We are Lisa Carlton and Elizabeth Svensson, teachers in Alternative Education with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. We teach 9-12 grade in small community settings, serving a diverse population of students who left traditional comprehensive high schools for a variety of academic, behavioral and social-emotional reasons. Lisa teaches at Seabright High School and Elizabeth teaches at the YES School. There are 22 different school sites in Alternative Education located throughout Santa Cruz County. 

It is our goal for this project to compile and outline LGBT-inclusive History curriculum and lesson plans to present to all teaching staff in Alternative Education. We plan to implement a variety of instructional types and delivery methods, including whole class, Independent Studies and an online learning component. Upon approval from the Alternative Education administration team, we will present this as a 2017-2018 Professional Development opportunity for Alternative Education teachers. The first session will be a seminar during an Alternative Education staff development day in fall 2017. We would then offer a Personalized Learning Community option for monthly staff development meetings throughout the 2017-2018 academic year. Lisa and Elizabeth would facilitate the PLC meetings and provide support for curriculum development and implementation. 

Below is a brief overview of lessons, adapted from the LGBT Curriculum Guide and queerhistory.pbworks.com. 

Lesson 1: Women's Rights

*This lesson can be included in the US Civil Right Movement Unit or a stand-alone lesson.

 - Provide background information about the Progressive Era and and social issues impacting Americans during the time. Lead a discussion with students about what groups of people were marginalized and how women were involved in these issues.

 - Provide students the Women Relationships During the Progressive Era handout. 

 - Create student working groups and assign one person on the handout to each group. Have them research their individual and complete the chart. Then have them collaborate on a Google slide presentation to present to the other groups. Have each group present to the class, with the observers coming up with at least one clarifying question or supporting comment.

 - After the lesson, have students write a paragraph responding to the essential question: What social issues were important to women during the Progressive Era, and how did different types of relationships further these issues? 

Lesson 2: Gays in the Military

*This lesson can be included in the US Civil Rights movement, a stand-alone lesson, or the information can be included in various lessons and units covering the Civil War, World Wars I and II and post-WWII.

- Provide background information and lecture on Gays in the Military

- Lead group discussion on the views of the military towards gays, and how society looked at gays during the Civil War, WWI, WWII and post WWII.

- Create student working groups and assign one article to each group. Have them read their article, take notes and discuss in their small group, deciding upon the main themes of the article. They should make a poster or Google slide detailing the article. Have one student leader from each group present the group's poster or slide, with the observers taking notes.  

- Lead a group discussion tying back the connections forged between men during wars and the increase in gay relationships. Discuss how urbanization allowed for more freedom in same-sex relationships for both men and women.

 - After the lesson, have students write a paragraph responding to the essential question: How did WWI and WWII bring gays together and further their drive for acceptance in US society?

Lesson 3: The Harlem Renaissance

*This lesson can be included in the US Civil Right Movement unit, or a stand-alone lesson about self-empowerment and creative self-expression.

- Discuss art and poetry and the importance of self-expression.

- Students can journal about what they wish people knew about their culture and creative ways they could share their cultural values with their community and the world.

- Provide background information on the Harlem Renaissance and show the Harlem Renaissance Prezi. Students will take notes.

- Show the Button Poetry / Slam Poems video and have students take notes.

- Lead a discussion on how the Harlem Renaissance highlighted the contributions of LGBT people, and how the events and individuals impacted how society views LGBT people.

- After the lesson, have students write a paragraph responding to the essential question: How did artists in the Harlem Renaissance use art to express their passion and struggles, and how did queer voices shape the Harlem Renaissance?

*Optional Assignment: Students can write a poem expanding on what they wrote for their paragraph response. Students will be encouraged to share their poetry in a Slam Poetry format. 

Lesson 4: The Lavender Scare

*This lesson can be included in the Post-WWII US History unit, or as a stand-alone lesson.

- Discuss Post-WWII atmosphere in the US, including The Red Scare, McCarthyism and American Cold War culture.

- Show videos discussing the Lavender Scare and have students take notes. Discuss the video clips as a group after each video is shown.

- Have students work individually or in small groups to create a Google slide presentation on the Lavender Scare. The presentation should include a description of the Lavender Scare, a timeline, description of American Culture and the ways LGBT were treated during this time. 

- After the lesson, have students write a paragraph responding to the essential question (s): How did the Lavender Scare impact LGBT Americans? How were the events surrounding the Lavender Scare a reflection of the American sentiment toward LGBT people during the 1950s and 1960s?

Lesson 5: Laws, Amendments and Court Decisions

*This lesson can be included in the US Civil Rights Unit or a stand-alone lesson.

- Discuss the role of the US Supreme Court in deciding laws and issues in American society.

- Create student working groups and have them review the handout of 11 Court Cases. They should research the laws, take notes and select one law or amendment to present to the class. Try to have all laws represented if possible. Students will create a poster or Google slide and present to the class. The observers will take notes and ask clarifying questions or give supporting comments.  

- Lead a group discussion about the landmark gay rights cases and how they impacted US society.

- After the lesson, have students write a paragraph responding to the essential question: What is one court case that impacted gay rights, and why was it important to the gay rights movement?

Assessment - LGBT Jeopardy Game

This post-unit assessment will allow students to collaborate and compete in teams to show their understanding and knowledge of themes, events, people and milestones in LGBT history. 

*Note: There are 2 Jeopardy Games created for this assessment, formatted in PowerPoint as well as Google Slides.

PowerPoint

• Game Number One (PowerPoint) is categorized by the Lessons/Themes in the Curriculum (Lessons 1 - 5).
• Game Number Two (PowerPoint) is categorized with broad themes including Vocabulary, Timeline, Leaders, Organizations and Court Decisions. The second game is definitely more complex and difficult than the first game; it is advisable to play Game Number One before Game Number Two.

Google Slides

• Game Number One (Google Slides) 
• Game Number Two (Google Slides)