Hair discrimination starts at a young age. We are taught to ignore, arguably one of the most obvious as well as one of the most subtle kinds of race and gender discrimination. Children are taught subliminal and overt messages that lucky people are born with “good hair,” and unlucky people have inherited “bad hair.” For Black and Brown girls and boys as well as children whose hairstyles defy stereotypes, I’ve witnessed that hair-consciousness and obsession can be a daily reality paved with torment and feelings of inferiority. America has a long history with the mindset that White [European] hair is the standard, and Black [African] and Brown [Latinx] hair must be ironed, straightened, flattened, cut down, and controlled. The long hair of Native Americans was legally cropped off to “save” them from being “uncivilized.” Asian hair has been exoticized, made into commodities through exploitation of the poor, and sold on the international market for lucrative profits.

Hair is what the world looks at when trying to determine what race and gender you are; it is a public declaration of identity politics or identity representation. Race-based and gender-based hair bias negatively impacts both girls and boys in our classrooms, but Black students are often confronted with more blatant racism and microaggressions on a daily basis than any other racial groups. Hair can also be a symbol of freedom. Braiding patterns allow unique self-expressions, braiding styles honor Black ancestral roots, and afros support the Black beauty outside of White supremacist standards that devalue kinks and coils as unclean and uncombed.

In the fall of the 2021-2022 school year with the COVID-19 pandemic still a pervasive threat, my school district returned to fully in-person learning. During the first month of school and the constant reminder of social distancing, two of my African-American girls got into a heated argument about hair touching and hair pulling. The complaint was: “She kept touching my braids and pulling it. She needs to stop!” The defensive response was: “Then she shouldn’t keep swinging her braids in my face! She kept hitting me with her hair.” Next week, the “hair toucher” came to school with her own version of long braids and hair swinging.

Was it hair envy, hair competition, or hair admiration? I wonder in amusement at first, but later I can see that the hair conflict (hair-gate) symbolizes something deeper. Throughout the year, the back and forward of hairstyles continued. One girl came in with two puffs of natural hair, and the next day the other girl will come to school with the same hairstyle. When I made the off-hand comment that they are so much alike, both girls fiercely protested: “No way!” Recently, some girls in my school have been pulling hair as a form of girl fight and microaggression, while some boys are pulling hoodies as pranks. For boys, I know if they come to school refusing to take off their hoodies or baseball caps, nine out of the ten times, it’s because they had a “bad” haircut and were too embarrassed to show it in front of their peers. I had seen boys in tears after being laughed at for having their hair shaved bald, wearing their natural hair in an afro, or getting visibly upset that their cornrows were labeled as “too feminine.”

Problem Statement

According to a Dove CROWN Study for Girls (2021), 53% of Black mothers report that their daughters have experienced race-based hair discrimination as early as at the age of 5, 86% of Black teens report by the age of 12, and 100% of Black elementary school girls in majority-white schools report by the age of 10.^[1] This study was conducted by JOY Collective in the U.S among 1,000 Black and White girls from ages 5 to 18; Mothers filled out the surveys for children under the age of thirteen.^[2] Trauma from these experiences may lead girls not wanting to go to school, have low self-esteem or in the worst cases to have self-destructive thoughts and behaviors.

In America, Black women and men can be disciplined for wearing an afro to work, turned down for a job or interview for wearing dreadlocks, or box braids. Organizations such as the Color Of Change has been pushing major corporations like McDonald’s, Publix, Walmart, and Deloitte to protect Black women’s and men’s right to wear their natural hair in the workplace and show up as their full selves.^[3] As of June 20, 2022, 16 states (with 34 more states to go) have passed a law called or inspired by the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act to ensure protection against race-based hairstyles in the workplace and public schools. 17 states have completed the filing that could soon lead to official legislation.^[4] The 16 states that have passed the CROWN Act or similar legislation are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.^[5] Also, 44 cities or counties have passed the CROWN Act; the list includes Philadelphia (my home city) and Pittsburgh.^[6] On Friday, March 18, 2022, the CROWN Act (federal bill HR 2116) officially passed the House of Representatives with 235 Yeas and 189 Nays, and the bill will be presented to the Senate for approval.^[7] U.S. Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), Senator Cory Booker (NJ), and then-State Senator Holly J. Mitchell (CA) are a few of the bill’s supporters who helped lead this movement; other recent co-sponsors are U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH). U.S. Representative Cedric Richmond (LA) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives and is joined by Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA), Marcia Fudge (OH), and Barbara Lee (CA).^[8]

According to a poll of 500 teachers in the World Afro Day campaign and Shift Insight consultancy, over 75% of teachers surveyed had NOT received training on how the 2010 Equality Act can apply to hair policies (Great Britain brought over 116 separate pieces of legislature in to one equality act.)^[9] Only 12% of the teachers reported they had diversity training that included hair policies.^[10] Teachers need to recognize that there are different hair types, and it is discriminatory to tell a child with an afro or dreadlocks that their hair is unclean, inappropriate, or need to be corrected. Skin and hair are an integral part of a person’s racial identity, and to treat hair as something different from race is discriminatory.

On the flip side, White hair privilege is an aesthetic currency that some students can easily cash in to gain more friends, popularity, and higher social status. Shiny long hair is praised and admired. A recent example was when my class was discussing actions for our service-learning project to help cancer research, one suggestion was to donate hair for cancer patients. Even though I’ve shown videos on how to donate both straight and curly hair, all the girls remain reluctant to cut their hair, and all the boys say that they can’t imagine having long hair because they don’t want to have long hair. Furthermore, all the Black girls and boys expressed how much they hate their “bad” hair. Without great surprise, a majority of the class immediately agreed that the girl with the longest straight hair has the “best” hair.  Today, Rapunzel-length straight hair continues to be a signifier of wealth, beauty, and reality-TV stardom.

My School Demographic

My school demographics represent a highly diverse community with a wide range of cultural and language backgrounds. The languages spoken by this diverse group of multilingual students, teachers, administrators, and parents include: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, French, Hindi (India), Indonesian, Italian, Karen (Myanmar and Thailand), Khmer (Cambodia), Korean, Laos, Malays, Chichewa (Malawi), Nepali, Pashto (Afghanistan and Pakistan), Poqomchi (Guatemala), Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, and other Indigenous languages. In 2020-2021, we have an enrollment of 419 students: 41% Hispanic, 38% Asian, 10% White, 8% Black, and 3% Multi-Racial.^[11] That’s 90% minority students. About 67% is ELL, 5% had exited out of ELL services, and 15% are children of immigrants who are American-born (these students are NOT classified to receive English Language Learners (ELL) services, even though a language other than English is primarily spoken at home).^[12] That’s an estimate  of 87% of the student body is recent immigrants and/or children of immigrants. The student population is made up of 43% female students and 57% male students from K to 6th grades.

Content Objective

Science of Hair, Common Hair Health and Hair Loss (Reading for Week 1, Lesson 1 & 2)

Hair is a protein filament that grows from hair follicles nest under the skin/scalp, and can grow approximately 1 cm per month. Both nails and hair strands outside your skins are dead cells; that’s why it doesn’t hurt when we cut nails and hair. Each strand of hair has a hair shaft (the visible part of your hair) that is made up of: medulla (innermost layer), cortex (middle layer), and cuticle (outermost layer). Inside your skin is the hair root structure which consists of five major parts: 1) hair follicle (a tunnel-shape structure that contains the root in the outer layer of the skin); 2) hair bulb (the tulip-bulb-shaped base of the hair follicle that contains hair cell for growth); 3) dermal papilla (a cone-like elevation that consists of mesenchymal cells for regulating hair growth); 4) sebaceous gland (attached to the hair follicle and produced an oil that protects your hair and skin); 5) arrestor pili muscle (small involuntary muscle attached to the base of the follicle).^[13] For a visual understanding of a normal anatomy of a hair follicle, please refer to Figure 1 at this link: https://hsdisease.com/why-bumps-form

All natural hair colors are the result of 2 types of hair pigments: eumelanin is in brown and black hair, and pheomelanin in red hair. Blond hair is due to the lack of pigmentation, gray hair occurs when melanin decreases or stops, white hair (poliosis) has no melanin at all. Hair has a variety of texture based on curl pattern, volume, and consistency. Andre Walker, the hairstylist of Oprah Winfrey, created a widely used system to classify hair into four categories: 1) straight, 2) wavy, 3) curly, 4) kinky.^[14] Similarly, the FIA Hair Classification System has three categories: 1) curl pattern ranging from straight, wavy, curly to very (really) curly; 2) strand texture defined by the terms fine, medium and coarse, 3) volume varies from thin to normal to thick.^[15]

Hair loss, infections, and disorders causing itching and scaling are some common hair problems. Hair loss (alopecia) affects both men and women and is a symptom of more than 30 diseases, including autoimmune, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid disorders, diabetes, lupus, and ringworm.^[16] People who experience more than normal daily hair loss may have the inherited “common baldness.” Male pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men, with a receding hairline and baldness on the top of the head. Women may develop female pattern baldness in which the hair becomes thin over the entire scalp. Sudden loss of a large amount of hair may be related to the stress of an illness, recent delivery of a baby (telogen effluvium), poor nutrition, medicines, or aging. Alopecia areata causes hair loss in small, round patches. Tight elastics or braids may cause hair loss at the hairline (traction alopecia). Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and a stem cell transplant can harm the cells that help hair grow. Scalp infections include bacterial infection of hair follicles (folliculitis), lice infestation (pediculosis capitis), and fungal infection of scalp ringworm (tinea capitis); itching and excessive flaking of the scalp are often the side effects of dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis) and rash (psoriasis).^[17]

Hair Laws in U.S. History (Reading for Week 1, Lesson 3)

Hair discrimination shows a pattern of historical injustice toward marginalized people including the enslaved, Black free women, Chinese American men, and Native Americans. Attitudes towards hair differ widely across world history and cultures, but hair is generally an indicator of a person’s social position such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, wealth, profession, and religion.

