policies do you think have helped in creating conditions for equality
and justice?

Which ones have hurt or hindered creating conditions for justice and equality?

Which policies protect or limit the rights of Muslim Americans today? How does the USA
Patriot Act affect civil rights of Americans in general, and Muslim Americans in particular?

STEP 4: A NATION CHALLENGED: ACTION RESEARCH [HW & 2nd CLASS]

REVIEW STATISTICS REVEALED IN THE FILM:

- 45% of Americans view Muslims as violent. – Pew Research Center, June 2006
 - 39% of Americans favor requiring Muslims to carry special identification “as a means of
preventing terrorist attacks in the U.S.” – USA Today/Gallup Poll, July 2006

- 25% of Americans would support mass detentions of Muslims after another 9/11 –
Newsweek, July 2007

A. ASK STUDENTS TO USE THE ABOVE STATISTICS TO CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW

WITH THREE PEOPLE FOR HOMEWORK.

Questions for interview can be written by students, or the following suggestions can be used:

Remember to read the statistics to the person you are interviewing. You can also refer to the
Fast Fact sheets during your interviews.

Why do you think people have such negatives feeling about Muslim Americans?

What have you seen on television about Muslim Americans (in the news, or on shows
like “24”)? What role does the media play in creating or reinforcing misperceptions
about Muslim Americans?

If you are not Muslim, what do you know about Islam and where did you learn about
Islam?

How can we change people’s perceptions about Muslim Americans?

What will you do to help change people’s perceptions about Muslim Americans?

B. ASK STUDENTS TO BRING BACK THEIR INTERVIEW “DATA” TO CLASS.

Break students up into trios or quads to compare their interview data. Groups needs to come
up with the following:

Common themes

Common solutions

Common commitments

C. HAVE EACH GROUP SHARE THEIR COMMONALITIES, DOCUMENT ON CHART

PAPER OR BOARD.

D. FINAL REFLECTIVE CONVERSATION

What are some changes we want to see in how Muslim Americans are treated?

What can we do to encourage this change?

How can we start right now?

For a collection of articles on the USA Patriot Act and civil rights, see:

http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/civil_rights_and_the_patri
ot_act/
 McREL NATIONAL STANDARDS

U.S. HISTORY
Standard 28. Understands domestic policies in the post-World War II period
Level IV [Grade: 9-12]

Standard 29.
Level IV [Grade: 9-12]
Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil
liberties

Standard 31. Understands economic, social, and cultural developments in the

contemporary United States

CIVICS
Standard 11. Understands the role of diversity in American life and the importance of
shared values, political beliefs, and civic beliefs in an increasingly diverse American
society
Level IV [Grade: 9-12]
1.
Knows how the racial, religious, socioeconomic, regional, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of
American society has influenced American politics through time
2.
Knows different viewpoints regarding the role and value of diversity in American life
3.
Knows examples of conflicts stemming from diversity, and understands how some
conflicts have been managed and why some of them have not yet been successfully
resolved
4.
Knows why constitutional values and principles must be adhered to when managing
conflicts over diversity
5.
Knows beliefs that are common to American political culture (e.g., belief in equality of
opportunity; mistrust of power, as well as high expectations of what elected officials and
government should do; the need to admit to faults or shortcomings in the society; the
belief that social, economic, or political problems can be alleviated through collective
effort)
6.
Knows how shared ideas and values of American political culture are reflected in various
sources and documents (e.g., the Bill of Rights, The Federalist and Anti-federalist writings,
Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points," Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from the
Birmingham Jail," landmark decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States)