Tag Archives: memorials

2022 Vol 1: Exploring Memory and Race in America

Exploring Race and Memory in America: The Power of our Art

Tam Hawk, 6th Grade Social Studies, Albemarle Road Middle School

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Click on the arrow to read the Synopsis.

 Synopsis: The word “history” comes from the Greek word “historia” and means inquiry as in the act of seeking knowledge. Questioning the narratives told throughout history, in part, through memorials and monuments is important to understand the true history as well as the different perspectives which are told. Whose story is it? Whose stories are correct? What multiple perspectives can be valid? When the phrase “her story” was introduced as an alternative for his-story, many people thought that was ridiculous, but, in truth, we should ask questions about what is told in historical narratives. What can memorials past and present tell us about history? How has iconoclasm impacted what we know about historical facts? “The destruction, removal and re-interpretation of monuments has drawn the world’s attention and they have often been flash points for intense political and social debate as public symbols of white supremacy.”1 This quote expresses the importance of memorials and monuments and their impact on society, past and present. Art and architecture were important in ancient civilizations because it showed the power, beauty and wealth of a civilization. Art & Architecture reflected the values of ancient civilizations, just as it does today. Memorials and monuments are important for city landscapes because they keep past events alive and reflect the values of that society. 

2022 Vol 1: Exploring Memory and Race in America

The Monuments and Memorials of Mass Incarceration and Segregation through the Lens of If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

Sarah Wallace, 9th Grade English, Hopewell High School

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Click on the arrow to read Synopsis.

Synopsis: In this unit, students will read the novel If You Come Softly by Jacqueline
Woodson while focusing on the importance of memory and memorialization. Students will
complete anticipation activities that research African-American and Jewish history, the
racial groups that are represented by the protagonists of the novel. Students will explore
how each racial group’s history continues to have an impact on current events and the
characters in the novel. Students will be asked to consider how history is taught to them and
what they do and do not learn in a standard history class. The curriculum unit will include
anticipatory material to be used before starting the novel, materials to supplement a nuanced
discussion of the beginning of the novel, a project to enhance student understanding of
characterization at the end of the novel, and finally a project that asks students to reflect on
the historical implications of the racial groups that are represented in the novel. This unit
aligns with the North Carolina English Language Arts standards for grades 9 and 10.

2017 Vol 4: Memorials, Memories, and American Identity

Monuments and Memorials of the Marginalized “Off the Beaten Path”

Eboné Lockett, English, CATO Middle College HS

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

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2017 Curriculum Units Vol 4: Memorials, Memories, and American Identity

You Must Remember This: Monumental Biographical Studies and Crafting Multimodal Autobiographies

Lecia Shockley, Third Grade, Selwyn ES

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

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2017 Curriculum Units Vol 4: Memorials, Memories, and American Identity

Living Memorials to Spectacular Scientists, Engineers, and Mathematicians

Ted Miracle, Science, Devonshire ES

Curriculum Units (pdf)

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2017 Curriculum Units Vol 4: Memorials, Memories, and American Identity

History Repeating Itself: Looking at Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina and What It Means Today

Nicole Boyd, Fifth Grade, Dilworth ES

Curriculum Units (pdf)

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