Slavery: Hair bias against enslaved people began as early as European colonialism affected areas of the Western Hemisphere like the Americas, and the Caribbean. Archives dating back to 1553, a period of enslavement of Africans and Natives, have detailed description of women’s body shapes, heights, weights, skin tones, and hair textures — referring to them as exotic and unappealing.^[18] Hair texture and skin color not only determined value within the slave market but also within society. As a result, pricey and time-consuming treatments like chemical relaxers, hot combs, and blowouts eventually became the norm for Black women, Afro-Latinas, and Latinx women who, centuries later, wanted to refrain from being seen as lesser than their White peers.^[19] To straighten their hair, Black women would often use a mixture of lye, which could burn their skin. Madam C. J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove), an African American entrepreneur, activist, and philanthropist, achieved great fortune as the first self-made woman millionaire for marketing a line of hair care products for black women, and widening the teeth of the hot comb, which improved the straightening of afro-textured hair.^[20]

When slaves were captured in the 15th century, their hair was immediately shaved. White enslavers shaved the heads of Black women and men to strip them of their cultural identity and humanity. A shaved head was also a form of humiliation since Africans valued their hair tremendously. During the 18th and 19th century, ads on runaway slaves contained descriptions of different hairstyles such as bushy on top, shaved, plaited, and frizzy.^[21] Black hairstyles like box braids, cornrows, and locs originated in Africa, thousands of years before the transatlantic slave trade. But these hairstyles transcended slavery; Black people used different patterns of cornrows to communicate escape routes and hide seeds to grow new crops.^[22] While afro-textured hairstyles are symbolic of Black inventiveness and cultural richness, today, Black natural hair is still stigmatized and under attack.

Tignon Laws: In 1786, the Spanish Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miro of Louisiana passed laws to police Black women hair.^[23] Tignon is a type of head covering material, and the Tignon Laws was intended to calm White men’s increasing attractions to the exotic looks of women of color, and put a stop to the legal placage marriages of ethnic European men to non-Europeans of African, Native-American, and mixed-race descent.^[24] The law also aims to tie freed Black women to those who were enslaved as a method to institutionalize class and race. Before the law, Creole women of African descent adorned their textured hair with gems, beads, and other accents in order to stand out from White women. Enslaved people who worked in their master’s house did not wear headscarves like the field laborers; if they were children of a White man who owned them, they were more likely to have straight hair than kinky or curly through.^[25] The law proclaimed that women of color must refrain from adorning their hair with jewels when out in public and must cover their hair with a knotted headdress. In a subversive resistance, Black women (free and enslaved) adorned not their hair, but the tignon with ribbons, brooches, beads, and use the most luxurious fabrics; they outwit the law by turning the tignon into a major fashion statement, a status symbol, and a mark of distinction.^[26] The positive and negative effects of the Tignon Laws are still prevalent today.

Pigtail Ordinance: The Chinese queue (辫子) – a male hairstyle originally worn by the Manchu in China – is another example of hair discrimination. In America during the 1800s, anti-Chinese immigrant laws were created to force Chinese men to cut off their queues. The queue policy in China was made to target the Han Chinese (the previous ruling class) to submit to the Manchu of the Qing Dynasty (the new ruling class). During the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912), any man who refused to wear the queue would be executed and cutting the queue was viewed as an overt act of rebellion against China; Chinese men must shave the hair on the front of the head every 10 days, and leave the remaining hair to grow long and be braided.^[27]

The case Ho Ah Kow v. Nunan (July 9, 1879, California) was a victory for Chinese American immigrants against hair and race discrimination. On July 18, 1879, the New York Times published an article titled The Tale of a Chinaman about the conviction of Mr. Ho who violated the Cubic Air Ordinance.^[28] This law was established to target Chinese from living in large number; residents must be 500 cubic feet of air apart to prevent “poisoning themselves by the imperfect ventilation,” and if convicted, the person had to pay a fine of $10 to $50 or be imprisoned for 5 days.^[29] Most of the Chinese convicts chose imprisonment over paying the fine. Then, another law called the Queue or Pigtail Ordinance was passed, under the pretense as a sanitary regulation, forcing prisoners to cut their hair within an inch of the scalp. Mr. Ho failed to pay his fine for violating the Cubic Air Ordinance; in jail, his queue was cut off under the order of Sheriff Matthew Nunan. Mr. Ho filed for damages citing that the Pigtail Ordinance had taken away his right to return to China because China’s penalty for not wearing a queue was execution for treason. On June 14, 1879, Circuit Court Judge Stephen J. Field ruled in Ms. Ho’s favor, stating that the law was “unconstitutional” because it violated the Equal Protection Clause.^[30] Furthermore, the law was NOT done to “promote discipline or health”, but to demean and torture Chinese prisoners. Mr. Ho was awarded $10,000 in damages, and part of the ruling reads: “The cutting off the hair of every male person within an inch of his scalp, on his arrival at the jail, was not intended and cannot be maintained as a measure of discipline or as a sanitary regulation.”^[31]

Native Americans, Long Hair, and Lice Check: In many Native American tribes, it is believed that hair is sacred and a person’s long hair represents a strong cultural identity that promotes self-esteem, self-respect, a sense of belonging, and a healthy sense of pride as an individual, as a member of their family and community.

In 1879, U.S. cavalry captain Richard Henry Pratt opened a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. But it wasn’t the kind of boarding school that rich parents send their children. The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was a government-backed institution that forcibly separated Native American children from their parents in order to, as Pratt put it: “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.”^[32] Over the next several decades, Carlisle served as a model for nearly 150 boarding schools around the country. Deb Haaland, our current U.S. Interior Secretary, describes these boarding schools as a national policy that took Native American children, beat their native language out of them, forced them to take a new Anglo-American name, removed them from families and their cultural teaching, disrupted their relationships with their families and other members of their tribe.^[33] Once they returned home, children struggled to relate to their families after being taught that it was wrong to speak their language or practice their religion. Native American boarding schools were a method of forced assimilation.

In 1902, the Bureau of Indian Affairs passed the infamous “haircut order” stating that men with long hair couldn’t receive rations.^[34] The first thing the staff did in these residential schools is: chop the children’s hair off, burn the hair in front of them, tell them that their long hair is wrong and shameful. The end goal was to make Native people more like the White Anglo-Americans who had taken over their land.

In 2021, Native American parents, Norma LeRoy and Alice Johnson, filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Cody-Kilgove School District with the help of the ACLU of Nebraska, claiming the school violated their religious freedom after cutting their daughters’ hair for a lice check, without their permission.^[35] Both families are part of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and practice the Lakota religion which believes hair is a sacred symbol, and can only cut in certain, specific circumstances. They claimed the school engaged in unlawful racial discrimination.

