Unlocking Alcatraz – Indian Occupation
UBD (Understanding By Design)
	
Desired Results	
Goals of the Program	

Students will...

•	Enrich their understanding of a place through inquiry.
•	Experience National Parks as places for learning and recreation and develop a personal connection with their local National Parks. 
•	Learn about the Indian Occupation of Alcatraz, 1969-1971, as a critical influence in American social protest and the Civil Rights movement.
	
Transfer	

•	Analyze and synthesize primary and secondary documents.
•	Engage in an informed and reasoned discussion of the relationship between civil rights and civil disobedience.
	
Meaning	

Essential Question:

Does our democracy support activism or does activism support our democracy?

Enduring Understandings: Students will understand that... 

•	Individuals and/or groups who speak out against laws and/or commonly held beliefs have faced consequences throughout US history and continue to do so.
•	Historical interpretation is influenced by one's perspective.
•	Local history enriches and challenges our perception of the national narrative.
•	National Parks belong to all of us and each of us can play a part in their preservation and protection.

	
Acquisition	

Students will know...

•	The historical context in which the American Indian Occupation took place.
•	The importance of the American Indian Occupation as a foundation for ongoing protests and legal battle of all people seeking equality.
•	Political strategies and actions used during the Occupation to promote unity among Native Americans.
•	Government strategies and actions to end the Occupation.

Students will be able to...

•	Analyze primary sources, DVD to explain how the Alcatraz Occupation unfolded.
•	Determine how the rhetoric of the Occupation contributed to public support.
•	Synthesize information and opinions about the Occupation to write an argument supporting a specific claim using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence
	
Evidence	

Students will show their learning by...

Examine, question, and interpret primary and secondary sources to explain the different points of views and beliefs of individuals and groups during the American Indian Occupation.

-Create a critical argument, poem, or spoken word in response to:
•	Would you consider the American Indian Occupation on Alcatraz to be a success or a failure?

Or 

-Write an informative/explanatory essay or spoken word addressing:
•	What are the similarities between a political protest that has occurred during your lifetime and the American Indian Occupation on Alcatraz?

Students will use evidence gathered through documents and the place-based activity on Alcatraz.

	
CA History – Social Studies Content Standards	

Chronological and Spatial Thinking
•	Evaluate the consequences of past events and decisions.

Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View
1.	Students identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations.

4. Students construct  and test hypotheses; collect, evaluate, and employ information from multiple primary and secondary sources; and apply it in oral and written presentations.

Historical Interpretation
1. Students show the connections between particular historical events and larger trends and developments.

2. Students interpret past events and issues within the context on which an event unfolded.

12.2. Students evaluate and take and defend positions on the scope and limits of rights and obligations as democratic citizens.

12.3. Students evaluate and take and defend positions on what the fundamental values and principles of civil society are for a free society.
-Explain how civil society makes it possible for people to bring their influence to bear on government in ways other than voting and elections.

12.10. Students formulate questions about and defend their analyses of tensions within our constitutional democracy and the importance of maintaining a balance between: liberty and equality; civil disobedience and the rule of law.