Summer School Week 2: Who Are Americans?

Dear Kiddos, 

With the recent Black Lives Matter movement sweeping the nation like a storm, I decided to focus our lessons this week on learning about who we are as the people of America. 

Goals

I wanted you guys to be able to: 

1. Understand that our country is very unique in that it is a country with a diverse population of citizens, but because of our history, many people have been treated unfairly. People today are still being treated unfairly.

2. Explain instances when people have spoken up for what is right and hopefully you will be able to speak up for what is right in your own lives

3. Relate how racism is like bullying in that some people have to feel like they are better than someone else to feel good about themselves. 

Addressing COLOR

I started out the whole lesson with a globe. Sharing about how different parts of the Earth get more intense sunlight than others and that melanin is something that our skin makes to help protect our skin from the sun. The more melanin you have, the more natural sunscreen you have.

I had you all look at the variation of skin tones in our family and explained how my grandparents' grandparents came from a place with medium intense light (Central China/Taiwan) and that Daddy's grandparents' grandparents came from a place with not very intense light (Germany and Poland). Then I pointed out how some of our friends have grandparents who come from countries even closer to the equator and have even darker skin. 

I didn't know where to start, so I looked towards the census to find that our population is categorized into 5 main racial groups. I made up a little graphing activity for each of you to complete and came up with some questions to get you thinking about the numbers. 

For example: The percentages that were reported were over 100, so we talked about how many people like us are a mixture of people from different parts of the world. That's sooo cool! 

Native Americans

We started out with the Native Americans, because they were here first...hence, the name. We talked about how people migrated from Asia over a land bridge that formed at the Bering Strait during the Ice age. I then had you guys look around the globe to find other straits. (Country fains, I know what you are thinking...)

We then looked at how different Native Americans built homes using the natural resources around them and over thousands of years, they became different tribes. We went to Alaska last year, so with that as a reference point, Auntie Momo taught you guys a little more about Totem poles and we all built a construction paper Totem pole together. She then had you guys write a story that the totem pole tells.

It was interesting how you guys included a bear, bird, sheep, emperor penguin and seal into the story.

We played Carcassonne to simulate the earlier Native Americans exploring new lands and settling in the New World. 

And then I had you guys gather natural resources from our back yard to make a shelter. You guys picked up a bunch of branches, vines, and big leaves. We would build the shelter on day 2. 

Ango/Europeans

On Day 2, we learned about what happened during the real Thanksgiving and how the white settlers arriving to the country affected the Native Americans who lived here. We talked about how some Native Americans like Squanto were captured as slaves, we talked about how the settlers brought a disease (like COVID-19) that killed millions of Native Americans. We talked about how peace treaties were made, but then later settlers completely ignored them. 

I made sure to point out how the person who eventually taught Squanto English did what he believed was right and sent Squanto back to his home. He could've kept Squanto as a slave, but he did the right thing. 

And then we ventured out to our back patio to make some shelter. We were like the Pilgrims trying to survive and settle in a new land. I gave you a challenge that it must fit inside the box lid and be able to let smoke out. 

We still have to cover it, but the frame is solid. There's even a little fireplace in the middle.

Blacks/Africans 

On Day 3, I had you both lay down next to each other and told you that you guys had to stay there for 1 hour. If you got hungry, too bad. If you needed to use the potty, too bad. After some rebellion and complaining, I announced that I was only kidding, but then immediately showed you this map of how slaves were transported in a ship. It was very different from our cruise experiences, to say the least! 

I piqued your interest by announcing that slaves were related to sugar and candy and then I had you guys watch a YouTube video over the triangular trade. We talked about how at first slaves were criminals, but when there were no more criminals to trade with the Europeans, the Africans started to wage war against each other to catch prisoners to trade with the Europeans. The video that we watched told us that much of the fighting and instability in the African nations today started back then. 

I then asked you both to pretend that you were a chief of an African tribe and some Europeans were here to trade guns for slaves.  What would be the right thing to do? 

After lunch we switched gears and we talked about the slave system in the US. We watched Brainpops about 3 people: Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Abraham Lincoln. All 3 of them spoke up against slavery because it was what they believed was right. 

We then role played different scenarios of what we could do in school where if we saw that someone was left out, or someone was being teased. I also reminded to Hannah that she can totally speak up for herself too. 

Chinese/Asian 

I started our lesson with a slideshow of where my Grandfather came from. I was fortunate to visit his birth place 10 years ago with my dad. Here is my dad sitting with a bunch of distant cousins of mine. My grandfather grew into a farming/landowning family. He had the opportunity to go to the city to get an education and then later joined the Chinese military. When the Communists took power, he was part of the group that rebelled and fought. When the Communists defeated the rebellion, the rebellion, along with my grandfather sought asylum in Taiwan. 

 My grandfather bought his family this land so that they can have a steady source of income. He didn't just give his family a fish, he taught them how to fish.

 I then showed you guys some pictures of their way of life.

 This is a storage room.

 This is the potty.

 This is the kitchen

With the only source of running water right outside. 

 

The walls were basically mud and straw.

 I hoped that you guys would be able to appreciate how hard it was for people to not have the modern technology and luxuries that we have from living in a first world country.

I then showed you guys some wedding pictures of Gong gong and Ama, about what they did when they immigrated to the US.

In the afternoon, we listened to a book  that explained the Transcontinental railroad. I tried to explain how unfair wages work with supply and demand, but I think it just went over your heads.

We talked about how many people got angry at the Chinese people for working for less pay that Chinese people were deported back to China unless they were business owners. Fun fact: This is a reason why there are so many Chinese restaurants today. I briefly talked about how unfairly the Chinese were treated, but we didn't go too much into detail.
We had chinese food for dinner that night.

Hispanics
On Friday I briefly reviewed how the 4 groups that we've been studying this week arrived to the US. Then, I showed you guys how another explorer from Spain came to Mexico and settled there. Over hundreds of years more people settled (and some mixed with the Native Americans who were already living there).

Having missed out on Texas history because I moved here during my Jr. year of high school, I decided to consult YouTube for a little bit of Alamo history. We then took a virtual tour of the Alamo grounds and fell into the YouTube hole and watched a few lego stop motion reenactments of the Battle of the Alamo.

We had chicken tacos for dinner. (totally unplanned, just a coincidence) 

In the afternoon, I had you guys work on a mosaic craft. First I passed out a bag of glass to each of you and had you design your stepping stone. 

 Then we went out to the garage to make the stepping stones.

 Let it sit overnight and then voila!

That evening I asked you guys the following question:
How was our craft project like America?
Hannah: There's concrete everywhere?
Nathan: No! It's made up of lots of colors.
Hannah: Oh, and we are made up of lot of different people.

I then added, like you guys each found something special about each piece of glass, everyone in the Earth is special and then I started singing:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children in the world.
Red, brown, yellow, black and white,
they are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Now we have the 3 colorful stepping stones at the front of our house to remind us how everyone is special!

Even though I have been considered a part of the model minorities, I've faced lots of discrimination and have had to put up with lots of people with racist stereotypes. I think this explains why Ias a kid, I avoided the asian crowd and now play roller derby. Because of having an the pressure of fitting into a particular stereotype, I rebelled and tried to prove to others that I was not a "typical" asian. I did it out of shame. I did it because I knew that being Asian didn't completely define who I was.

I shouldn't have felt that I needed to do that.

Now I know better and I'm proud of my heritage and I pray that you three will be able to grow into who you were created to be, apart from prejudices and fear of being judged by the world.

Love,
Mommy