For Native Americans, long hair is a representation of strength and pride in being indigenous. Testimony from a Native American about her hair reads: “My hair is a way for me to identify myself. People say: ‘Oh, you have long hair? Are you Indian?’ But I’m not Indian; I’m not from India. I’m indigenous. A lot of our culture has been stripped away from us in the recent past. My hair is a way of me being proud of who I am, and long hair is our tradition, our way of life. It’s beautiful. It adds strength to our spirit. A large part of our existence is resistance; the fact that we’re still even here means that we survived a lot. We’re not supposed to be here.”^[36] 

Brief History of Men Hairstyles (Reading for Week 1, Lesson 4)

Since Ancient Greek and Roman times, most men usually had long hair, but shorter than the women. Long hair has been popular since the American Revolution. During the tenure of William Pitt the Younger, the British Parliament passed the Hair Powder Act of 1795 to collect taxes on hair powder; this tax effectively gave a death warrant for white wigs around the globe.^[37] In the United States, the popularity of men having long hair decreased tremendously in during the Civil War, when many people lost their lives due to diseases.^[38] It was believed that these diseases were spread by lice, and men began to keep their hair short. Long hair got back its popularity in the 1960s and was sported by White hippies. The textured mop-top haircut or “Arthur” of the Beatles in the 1960s was said to be an act of rebellion and later grew into uncontrolled flows and facial hair.^[39] Bob Marley made dreadlocks an iconic symbol for reggae music in the 1970s. By the late 1970s long hair became less popular. Today the mop-top hairstyle of the Beatles is once again a hot trend on TikTok with a new name: “the wet mop.”^[40]

Brief History of Powerful Women Hairstyles (Reading for Week 1, Lesson 4)

In 1915, the Castle bob came to public consciousness when the fashion-forward dancer Irene Castle cut her hair short as a matter of convenience.^[41] Flappers of the 1920s were young women known for their bobs; they pushed barriers in economic, political and sexual independence for women. The Eton crop was popularized by Josephine Baker, an American-born French entertainer and civil rights activist.^[42]

In the 1960, the afro became a powerful political symbol during the “Black is beautiful” movement, celebrating black pride, while rejecting assimilation and integration.^[43] Angela Davis talks about Black hair as having “power, genius, and magic… defying gravity and limitation” and “hair connects women in Dakar [Senegal] and Detroit [USA], Oprah [Winfrey] and Opal [Tometi] the Black Lives Matter activist” with “a story in every kink, curl, and coil.”^[44] In the 1980, the punk culture (women and men) sported the spiked Mohawk in a variety of hair dyes.

From the natural afros of Black civil rights activists like Davis, to Nasrin Sotoudeh, an Iranian human rights lawyer who was sentenced to 38 years in prison for going hijah-free in public, to the British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood who shaved off her hair to draw attention to climate change, powerful women have been using their hair and hairstyles for political and social change.^[45] In 2017, the actress Rose McGowan with her shaved head went on to help push forward the #MeToo movement, after alleging she was raped by Harvey Weinstein, a former film producer and now a convicted sex offender. McGowan comments this about her shaved head: “The side effect immediately was that people could hear the words coming out of my mouth, because I didn’t look like a traditional woman anymore.”^[46]

Hair and World Religions (Additional Reading for Week 1, Lesson 4)

World religions that see hair as a sacred part of identity are complicated. In some belief systems, hair is associated with magical power and spirituality. For instance, letting one’s long hair down can conjure feelings of liberation, but also can be viewed as a disrespectful act to the image of god. On the opposite end of the hair and religion association, in Buddhism, novices shave their heads as part of the process of renouncing physical goods and ties to the material world. The bald head makes each monk equal in the face of the Divine and allows them to focus on the spiritual.

In Ancient Israel, hair signified important features of identity with respect to gender, ethnicity and holiness. According to Susan Niditch, author of the book, My Brother Esau is a Hairy Man: Hair and Identity in Ancient Israel: “The significance of hair is woven throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. In the Old Testament, Samson was “set apart to God” from the day he was born (Judges 13:5), which is why he never cut his hair. His long hair was a reminder to people of his uncut commitment to God.`^[47] Similarly, the Jewish Kabbalah tradition claims that hair contains divine energy from God.

In the Muslim world, how you wear your hair depends on where you live. Those who live in Africa typically have short and naturally curly hair. In Asia, hair is usually kept long, and some Muslim women are required to wear burqas, a garment that covers her entire head, hair, face and body. Others wear the hijab with modest, loose clothing or a scarf over the head or a veil but no face covering. What is most important to Muslims is Deen, submission to God.”^[48] Muslim men grow beards to be closer to the lifestyle of the prophets like Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.

In Sikh religion, honoring God includes never shearing any hair on one’s body, that means no haircut and no shaving. Doing so would spoil the perfection of God’s creation. The dastār or turban is a headwear that represents equality, honor, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety. Both Sikh men and women leave their hair unshorn as a sign of piety and faith, and wear the  dastār because it is an important part of the Sikh identity.^[49]

Shearing Amish men’s beards is considered an unthinkable violation, and an attack on their personal identity and religious teaching. In 2013, a series of beard and hair cutting attacks brought national attention to Cleveland, Ohio. An Amish bishop named Samuel Mullet masterminded and orchestrated 5 shearing attacks against perceived enemies of his breakaway sect. Even though Mullet himself never actually shaved off a beard or a lock of hair, the U.S. Justice Dept. prosecuted the case as a federal hate crime. Mullet was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, and 15 of his followers, including 3 of his sons, received shorter prison sentences. The U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster said to the convicts: “Each and every one of you did more than terrorize, traumatize and disfigure the victims. You trampled on the Constitution.”^[50]

Contemporary Debate Topic #1: Dredlocs in School and Work Policies (Week 2, Lesson 6)

Black hair remains a controversial topic in our current national discourse of cultural appropriation, appreciation, and policing at work and in school. “Dredlocs” hairstyle is a highly political symbol of Black resistance as well as oppression. Because of the negative connotations that matted hair is “dreadful” and un-sanitized, the letter “a” and letter “k” are dropped, and “dredlocs” is used; yet the term continues to signify the fear of unholy people as they face “the dreadful power of the holy people.”^[51]  Discriminatory rules against “Black hair” were used to ban swimmers with locs from a North Carolina pool, to send employees or students home for violating the dress codes, and even to “color in” a black teen’s haircut with a Sharpie.^[52] More and more people are beginning to understand that when black people wear dredlocs, they immediately face discrimination because the hairstyle is heavily criticized and associated with Rastafarian, reggae music, marijuana, and black culture as negative. But many people still refuse to understand that when White or Asian people wear dredlocs or cornrows, it is a form of cultural appropriation, an act of stealing from a minority culture, especially when White people find the hairstyle stylish while they ignore all the discrimination Black people are often subjected to. In short, Black people with dredlocs face discrimination, while White people with the same hairstyle do not. That is why it is considered offensive and even racist when White or Asian people wear dredlocs. Proponents like the writer Andre Kimo Stone Guess states: “Cultural mockery – the exploitation of a culture for the benefit of members of another culture, or to the detriment of the members of the culture itself – is something else and should be called out and avoided at all cost.”^[53] There is a counterargument that it is acceptable for people of any race to wear dreads, because throughout world history, almost every group of people including Egyptians, Indians, Romans, Vikings, and Celts, had worn the hairstyle in their traditions.

Wrestler Andrew Johnson’s Dredlocs Cutting Controversy: In 2018, the world watched the humiliating haircut of a high school wrestler Andrew Johnson, and overnight he turned into a symbol of hair discrimination and racial injustice. Johnson, a 16-year-old mixed race American was given an ultimatum before a wrestling match by a White referee: Cut your dreadlocks or forfeit. A White female trainer cut off Johnson’s hair. This racially charged moment was caught on video and soon went viral on Twitter and other social media. The referee Alan Maloney told Johnson and his coaches that dredlocs are “unnatural.”^[54] The rulebook says: “hair, in its natural state, shall not extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below earlobe level; in the front, the hair shall not extend below the eyebrows.”^[55] In a photo of Johnson just before the match, he did not violate this rule. Even though Johnson identifies himself as Puerto Rican rather than black or white, mixed-race identities are often determined by how the world sees them. ^[56] A state civil rights investigation was open, but in 2021 a judge dismissed the lawsuit.

In Alabama (2016), the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Catastrophe Management Solutions (CMS), effectively ruling that refusing to hire someone because of their dreadlocks is legal.^[57] The lawsuit was filed by the EEOC on behalf of Chastity Jones, whose job offer was rescinded by CMS. Jeannie Wilson, a human resources manager for CMS, commented on Jones’ dreadlocks during a private hiring meeting to discuss scheduling conflicts. Wilson told Jones that CMS would not hire her with dreadlocks, explaining “they [dreads] tend to get messy, although I’m not saying yours are, but you know what I’m talking about” and asked her if she would cut her dreads; Jones refused, and her job offer was terminated.^[58] On April 4, 2018, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a petition to add EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions to the Supreme Court’s docket. At this point, there is no further update on this case.^[59]

Abercrombie & Fitch, the infamous retail company best known for flaunting their signature images of scantily clad male models, has a book for job recruiters to help them hire “good-looking people.” It literally states and accompany with photos that a “nearly combed, attractive, natural, classic hairstyle” worn on a white male model is acceptable while dreadlocks showed on a Black male model is unacceptable for both men and women.^[60]

Many schools have argued that dress codes are necessary and certain hairstyles, head wraps, hoodies, and durages are inappropriate, distracting, and may even promote gang culture. In 2017, a charter high school outside of Boston issued repeated detention to Black girls who wore their  hair in braided extension.^[61] In 2018, students at Success Academy’s high school in New York City protested when the charter school prohibited the wearing of headscarves and head wraps.^[59]  In 2019, a public elementary school in suburban Atlanta displayed photos of Black children to illustrate “inappropriate haircuts.”^[62]

Contemporary Debate Topic #2: Hair-Dyes and Hair Colors for Girls and Boys

Times are changing – hair-dying and bright hair color are not only acceptable but becoming increasingly popular on social media. Does your hair color represent your identity? One can argue that hair color, race and gender should be mutually exclusive. If so, are Asian women with full platinum hair viewed the same as White women with full platinum hair. One can also argue that Asian Americans who dyed their hair platinum is performing an act of rebellion against the “model minority” stereotype: a conservative, quiet, hard-working and good Asian girl. Similarly, if a boy dyes or straightens his hair, is he telling the world that he is gay or maybe he just wants to look like his favorite Japanese anime or K-pop star?

