Lesson Plan - Taking a Stand for Tolerance

About the Article

Learning Objective

Students will learn about three teens who are working to stop anti-Asian discrimination and then students will create public service announcements to promote tolerance and inclusion.

Curriculum Connections

• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

• Culture

• Covid-19 Pandemic

• Civics and Activism

Key Skills

Social Studies:

• Consider how culture, groups, and lived experiences shape personal identity

• Understand civic ideals and practices

• Study culture and cultural diversity

English Language Arts:

• Identify central ideas and key details

• Learn and use new vocabulary

• Write a message appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience

Key CCSS Standards

RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1

Essential Questions

  • How can people work together to improve their communities?
  • Why is it beneficial to learn about other cultures?
  • What are some ways people can stand up for what they believe in?

1. Preparing to Read

Download Teaching Strategies

Before teaching this article, download and review our Strategies for Teaching About Discrimination.

Engage and Build Vocabulary

Ask students to respond to this prompt: Describe a time you stood up for what you believe in. How did you decide what to do? What was the result? Discuss responses. Then use Words to Know to preteach domain-specific terms in the article.

2. Reading and Discussing

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. Direct them to underline or highlight three details that stand out to them.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• What do experts say has caused an increase in anti-Asian discrimination during the Covid-19 pandemic? (Cause and Effect)
Experts say one reason for the increase in anti-Asian discrimination is that some people are incorrectly blaming the pandemic on people of Asian descent, because the virus that causes Covid-19 was first identified in China. More than 2,400 attacks happened during the first three months of 2021.

• How has Ashlyn So used action, Ben Kim used kindness, and YuYu Yuan used truth to stand up to hate? (Key Details)
Ashlyn took action by organizing rallies against anti-Asian violence, circulating a petition to get Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) studies into her school district’s curriculum, and creating a line of hats to raise money. Ben used kindness by organizing a Lunar New Year feast for 70 people at a homeless shelter to help them learn about his Korean heritage. YuYu used truth by giving speeches to educate people about disease stigma and help people reject it.

• Reread the “How You Can Help” sidebar. Which suggestion do you think is the most effective way to promote tolerance? Why? (Evaluating Ideas)
Responses will vary.

3. Skill Building

Create Public Service Announcements

Use the Skill Builder Speak Up! to help students create PSAs that promote tolerance and inclusion. You might have them share their posters, videos, radio ads, or social media posts with their families and community.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.

Differentiate and Customize

For Struggling Readers: Briefly explain terms that students may be less familiar with, such as ranged, descent, compelled, rally, publicized, locally, empowering, circulating, curriculum, longevity, isolated, and empathize.

For Social and Emotional Learning: Develop students’ social awareness by discussing these questions: What strengths do each of the three teens have? How do you think each of them might feel about the work they are doing?

Printable Lesson Plan

Interactive Slide Deck

Text-to-Speech