Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.2, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read and summarize a text about how Asian American teens are standing up against racism.

Key Skills

summarizing, text features, vocabulary, cause and effect, interpreting text, compare and contrast, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text explains why discrimination against Asian Americans has recently increased and how three teens have worked to combat it. 

 

Structure: The article begins by explaining why anti-Asian hate incidents are on the rise, then it focuses on three teens who have taken action against it. 

 

Language: The text includes some challenging vocabulary, which is defined in the article and in the vocabulary box.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is necessary.

Levels

Lexile: 700-800L

Guided Reading Level: U 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: Taking a Stand Against Hate

Essential Questions

  • How can misinformation lead to prejudice and hate? 
  • What can one person do to fight injustice? 

Literature Connection

  • Graphic memoir: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei 

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the title and subtitle (the text below the title) of the article. How do you think teens can take a stand against hate? Sample answer: Teens can stand up to hate by organizing protests, starting anti-hate campaigns at their schools, or leading online or in-person discussions about how to identify and combat hateful acts and words. 
  • Read the names and titles (such as “The Activist”) of the teens featured in the article. Discuss what you think each title means. What questions do you have about each teen? Answers will vary. Sample answer: What does it mean to build community? How might it help fight discrimination against racial groups?

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box on page 4. Read the words (witnessed, descent, disturbing, stigma, cultures) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the article “Taking a Stand Against Hate” explains why some people unfairly blame Asian Americans for the Covid-19 pandemic and have treated them with violence and hate. Let them know that the article also describes how three different teens have worked to change these unfair views and stop the violence. 
  • Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the article, and tell students they’ll complete it after reading. Encourage them to briefly scan the questions and to keep them in mind as they read. 

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What did Ashlyn see that inspired her to plan a protest? (cause and effect) Ashlyn saw a news video of an 84-year-old Asian man being shoved to the ground. The man died from his injuries. 
  • What is disease stigma, and why is it a problem? (vocabulary) Disease stigma is when a certain group of people is blamed for an illness. When an idea like this takes hold, it can cause people to unfairly take out their fear and anger on others instead of looking for ways to protect themselves against the illness.  
  • Talking about how his feast helped bring people together, Ben Kim says, “It all goes back to seeing other people as people.” What do you think he means? When do we not see other people as people? (interpreting text) Ben means that it’s easy to put people into categories and forget that they’re actually individuals. When we take the time to get to know people of different backgrounds, it helps us remember that groups (ethnic, religious, economic) are made up of real people who have feelings and experiences a lot like our own. 

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • Based on what you learned about Ashlyn, YuYu, and Ben, what do the teens have in common? How were their approaches to combating anti-Asian hate different? What can their stories teach you about what it takes to make change? (compare and contrast) The teens are similar in that they were motivated by the injustice they saw around them, weren’t afraid to take action, and made meaningful change in their communities. Their approaches were different: Ashlyn organized protests, YuYu gave speeches, and Ben served food. The takeaway is that there is no one way to make change. We can each use our own talents to influence those around us in positive ways. 

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill activity at the end of the article.
  • Use our Summarizing Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
  • Writing prompt: Imagine that you’re a spokesperson for a youth group, and you’ve been chosen to present a leadership award to a deserving teen. Choose one of the teens from the article and write a short speech (just a few sentences) explaining why he or she deserves an award for leadership.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Create a Plan of Action

You can make a difference. But it takes planning.

To combat hate, each of the three teens in the article needed to make a plan. Ashlyn had to come up with a place to hold her protest and a way to let people know about it. YuYu had to research and write her speech. Ben had to figure out what ingredients he needed, get people to donate those ingredients, and get people to cook. 

Now it’s your turn. Think of a problem you’ve noticed in your school or community (such as prejudice, poverty, bullying, or pollution). Then think of something you can do to help solve the problem. Create your plan of action by completing the sentences below.

  • What’s stronger than _________________________? (Name the problem you’ve noticed.)
  • For me, it’s _________________________. (In one or two words, name the action you plan to take.)
  • I plan to help by _________________________. (Explain your plan in more detail.)
  • I will need _________________________. (List things you’ll need, such as money, office space, or volunteers.)
  • First, I will _________________________. (Write the first step you plan to take.)
  • Next, I will _________________________. (List the next steps in your plan.)

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