In 2015, a plaintiff (a USP customer rep who is Black) sued UPS and alleged that the company discharged her on the basis of her race, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. UPS’s personal-appearance guidelines state: “Hairstyles and hair color should be worn in a businesslike manner,” and the policy prohibited hair colors such as purple, pink, fuchsia, crimson and burgundy.^[63] In 2014, the plaintiff came to work with red “micro braid extensions” with blond highlights. The HR manager told the plaintiff that she needed to change them because the hairstyle and color did not comply with the guidelines. The plaintiff removed the braids within 2 months.^[64] In April 2015, the plaintiff changed her hair again to a “brighter burgundy” for a wedding.^[65] Again, the HR manager informed her that she had until mid-June to change it. The plaintiff also received and signed a final written warning indicating that any further violations could result in termination, and she agreed to change her hair color by mid-June. On June 16, 2015, the plaintiff’s hair color still did not change, and consequently, the company terminated the plaintiff for failure to comply with its personal-appearance guidelines.^[66]

Contemporary Debate Topic #3: Asia’s Hair Market and Price of Human Hair

The human hair trade is a vast, unregulated, billion-dollar global industry with a reputation for exploitative practices of the economically disadvantaged women. Third-world poverty forces women in countries such as Cambodia, China, and India to sell their human hair to satisfy Western demand for beauty. Greedy buyers pay as little as $10 for long hair that has taken years to grow.^[67]  In Asia, especially during the summer months when schools are closed, peddlers travel across the countries from one village to village looking for girls and women with long hair.^68] Online hair blogs and tutorials define hair mainly in national categories and in vague terms: “Chinese hair is the coarsest, Filipino hair is similar but shinier, Brazilian hair is full-bodied with a beautiful bounce, and Indian hair is versatile with a natural luster.”^[69] European hair is the most valuable because of its fine textures, the variety of colors and low supply; most European hair comes from countries in Eastern Europe, such as Russia, Romania, or Ukraine.^[70]

In China, hair is often referred to as “black gold.” At the top of the market is “virgin hair” (never been chemically treated) and “remy hair” (shaved directly from a donor); at the bottom end of the monetary scale is “standard hair” or “comb waste” in the form of hairballs.^[71] Many sleek and shiny hair extensions start life as comb waste collected from combs and plugholes. Because there are over 2 billion people in Asia and only 200 million in Eastern Europe, 99% of human hair in the global market are from Asia.^[72] Also, most Eastern Europeans have no need to sell their hair for economic reasons.

Contemporary Debate Topic #4: Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Hair Jokes, and Baldness

What is good hair and what is bad hair? With the Latinx diaspora expanding over 20 countries, “Hispanic” isn’t a one-size-fits-all term, especially when it comes to beauty and style, but the Spanish term “pelo malo” (means “bad hair’) is commonly used within the Latinx community directed at curly, textured, and kinky hair with offensive and derogatory overtone.^[73] Tia William, an author and beauty expert explains: “From birth, Latina and Black women are taught that the closer you are to White, the easier it is to succeed.”^[74] Young Latinx girls understood that they are supposed to soften their hair with chemical treatments and heat styling to be presentable, to avoid the label of pelo malo.

Here is a “bad” hair joke about baldness: “Why couldn’t anyone in town see the bald man walking in the street on a sunny day?” Answer: “This was because the shine from his head was blinding everyone!”^[75] A joke about male baldness seems acceptable and tolerated by most people, and if one bald man makes fun of another bald man, it feels like an insider’s joke.  In fact, sometimes male baldness is even lauded as bold, sexy, and attractive by both men and women. But a joke about the baldness of a woman who suffers the illness called alopecia areata is just distasteful because women are expected to have beautiful long hair. At the 2022 Oscar’s Live Show, the comedian Chris Rock made an insensitive joke about Smith’s shaved head; this is indicative of how society often makes fun of baldness, and discriminates against people with hair differences. Since 2021, the actress Jada Smith has shaved her hair due to alopecia areata, a temporary or permanent hair loss range from bald patches to complete hair loss. After the bad joke, Jada’s husband, the actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock across the face; that uncensored footage went viral internationally. Not surprisingly, public opinions were more focused on the physical aggression (some even called it violent act) of Will Smith’s smacking Rock (two Black men in public scrutiny is a better story) than raising awareness about a Black woman struggling with alopecia, the 2nd most common form of hair loss, affecting about 1 in every 1,000 people, that is as many as 6.8 million people in the United States.^[76]

Celebration: Artists Using the Theme of Hair for Social Justice

Hair has been used to mop up oil spills, to mourn the dead, to fertilize gardens, to ward off demons, and even to make soy sauce.^[77] Yes, human hair has had many uses throughout the ages, so it comes as no surprise that artists have used this natural fiber as a medium too. Below is a list of art forms and artists who use hair as their medium of expression.

1. Victorian hair sculpture is becoming a lost art. The hair of the dead as a state of formal mourning as well as hair of the living as tokens of friendship and family trees are used to make jewelry and commemorative craft braided into delicate filigree-like patterns, looped to resemble flower petals, and even ground into pigments for painting.^[78]

2. In Frida Kahlo’s “Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair” (1940), locks of her hair are thrown across the floor, her braid is severed, and she holds a pair of scissors. The viewers are confronted with Kahlo’s androgynous persona and her bisexuality which shone a great contrast to her signature identity associated with flowers in her hair. At the top of the painting, the lyrics of a popular Mexican song reads:” Look, if I loved you it was because of your hair. Now that you are without hair, I don’t love you anymore.” Most people are familiar with Kahlo wearing a flower crown.^[79]

3. Nagi Noda (1973-2008) created successful campaigns for Nike and Laforet. She also made a short film for Panasonic, and was the creative mind behind Hair Hats, an amazing series of animal-shaped hair sculptures made of weaves, real hair and wire.^[80]

4. Laetitia Ky is a fashion designer from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa, who has become “Insta-famous” for her intricate, seemingly gravity-defying hair, playful and political sculptures. Balanced atop her head is Ky’s strong hair in the shapes of a bicycle, a camera, or a tree; but there are also designs that address social issues like eating disorder and women empowerment.^[81]

5. Hank Willis Thomas is a Philadelphia-based artist whose artwork addresses issues like equal justice and belonging. The temporary monument titled “All Power to All People” (2017) is a afro pick sculpture stood at eight feet tall and weighed close to 800 pounds; this monument recalls the large scale sculptures of Claes Oldenburg’s everyday objects like the Clothespin and Paint Torch.^[81] Thomas notes: “[the afro pick] exists today as many things to different people: it is worn as an adornment, a political emblem, and a signature of collective identity. Thomas’ afro pick sculpture continues to develop itself as a testament to innovation to highlight ideas related to community, strength, perseverance, comradeship, and resistance to oppression.”^[82]

The teaching strategies that I want to use are organized into two weeks of 10 lessons and an optional week of community celebration. Teaching strategies include: close reading, scientific experiment, drawing, writing (creative, narrative, informational and argumentative/opinion), using primary sources like poems, songs and artworks as well as interviews and photos.

Week 1: Build Student’s Background Knowledge (Theme 3 of EAD, We The People)

Lesson 1: Science Inquiry and Experiment asking “What is hair?” (Close Reading and Observation) Optional: Guest speaker on hair health (School Nurse or Skype A Scientist)

Lesson 2: Types of hairstyles (Research Competition and Drawing)

Lesson 3: Laws, Tignon, Pigtail, Native Am. Boarding School (Close Reading and Discussion)

Lesson 4: Hair history, cultures and revolution: (Collaborative Timeline of Events)

The Evolution of Hairstyling: A History Timeline

Lesson 5: Your Hair Identity (Narrative writing and research trends on social media websites, “Arguments are all around us” approach)

Week 2: Today’s Hair Discrimination (Theme 7 of EAD: Contemporary Debates & Possibility)

Lesson 6: Dreadlocks and Hair Policies in school and work (Close reading and discussion)

Lesson 7: Global Hair Market and Exploitation (Socratic Seminar and data analysis)

Lesson 8: Bad Hair Jokes v. Good Hair Facts (Creative v. informational writing)

Lesson 9: Hair Poetry, Songs and Artwork (reading, speaking, listening, writing and drawing)

Lesson 10: Brainstorm ideas for Bulletin Board and/or activities to celebrate hair

Optional Week 3: Hair Joy Week. A celebration of hair depending on ideas from Lesson 10

This curriculum unit also incorporates two themes from the Educating American Democracy (EAD) and two teaching strategies from the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) on “Supporting Civically Engaged Argument Writing with Primary Sources.”

Week 1: Theme 3 of EAD and “Argument are all around us” strategy of PhilWP

Theme 3 (We The People) of EAD explores the idea of “the people” as a political concept. PhilWP’s strategy (Arguments are all around us) aims “to cultivate a culture of argument in the classroom and support students as they civically engage beyond the classroom.”

Week 2: Theme 7 of EAD and “Argument are not simply pro and con” strategy of PhilWP

Theme 7 (Contemporary Debates and Possibilities) of EAD explores the contemporary terrain of civic participation and civic agency, how historical narratives shape current political arguments, how values and information shape policy arguments, and how the American people continue to renew or remake themselves in pursuit of fulfillment of the promise of constitutional democracy. PhilWP’s strategy (Arguments are not simply pro and con, for and against) aims “to help students recognize multiple perspectives, figure out what others have said in a civic conversation, build empathy, and imagine thoughtful ways forward.”

Educating for American Democracy (EAD) is a nationwide initiative that convened a diverse and cross-ideological group of scholars and educators to create a Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy – an inquiry framework that states, local school districts, and educators can use to transform teaching of history and civics to meet the needs of a diverse 21st century K–12 students. EAD is a call to action to invest in strengthening the learning of history and delivering civic learning opportunities equitably throughout the country.^[84]

Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) is a network connecting K to university educators with teachers, principals, parents, and community leaders to explore literacy, writing, teaching, and learning across grade levels and disciplines. PhilWP has served Philadelphia schools since 1986 and is a site of the National Writing Project.^[85]

Week 1: Build Science and History Background Knowledge

(We The People” and “Argument Are All Around Us”)

Lesson 1: Science Inquiry and Experiment asking “What is hair?” (Close Reading and Observation) Optional: invite guest speaker on hair health (School Nurse or Skype A Scientist)

Objective: (NGSS 5-PS1-3) Students will make observations and measurements to identify three or more strands of hair based on their properties (curl pattern, strand and volume).

 Procedures: Introduce the question “What is hair? What is the overall structure? How many parts? Why doesn’t it hurt when you cut your hair and nail? Why do hair fall off? How does each hair strand attach to your skin?” Ask students to brainstorm adjectives and descriptions to define and categorize hair. Close read the 3 paragraphs from “Science of Hair, Hair Health and Hair Loss” under the heading “Content Objective” and refer to the hair diagram from this link: https://hsdisease.com/why-bumps-form Review vocabulary and general concepts such as hair shaft, hair sheath, hair follicle, hair bulb, hair oil (sebaceous gland), hair muscle (arrector pili muscle), dermal papilla (consists of mesenchymal stem cells that can regenerate), hair pigment, eumelanin (brown or black hair), pheomelanin (red hair), lack of melanin (blond), decreasing melanin (gray) and no melanin (white hair), hair shaft (medulla, cortex and cuticle), head, hair loss, etc. Watch one of the following science experiments https://diyeverywhere.com/2018/02/01/5-crazy-science-experiments-that-have-to-do-with-hair/

1. Static Electricity Fun (ScienceBob)
2. Dye hair with lemon experiment (freakshooter820)
3. How strong is a strand of hair? (ScienceOnTheBrain)
4. Magnets and hair growth (syyenergy7)
5. Coca-Cola hair-wash experiment (Ellko)

Here is another science experiment with little preparation and few materials: Ask students to collect 3 or more strands of hair from their scalp or from different volunteers. Students can bring their personal comb or brush from home. Tape each hair strand on a piece of paper. Use the FIA Hair Classification System to categorize each hair based on: 1) curl pattern, 2) strand, and 3) volume (see chart below). OR watch this video and use the simple test based on the four categories:1) straight, 2) wavy, 3) curly and 4) kinky invented by the hair stylist Andre Walker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVAztnJiMrk

Assignments: 1) Draw a diagram of a hair and label the following: hair shaft (medulla, cortex and cuticle), hair follicle, hair bulb, hair oil, hair muscle, MSC (mesenchymal stem cells). 2) For the selected science experiment, students will observe with a microscope or magnifying glass and record the observation in a notebook.

Lesson 2: Types of Hairstyles (Research Competition and Drawing)

Objective: [Diversity 6 (DI.3-5.6)]: “I like knowing people who are like me and different from me, and I treat each person with respect.”

Procedures: Divide students into research groups. Provide students with a list of hairstyles and one chart paper per group. Ask students to research online and draw as many hairstyles with a time limit (about 15 minutes). Have a gallery walk and then debrief. Below is a list of hairstyles: Butch cut, buzz cut, crew cut, flattop, Ivy League, bowl cut, Caesar cut, bob, pixie, tonsure, undercut, Hi-top fade, Mohawk, Fauxhawk, bouffant, bun, bunches, Chignon, Chonmage, comb over, comma hair, conk, braid, Croydon facelift, curtained hair, Dido flip (singer), double buns, ducktail, Eton crop, fade, Fallera hairdo, feathered hair, mop-top, slicked-back, asymmetric cut, braid, cornrows, dreadlocks, extensions, finger waves, fishtail hair, highlights, “natural”, afro, beehive, bangs, Big hair, blowout, brush cut, flipped-up ends, fontage, French braid, French twist, Fringe (bangs), frosted-tips, full crown, half crown, Harvard clip, Hime cut, historic hairstyle, induction cut, Jewfro, Jheri curl, layered hair, Liberty spikes, line up, lob, Macel waves, Mod cut, mullet, Ogando, Oseledets, payot, perm, pigtails, pompadour, pony hawk, ponytail, Princeton, pychobilly wedge, quene (pigtail), quiff, The Rachel, Rattail, razor cut, regular taper cut, ringlets, shag cut, shingle-bob, short back and sides, short brush cut, spiky hair, standard haircut, step cut, surfer hair, taper cut, tail on back, updo, weave, wings.

Debrief DOK Questions to Check Understanding: Does the name of the hairstyle correspond with what it looks like? What are some major similarities and differences among the hairstyles?

Lesson 3: Laws, Tignon, Pigtail, Native Am. Boarding School (Close Reading and Discussion)

Objective: [Justice 12 (JU.3-5.12)]: “I know when people are treated unfairly, and I can give examples of prejudiced words, pictures and rules.”

Procedures: Close read the paragraphs under “Hair Laws in U.S. History” to discuss hair discrimination against enslaved people, the Tignon Laws to police free Black women, the Pigtail Ordinance against Chinese-American men, and the haircut order against Native Americans. In addition to the reading, below is a list of videos to help with understanding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8agJ_6LVxyk African Hairstyles…Maps to Escape Slavery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fSReKCUkq0 Black Women’s Hair Was Once Illegal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI7kdz545cI The Manchu Queue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kiHekeu_GA The Cultural Importance of Native Hair

Debrief DOK Questions to Check Understanding: How are these laws fair or unfair? Why did the U.S. government pass these discriminatory laws? What would you have done if you were subjected to any of these hair discrimination laws then and now?

Lesson 4: Hair history, cultures and revolution: (Collaborative Timeline of Events)

Objective: Same as Lesson 3.

Procedures: Make a hair timeline of important events. Divide students into groups. Assign each group a decade to investigate. Use post-it notes for each event; each post-it should include the date, description, and a visual representation (drawings, photos, etc.). Have students post their timelines and add new information during the course of the unit. Rearrange the timeline using the scale: the length of one post-it equates to one year. Here are links to a few  sample timelines:

1) https://nationaltoday.com/national-hair-day/

2) https://www.holleewoodhair.com/evolution-of-hairstyling/

Debrief DOK Questions to Check Understanding: What event is most important and why? What event can be eliminated? What would be the first event and the last event on our timeline? Brainstorm some possible titles of our timeline.

Lesson 5: Your Hair Identity (Narrative writing and research trends on social media websites)

Objective: Identity 3 (ID.3-5.3) Standard: “I know that all my group identities are part of who I am, but none of them fully describes me and this is true for other people too. Students will discuss the politics of hair as a form of racial discrimination.

Procedures: In community meetings (Socratic Seminars, preferably seats in a circle), have students discuss the following: Do you agree or disagree with the statement that hair defines who you are? Why or why not? What are some of your beliefs or biases about hair and hairstyles? Search the internet for primary sources such as photos and social media messages as evidence to support your personal and/or political point of view about hair. The following links are examples of primary sources from the Library of Congress:

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppbd.01168/ Title: Security guard with black power cut, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Washington, DC. Photographer: Tracy Meehleib. July 7, 2020.

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018696656/ Contour natural styles. Print. 1968

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018696658/ Head of a woman w. hoop earring. Print. 1970.

