Term
Fall 2018
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAEd
Facilitator(s)
Trish Harvey
Content Expert
Tom Goetz
Abstract
The research question addressed in this project was, how can teachers integrate absent narratives into their Manifest Destiny curriculum to better understand the experiences of people of color? It documents one teacher’s reasons for modifying a Manifest Destiny and Pre- Civil War unit in a mainstream, high school-level curriculum, that incorporates absent narratives of people of color negatively affected by American expansion. The author documents through research that many curriculum textbooks and standards do not adequately mention what happens to people of color when the U.S. takes over territory through expansion. The author includes research related to why absent narratives are important to any curriculum, putting it in the context of Critical Race Theory and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy as essential to understanding the experiences of people of color throughout history. Following the Understanding by Design curriculum process by Wiggins and McTighe, the redesign is based on students creating an artistic representation that showcases what they have learned in class and through their own research on how a certain group or groups became disadvantaged as a result of the U.S. achieving its goal of extending from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans. The author concludes that it is possible to successfully implement absent narratives into Manifest Destiny curriculum and beyond to allow students to better understand the experiences of people of color. While there are limitations related to curriculum time constraints and standards, it is in every educator’s best interest to integrate absent narratives where and whenever possible.
Project Type
Curriculum
Keywords
Curriculum, Teachers/ Teaching
Recommended Citation
Gerber, Daniel, "How Teachers Can Integrate Absent Narratives Into Their Manifest Destiny Curriculum To Better Understand The Experiences Of People Of Color" (2018). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 267.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/267
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects