Social Studies Lesson Plan

Overview: Students at Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts school for the deaf, made sure someone heard them — their Board of Trustees. After a solid month of protesting the choice of a president to take office in January, that group finally revoked her contract.

Suggested time allotment: One week to explore the rights of students and others to stage protests like this. One week to prepare an informative lesson about protests — what is and what is not legal — to the rest of the class.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Read background about this protest and others like it.
2. Explore current laws in the community and beyond concerning protests.
3. Present the findings to class through multi-media, oral reports or a debate.

Curriculum Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies: Thematic Strands, from “Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.”
• VI — Power, authority and governance. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance…. High school students develop their abilities in the use of abstract principles. They study the various systems that have been developed over the centuries to allocate and employ power and authority in the governing process. At every level, learners should have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to and participate in the workings of the various levels of power, authority, and governance.

• X – Civic ideals and practices. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic….High school students increasingly recognize the rights and responsibilities of citizens in identifying societal needs, setting directions for public policies, and working to support both individual dignity and the common good. They learn by experience how to participate in community service and political activities and how to use democratic process to influence public policy.

Resources and materials:
Web sites with information:
• The protests were successful as CNN.com reports Oct. 30, 2006 in “Gallaudet’s incoming president removed.”
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• Follow the chronological development of the protests through the coverage on NBC4 in Washington, D.C. Stories begin Oct. 7, 2006.
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• Bloggers — particularly deaf bloggers — played a large part in keeping the Gallaudet protest story alive. Melissa Block on National Public Radio, covered this on “All Things Considered,” Oct. 25, 2006, in “Blogs Capture, Amplify Gallaudet Protest.” The piece is by Joseph Shapiro.
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• The Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild has downloadable PDFs about with such titles as “Your Right to Demonstrate and Protest” and “Dealing with Police: General Guidelines for Activists.”
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• The American Civil Liberties Union also has a portion of its vast Web site that covers protester rights. One part is a downloadable pdf entitled, “Freedom Under Fire:Dissent in Post-9/11 America.” (12/8/2003)
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