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011660598/ Chinese women hairstyles. Drawing, circa 1860.

Assignments: 1) Complete a poster titled “All About My Hair” that would include your hair length (in inches or centimeters), hairstyles, texture, color, one drawing of what your hair looks like now, and one drawing of what your hair looks like in the year 3,000 or distance future.

Week 2: Contemporary Debates and “Argument are not simply pro and con, for and against”

Lesson 6: Hair Policies in School and Work (Close reading and discussion)

Objective: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Procedures: Have students search the phrase “hair discrimination”, “hair trends”, “dreadlocs”, hair color on the internet and/or social media like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Set up a Padlet online and include the following videos for students to watch and analyze independently, in pairs, or in group. The Jigsaw teaching strategy may help students to focus on one video and then share out with the whole class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijR-1VZ9vpQ NJ high school wrestler

https://abc7chicago.com/hair-discrimination-schools-bill-texture/10621845/ Hair Ban

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcUoMTUaZGw Top 8… Hair Color… for Guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7RHgxwKx6I How can we help end hair discrimination

Assignment (Sample Padlet: https://padlet.com/lyau1/fi5p502h3tha60uh): After watching one of the four videos, post an image about hair discrimination and write a 280-character or less  tweet to voice your argument about hair discrimination. Include the hashtag #HairDiscrimination

Lesson 7: Global Hair Market and Exploitation (Socratic Seminar and data analysis)

Objective: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Procedures: Ask what is the cost of human hair? How much would you pay? Have students watch videos and read articles about the Asia Hair Market. Video and article suggestions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC7O6eMCgYs The True Cost of the Human Hair Trade.

Assignment: Use this sample Google Slides https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BZd6VDYhMe7RYqtT5cqktGlnPQ-7OdBZ1Li2F7iXw-8/edit#slide=id.p Write two opposing responses to the question: Should people be allowed to buy human hair from Asia at any cost?  Sentence starters: 1) I think people should be able to buy… 2) I think people should NOT be able to buy…

Lesson 8: Bad Hair Jokes v. Good Hair Facts (Argumentative Writing)

Objective: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.9: Integrate information from two or more texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Students will be able to write arguments that are not simply pro and con, for and against aims to recognize multiple perspectives, figure out what others have said in a civic conversation, build empathy, and imagine thoughtful ways forward.”

Procedures: Watch a video about Good Hair and Bad Hair and discuss Is there such a thing as bad hair or good hair? Ask for details to describe good hair and bad hair. Have students search for a hair joke or a quote about hair and write an argumentative response that supports it and an argumentative response that opposes it. Video and article suggestions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOLn6hZqtAw&t=48s Pelo Bueno/Pelo Malo Good/Bad

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jada-pinkett-smiths-honest-quotes-about-alopecia-hair-loss/ready-to-make-a-crown/  Jada Pinkett Smith, Hair Loss

Assignment: Write an argumentative piece that includes both sides of the questions: 1) “I believe there is such a thing as good or bad hair…” 2) “I don’t believe…”

Lesson 9: Hair Poetry, Songs and Artwork (reading, listening, writing and drawing)

Objective: SWBAT read, listen, dance and make art IOT celebrate the diversity of hair and hairstyles together.

Procedures:

1) Read a poem about hair with a partner. Read aloud Suggestions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2LGcD5bV-k “Can I Touch Your Hair?” Poetry Book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28 “Hair Love”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/magazine/kids-hair-discrimination.html Kids Speak Out

2) Play and listen to a song to celebrate hair with a partner. Song suggestions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOX9O_kVPeo Mona Haydar, Wrap My Hijab

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4 India Arie Ft. Akon, I Am Not My Hair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTgpTeb0Z8 Pavement, Cut Your Hair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okq8xHrIZ8I Lady Gaga, Hair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmaErg4FUAc Willow Smith, Whip My Hair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUkqY-pR5EU Kelly Rowland, Crown

3) Watch a video about artists who use the theme of hair in their artwork with a partner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-MBcncdE0U Victorian lost art w. Grandma Money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otzNXFPg1j0 Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait w. Cropped Hair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tBfue5ZD9Y Nagi Noda, Hair Sculptures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d7Z59BtzOk Laetitia Ky, Hair Sculptor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1PKdip-nD0 Hank Willis Thomas, All Power to All People

Assignment: Write a poem, song or make an artwork (collage or drawing) based on what you know about hair and chose to do.

Lesson 10: Brainstorm ideas for Collaborative Action (Bulletin Board and/or activities)

Objective: Action 19 (AC.3-5.19): I will speak up or do something when I see unfairness, and I will not let others convince me to go along with injustice.

 Procedures: Have students read and research hair-related celebrations. Examples of celebrations around the world include: 1) October 1, 2022 is National Hair Day. The hair products company NuMe created the day to celebrate hairstyling tools and other hair products.^[86] 2) September 30th is International Orange Shirt Day to honor the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential (boarding) schools in Canada, and learn more about the history of those schools.^[87] A former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl. This day can open the doors to global conversation on all aspects of Boarding Schools, including the haircut laws that forced Indigenous children to cut their long hair.^[88] 3) July 3rd is unofficially National CROWN (act) Day, a solidarity for the human rights of Black women, men, and children to wear their natural hair without the fear of being discriminated.^[89]

Assignment: Vote on one idea you want the whole class to do together and discuss the next steps. Possible Collaborative Projects: create a bulletin board display, start a letter campaign and collect signatures of support, or publish a book of poems

Week 3: Optional Extension with Collaborative Action (See Lesson 10 Assignment, Possible Collaborate Projects)

Adam, Richard. “Survey Shows Teachers Unaware Equality Laws Apply to Pupils’ Hair.” The Guardian. March 16, 2022. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/mar/16/survey-shows-teachers-unaware-equality-laws-apply-to-pupils-hair. This article explains the findings of an UK survey showing teachers need training about equity laws and how to apply it to hair policy.

Admin, and Admin. Asian American Legal Foundation. July 22, 2018. Accessed 6/22/22. http://www.asianamericanlegal.com/historical-cases/ho-ah-kow-v-nunan/. Info. about the Ho Ah Kow v. Nunan case associated w. the Cubic Ordinance and the Queue Ordinance.

Aeonmag. “How Western Demand Drives the Market for Human Hair in China: Aeon Videos.” Aeon Media Group. August, 2, 2018. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://aeon.co/videos/how-western-demand-drives-the-market-for-human-hair-in-china This article contains a 6-minutes movie clip about a 2nd-generation hair trader, Zhang Ming Ye, trying to make a living in a competitive hair market in China.

Apugo, Danielle L., et al. Strong Black Girls: Reclaiming Schools in Their Own Image. Teachers College Press, 2021. This book speaks about the negative trauma that Black women and girls are expected to overcome in order to receive an education in America.

Ayisi, Erica. “From Wigs to Extensions, Hair from Cambodian Women Feeds the American Beauty Market.” NBCNews.com. September 20, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/wigs-extensions-hair-cambodian-women-feeds-american-beauty-market-n1056126.

Bnks, Ingrid. Hair Matters Beauty, Power, and Black Women’s Consciousness. New York University Press, 2000. This book begins with the 1998 national controversy about Ruth Sherman, a White teacher at a predominantly Black and Hispanic public school in Brooklyn after reading the Nappy Hair (1997) in her 3rd-grade class.

Byrd, Ayana D., and Lori L. Tharps. Hair Story Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014. A chronological look at the culture of Black hair from 15th century Africa to the present-day US, and a reference guide for understanding Black hair.

Biddle-Perry, Geraldine. A Cultural History of Hair in the Modern Age. Bloomsbury Publishing, December 10, 2020. This book presents essays that explore how politics, science, religion, fashion, beauty, the visual arts, and popular culture have reshaped modern hair and its significance as an agent of social change illustrated with 75 images.

Bowling, Chris. “A Nebraska School Says It Was a Lice Check. Lakota People Sense Centuries of Repressions.” USA Today. September 20, 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/18/nebraska-lakota-culture-school-hair-cut-lice-check/8399799002/. This article reports how a school secretary  cut the hair of two girls of Lakota traditions without their parent permission while checking for lice. Forced hair cutting has a dark history associated with the discriminatory history of Native American children being mistreated in boarding schools.

Callender, Samantha. “The Tignon Laws Set The Precedent For The Appropriation and Misconception Around Black Hair.” Essence. October 24, 2020. http://www.essence.com/hair/tignon-laws-cultural-appropriation-black-natural-hair/.

“C-SPAN Landmark Cases: Yick Wo v. Hopkins.” National Cable Satellite Corporation. 2020. http://landmarkcases.c-span.org/Case/18/Yick-Wo-v-Hopkins. Accessed August 1, 2020. A series of videos and info. text by experts about the 10 most important SCOTUS cases.

