“No Boundaries”

Mary McElhaney, 7th Grade, Mountain Island Lake Academy

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Synopsis

Students seem to have no real interest in the make-up or demographics of the cities they live in. Thankfully, this generation of young people is not as focused on boundaries and color divides as in past generations. If you were to have a conversation with a typical middle school student, most would attest that the same opportunities that exist for one group of people are open to all. This CU will challenge the idea that industries and financial entities no longer practice discriminatory procedures. The unit will be centrally focused on the practice of redlining and its origins, and can be taught as a standalone unit, as a larger unit combined with Word War II History or African American Studies, or as an additional resource in a general Science course. I plan to teach this unit during the coming year to 92 students in Mountain Island Lake Academy’s 7th grade Social Studies course.