“Dreadlocks Are a Form of Cultural Appropriation.” Parlia. 2020. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.parlia.com/a/dreadlocks-form-cultural-appropriation. This article contains arguments based on different claims relating to dreadlocks and issues of racial discrimination; each argument has both sides (proponent and counter) arguments and reasons for accepting and rejecting each premise.

Edwards, Torrie K. “From the Editorial Board: Tangled Discrimination in Schools: Binding Hair to Control Student Identity.” The High School Journal 103, no. 2 (2020): 53-56. doi:10.1353/hsj.2020.0006.

Emery, Jacqueline. “John Milton Oskison (Cherokee).”Recovering Native American Writings in the Boarding School Press, University of Nebraska Press. 2012. pp. 266–285., doi:10.2307/j.ctt1w76tq5.39. A collection of writings by students and well-known Native American authors who published in boarding school newspapers.

Hancock, Olivia. “Everything You Need to Know About the CROWN Act.” Byrdie. March 18, 2022. https://www.byrdie.com/the-crown-act-guide-5111864. This article explains the history of the CROWN Act.

Hiltebeitel, Alf, and Barbara D. Miller. Hair: Its Power and Meaning in Asian Cultures. State University of New York Press, 1998. This book is an interdisciplinary look at the meanings of hair, hairiness, and hairlessness in Asian cultures: classical to contemporary.

Hopper, Jessica, et al. “Indigenous families seek justice for boarding school abuse as graves of children uncovered.” Nightline, ABC News. March 31, 2022. http://abcnews.go.com/US/indigenous-families-seek-justice-boarding-school-abuse-graves/story?id=83760289. This article has a 13-minute news clip of Indigenous stories and interviews about the abuse of Native American boarding schools. Human remains of children were uncovered on the ground of a boarding school in Salem, Oregon.

Kettler, Sara. “How Madam C.J. Walker Invented Her Hair Care Products.” Biography.com. January 19, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.biography.com/news/madam-cj-walker-invent-hair-care-products

Kopenkoskey, Paul R.T./The Grand Rapids Press. “Theology of Hair: How Many World Religions See It as a Sacred Part of Identity.” Mlive. November 26, 2011. https://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/2011/11/theology_of_hair_how_many_worl.html This article explains how hair is an important part of many world religions including the Sikh, Amish, and Muslim faith.

Milliner-Waddell, Jenna. “The Best Pieces of Black Hair Art, According to Black Artists and Curators.” The Strategist. April 12, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://nymag.com/strategist/article/black-hair-art.html. 20 prints, art objects, book, and museum experiences related to Black hair art are available for purchase from $8 to $280.

Norwood, Carolette R. “Decolonizing My Hair, Unshackling My Curls: An Autoethnography on What Makes My Natural Hair Journey a Black Feminist Statement.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 20, no. 1 (2017): 69-84. doi:10.1080/14616742.2017.1369 Since 2009, the rise of the “natural hair” is phenomenon, and sales of chemical relaxers have dropped 34%, while sales of “natural” hair care products are rising exponentially.

Oling-Sisay, Mary. “Don’t Touch My Hair.” Research Anthology on Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning, 2021, 62-74. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-9026-3.ch005. This book gives examples and studies on how service-learning have many benefits for students, in strengthening the voices of marginalized groups like Black communities.

Penzo, Raquel I. Péinate: Hair Battles between Latina Mothers & Daughters. La Pluma y La Tinta, 2018. This anthology includes stories, poems and essays about the fights, insecurities, identity issues, and acceptance in relation to our hair, and how it shapes those vital familial bonds between a mother and a daughter.

Rosales, Melissa. “Judge Allows Lakota Hair Cutting Case to Move Forward.” Nebraska Public Media. 2020. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en-gb/news/news-articles/judge-allows-lakota-hair-cutting-case-to-move-forward/#:~:text=In Spring 2020. This article includes a 2 minutes recording about the two Lakota girls getting their haircut without parent consent.

Seaton, Nicole. “What Religious Reasons Are There for Growing Hair?” Synonym. Oct. 9, 2017. https://classroom.synonym.com/what-religious-reasons-are-there-for-growing-hair-12085447.html. This article digs deep into the religious reasons of Sikhs, Rastafarians, Jewish Kabbalah, and Muslims for growing their hair long and often never cut.

Simpson, Charlotte. “Alopecia: ‘So Much of Black Beauty Is Derived from Your Hair’.” BBC News. March 31, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-60940277 This article recaps the 2022 Oscar’s incident between Will Smith & Chris Rock. The author relates her own personal stories as a Black woman like Jada Pinkett Smith who finds positive ways to deal with her struggle with alopecia.

Szczepanski, Kallie. “The Queue Hairstyle.” ThoughtCo. May 9, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-queue-195402. Accessed June 22, 2022. This article explains the origin of the 18th century hairstyle called queue or pigtail, first worn in China, and the mistreatment of Chinese men in America related to this hairstyle.

Tarlo, Emma. Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair. Oneworld, 2017. This book explores hair stories. The author traveled the globe from India, Myanmar, China, Africa, the United States, Britain and Europe, searching for hair stories.

White, Shane, and Graham White. “Slave Hair and African American Culture in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.” The Journal of Southern History 61, no. 1 (1995): 45–76. https://doi.org/10.2307/2211360. This 32-page article details the hair habits of the enslaved as an important part of their identity, history, and culture.

Wright, Rebecca, Ivan Watson and Issac Yee. “‘Black Gold’: How global demand for hair product is liked to forced labor in Xinjiang.” CNN. 2020. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/10/asia/black-gold-hair-products-forced-labor-xinjiang/ This article talks about the global hair market and raised challenging questions about forced labor in China and the high demand of human hair in America.

Short List of Children Books About Hair 

Refer to this link https://bookroo.com/explore/books/topics/hair to see the full list of  70 Best Hair Kids Books. I have selected a few of my favorites.

Cabrera, Cozbi A. My Hair Is a Garden. Albert Whitman & Company, 2018. Using the beautiful garden in the backyard as a metaphor, Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear.

Cherry, Matthew A., and Vashti Harrison. Hair Love: A Celebration of Daddies and Daughters Everywhere. Kokila, 2019. When Zuri realizes she needs some help executing her hairstyle, her dad steps in. Hair Love celebrates the kinks, curls. Short Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28.

Herron, Carolivia. Nappy Hair. Dragonful Book. 1997. The main character, Brenda, has ʺkinkyʺ or ʺnappyʺ hair. The derogatory term “nappy” is loaded with negative connotations.
hooks, bell, and Chris Raschka. Happy to Be Nappy. Disney/Jump at the Sun, an Imprint of Disney Book Group, 2017. This book celebrates young girls with all different hair types. Highlighting that every style — no matter how long, short, kinky, or curly — is a crown.

Latham, Irene, Charles Waters, Sean Qualls, and Selina Alko. Can I Touch Your Hair? A Conversation. Oneworld Publications, 2019. Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is Black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners.

Liu-Trujillo, Robert, Cinthya Muñoz, and Robert Liu-Trujillo. Furqan’s First Flat Top = El Primer Corte De Mesita De Furqan. Come Bien Books, 2016. Furqan decides he wants his first haircut, a flat top. When at the barbershop, Furqan is nervous.

Miller, Sharee. Don’t Touch My Hair! Little, Brown Young Readers, 2020. It seems like someone is fascinated, and wants to touch Aria’s hair. But she’s finally had enough.

Munsch, Robert N., and Michael Martchenko. Stephanie’s Ponytail. Annick Press, 2018. Stephanie decides she must wear a ponytail. When all the girls have copied her ponytail, she resolves to try a new style.

Perry, LaTashia M., Bea Jackson, and Cristel Claman. Des Cheveux Comme Les Miens. G Publishing LLC, 2016. A fun and easy read about a little girl who doesn’t like that her hair looks different from other kids.

Tarpley, Natasha Anastasia, and Earl B. Lewis. I Love My Hair! Little, Brown and Company, 2018. Keyana discovers the beauty and magic of her hair. This book encourages black children to be proud of their crowns and enhances self-confidence. A read aloud by Tiffany Haddish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfXijL4sEfo

Endnotes

1. The Official CROWN Act. https://www.thecrownact.com/.
2. Apugo, Danielle L., et al. Strong Black Girls: Reclaiming Schools in Their Own Image. Teachers College Press, 2021.
3. “Demand That Major Corporations Implement Hair Policies That Protect Black Employees.” Color Of Change.org. https://act.colorofchange.org/sig
4. Hancock, Olivia. “Everything You Need to Know About the CROWN Act.” Byrdie. 2022.
5. The Official CROWN Act.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. “World Afro Day.” World Afro Day. https://www.worldafroday.com/.
10. Adam, Richard. “Survey Shows Teachers Unaware Equality Laws Apply to Pupils’ Hair.” The Guardian. March 16, 2022.
11. Students by Race/Ethnicity,” in the School District of Philadelphia, dashboards.philasd.org.
12. Ibid, “English Learners” and “Students with IEP.”
13. Team, Editorial. “Why Do Bumps and Boils Form in Hidradenitis Suppurativa?”

HSDisease.com.  November 8, 2020. https://hsdisease.com/why-bumps-form.

14. Simeon, Aimee. “The Controversial History of the Hair Typing System.” Byrdie. October 25, 2021. https://www.byrdie.com/hair-typing-system-history-5205750.
15. Ibid.
16. “Hair Loss: Who Gets and Causes.” American Academy of Dermatology. 2022.
17. Ibid.
18. White, Shane, and Graham White. “Slave Hair and African American Culture in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.” The Journal of Southern History 61, no. 1 (1995): 45–76.
19. Ibid.
20. Kettler, Sara. “How Madam C.J. Walker Invented Her Hair Care Products.” Biography.com. January 19, 2021. https://www.biography.com/news/madam-cj-walker-invent-hair-care-products
21. White, “Slave Hair and African Culture in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.”
22. “How Hair Was Used to Smuggle Grains into the Caribbean by African Slaves.” Face2Face Africa. January 31, 2019.
23. Callender, Samantha. “The Tignon Laws Set the Precedent For the Appropriation and Misconception Around Black Hair.” Essence. October 24, 2020.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid.
27. Szczepanski, “The Queue Hairstyle.” ThoughtCo. 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-queue-195402.
28. Admin, and Admin. Asian American Legal Foundation. July 22, 2018.
29. “Is Hair Discrimination Race Discrimination?” American Bar Association. 2020.
30. Ibid.
31. “C-SPAN Landmark Cases: Yick Wo v. Hopkins.” National Cable Satellite Corporation.
32. Hopper, Jessica, Marjorie Meafee, Tenzin Shakya, Deena Zaru and Lauren Dimundo. “Indigenous families seek justice for boarding school abuse as graves of children uncovered.”

Nightline, ABC News. March 31, 2022.

33. Ibid.
34. Ibid.
    35. Rosales, Melissa. “Judge Allows Lakota Hair Cutting Case to Move Forward.” Nebraska

Public Media. 2020.

36. Emery, Jacqueline. “John Milton Oskison (Cherokee).”Recovering Native American Writings in the Boarding School Press, University of Nebraska Press. 2012. Pp. 266–285., doi:10.2307/j.ctt1w76tq5.39.
37. “Blog.” Tax Fitness. https://taxfitness.com.au/Blog/hair-powder-tax-1795.
38. Lorne. “The History of Male Long Hair from Caveman to Now.” Man Buns And Manes. October 25, 2021. https://manbunsandmanes.com/history-of-male-long-hair.
39. Ibid.
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid.
42. Ibid.
43. Biddle-Perry, Geraldine. A Cultural History of Hair in the Modern Age. Bloomsbury Publishing, December 10, 2020.
44. Davis, Angela. “TOP 12 QUOTES BY MICHAELA ANGELA DAVIS: A-Z

Quotes.” A. https://www.azquotes.com/author/39809-Michaela_Angela_Davis.

45. Norwood, Carolette R. “Decolonizing My Hair, Unshackling My Curls: An Autoethnography on What Makes My Natural Hair Journey a Black Feminist Statement.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 20, no. 1 (2017): 69-84. doi:10.1080/14616742.2017.1369
46. Burney, Ellen. “Untangling the Politics of Hair.” Vogue India. October 30, 2019.
47. Ibid.
48. Seaton, Nicole. “What Religious Reasons Are There for Growing Hair?” Synonym. 2017.
49. Kopenkoskey, Paul R.T./The Grand Rapids Press. “Theology of Hair: How Many World Religions See It as a Sacred Part of Identity.” Mlive. November 26, 2011.
50. Ibid.
51. Ibid.
52. “Dreadlocks Are a Form of Cultural Appropriation.” Parlia. 2020. Accessed June 22, 2022.
53. Ibid.
54. Ibid.
55. Jesse Washington, Jesse. “The Untold Story of Wrestler Andrew Johnson’s Dreadlocks.” Andscape. September 19, 2019.
56. Ibid.
57. Ibid.
58. Ibid.
59. Burney, Melanie. “Judge Dismisses Lawsuit by Wrestling Official in Controversial South Jersey Dreadlocks Case.” Https://www.inquirer.com. May 07, 2021.
60. Ibid.
61. Saha, Joy. “6 Shocking Revelations fr. Netflix’s Abercrombie & Fitch Doc.” Salon. 2022. https://www.salon.com/2022/04/19/abercrombie-and-fitch-netflix-discrimination-shockers/.
62. Edwards, Torrie K. “From the Editorial Board: Tangled Discrimination in Schools: Binding Hair to Control Student Identity.” The High School Journal 103, no. 2 (2020):

53-56. doi:10.1353/hsj.2020.0006.

62. Vigdor, Neil. “Georgia Elementary School Is Accused of Racial Insensitivity Over Hairstyle Guidelines Display.” The New York Times. August 03, 2019.
63. Campbell, Alexia Fernández. “A Black Woman Lost a Job Offer Because She Wouldn’t Cut

Her Dreadlocks. Now She Wants to Go to the Supreme Court.” Vox. April 18, 2018.

64. Ibid.
65. Ibid.
66. Ibid.
67. Ayisi, Erica. “From Wigs to Extensions, Hair from Cambodian Women Feeds the American Beauty Market.” NBCNews.com. September 20, 2019.
68. Wright, Rebecca, Ivan Watson and Issac Yee. “‘Black Gold’: How global demand for hair product is liked to forced labor in Xinjiang.” CNN. 2020.
69. Tarlo, Emma. Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair. Oneworld, 2017.
70. Aeonmag. “How Western Demand Drives the Market for Human Hair in China: Aeon Videos.” Aeon Media Group. August, 2, 2018.
71. Tarlo, Entanglement.
72. Ibid.
73. Penzo, Raquel I. Hair Battles:Latina Mothers & Daughters. La Pluma y La Tinta, 2018.
74. Ibid.
75. Hair Jokes
76. Simpson, Charlotte. “Alopecia: ‘So Much of Black Beauty Is Derived from Your Hair’.” BBC News. March 31, 2022.
77. Team, Kidadl. “50 Best Bald Jokes To Comb Through.” Free Ideas For Family Fun & Learning. May 18, 2022. https://kidadl.com/funnies/jokes/best-bald-jokes-to-comb-through.

78.. Meier, Allison. “The Curious Victorian Tradition of Making Art from Human Hair.”

Artsy. February 13, 2018. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-curious-victorian-tradition-making-art-human-hair.

79. “Frida Kahlo. Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair. 1940: MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78333
80. Dmitry. “Creative Animal Hair Style Collections By Nagi Noda.” Design You Trust. 2017. https://designyoutrust.com/2017/03/creative-animal-hair-style-collections-by-nagi-noda/.
81. Dafoe, Taylor. “The Picasso of Ponytails? Meet Laetitia Ky, an Ivory Coast-Based Artist

Who Makes Unbelievably Inventive Sculptures With Her Hair.” Artnet News.

September 06, 2019. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/laetitia-ky-hair-artist-1644289

82. “Artist Hank Willis Thomas Installs 25-foot Afro Pick Monument in West Philly.” Philadelphia Streets Department. October 02, 2020. https://streetsdept.com/2020/10/01/artist-hank-willis-thomas-installs-25-foot-afro-pick-monument-in-west-philly/.
83. Ibid.
84. “The Roadmap.” Educating for American Democracy. March 16, 2021. https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/the-roadmap/.
85. “About PhilWP.” The Phila. Writing Project. 2022. https://philwp.gse.upenn.edu/about

86, “National Hair Day.” National Today. 2021. https://nationaltoday.com/national-hair-day/.

87. “About Us.” Orange Shirt Day. https://www.orangeshirtday.org/about-us.html.
88. “Phyllis’ Story.” Orange Shirt Day. https://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html.

89. Dall’Asen, Nicola. “Dove Will Celebrate National Crown Day.” Allure. June 30, 2020. https://www.allure.com/story/the-crown-coalition-national-crown-day-july-

English Language Arts Common Cores Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.9: Integrate information from two or more texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Social Justice Standards (from Learning for Justice, 3 to 5 Grade Framework)

Identity 3 (ID.3-5.3):I know that all my group identities are part of who I am, but none of them fully describes me and this is true for other people too.

Diversity 6 (DI.3-5.6): I like knowing people who are like me and different from me, and I treat each person with respect.

Justice 12 (JU.3-5.12): I know when people are treated unfairly, and I can give examples of prejudiced words, pictures and rules.

Action 19 (AC.3-5.19): I will speak up or do something when I see unfairness, and I will not let others convince me to go along with injustice

 Next Generation Science Standards (5th Grade)

5-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions: 5-PS1-3. Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. [Examples of materials to be identified could include baking soda and other powders, metals, minerals, and liquids. Examples of properties could include color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, response to magnetic forces, and solubility; density is not intended as an identifiable property.]