Lesson Plan: Organizing to Address Community Issues
OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will watch and discuss a series of video clips that serve
as a case study for how community members can recognize local problems and
organize to address them. The class will then identify an issue in the school or
local community and work as a team to plan and carry out a discrete project to
improve the situation.
The video clips used in this lesson tell the stories of challenges faced by Puerto
Rican migrants in New York City after World War II, the emergence of an
organization called ASPIRA for Puerto Rican youth, and how ASPIRA filed a
lawsuit against the New York City Board of Education to secure bilingual
education for students who did not speak English.
The video clips are from the film, Antonia Pantoja: ¡Presente!, a documentary by
Lillian Jiménez on the life of educator and activist Antonia Pantoja, a Puerto
Rican woman who founded ASPIRA and other organizations and institutions as
part of her lifelong work to strengthen and improve communities. (Note: The film
uses English subtitles extensively.) For background on the topics addressed in
this lesson, please see the Related Resources section.
OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, students will:
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Identify push and pull factors that prompted one-third of the population of
Puerto Rico to migrate to New York City and other U.S. cities after World
War II.
Recognize challenges faced by Puerto Ricans as they adjusted to life in
New York City.
Discuss how Puerto Ricans organized themselves to address community
needs, specifically through the youth club ASPIRA.
Summarize how ASPIRA pursued a legal strategy to achieve bilingual
educational services in New York City schools.
Organize and carry out a service project to address a local community
need.
GRADE LEVELS
9-12
SUBJECT AREAS
U.S. History, Civics, Geography, Social Studies, Current Events
MATERIALS
 Internet access and equipment to show the class online video
 Handout: Viewing Guide (PDF file)
ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED
One 50-minute class period, plus time to complete a class service project (time
will vary based on the project selected)
FILM CLIPS
Clip 1: “Plight of Puerto Ricans in NYC” (length 4:09)
It begins at 11:36 with a shot of an airplane. It ends at 15:45 with the words, “You
pick it up.”
Clip 2: “ASPIRA” (length 6:37)
It begins at 18:18 with a shot of women in dresses walking on a street. It ends at
24:55 with the statement, “It made me proud of being a Puerto Rican.”
Clip 3: “ASPIRA v Board of Education” (length 2:37)
It begins at 27:28 with the “ASPIRA v Board of Education” title card. It ends at
31:05 with the words, “I fought the monster.”
Clip 4: “Members of ASPIRA Become Activists” (length 2:27)
It begins at 25:00 with the words, “In ’63, we would discuss in our club
meetings…” It ends at 27:27 with the quote, “…it used to be 3%.”
ACTIVITY
1. Ask students to write for a few minutes about a time when they felt they
were discriminated against or treated unfairly. What happened? How did it
feel? What, if anything, was done about it afterwards? What impact did
this experience have on you? If students have difficulty drawing from
personal experiences, suggest that they draw from current events or from
their studies of history.
2. Invite a few volunteers to share with the class what they have written.
Discuss the impact of each experience on those involved.
3. Explain that discrimination was a challenge faced by hundreds of
thousands of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York and other U.S.
cities following World War II. (Note: Such movement from the island of
Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland should be referred to as “migration”
rather than “immigration” since Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. However,
since they leave a homeland with its own distinct identity and culture,
many of the adjustments involved are more like those faced by
immigrants.)
4. Give each student a copy of the handout. Explain that the class is going to
learn more about the adversity faced by Puerto Rican migrants in New
York City and how some responded to their situation. Show students Clip
1 (length 4:09) and focus their viewing by having them complete the
related section of their handout.
5. Check student comprehension of Clip 1 by discussing their responses on
both the handout and to select questions below that tie in with your
curricular goals:
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What challenges did Puerto Rican children specifically face?
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Why do you think the woman with the apartment for rent refused to
rent it to Puerto Ricans? How would you feel if a stranger would not
rent you a home because of your racial or cultural background? How
did the mother feel about being Puerto Rican?
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A woman in the film objects to the characterization of Puerto Ricans in
the musical West Side Story, including the lyrics from The Jet Song,
“…’cause every Puerto Rican’s a lousy chicken.” What impact do the
media have on our views about different groups of people?
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A man tells about how he was beaten for being Puerto Rican while
others stood by and watched. When someone gets bullied, what
responsibility do bystanders have?
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Why did parents allow their children to play on the rooftops of
buildings? What decision would you have made in their
circumstances?
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A woman explains that on the streets of New York, she picked up
certain survival skills like walking confidently in one area or limping
with a pebble in her shoe in another so people would feel sorry for her
and leave her alone. What “survival skills” have you learned on your
own away from your parents?
6. Explain that one Puerto Rican migrant named Antonia Pantoja wanted to
improve the situation of Puerto Ricans in New York, so she began
organizing meetings to talk about what could be done. From these
meetings emerged an organization named ASPIRA for young Puerto
Ricans. Show students Clip 2 (length 6:37) and discuss the related
questions the handout.
7. Tell students that ASPIRA is an example of community members who
recognize local problems and organize to address them. One big
challenge they took on was the need for a quality education for the
children in their community who could not speak English. Show the class
Clip 3 (length 2:37) and discuss the related questions on the handout.
8. Ask the class to brainstorm a list of issues at school or in the community
that they could organize themselves to address. For the purposes of this
lesson, focus on discrete projects that can be conducted in a short window
of time. Ideas might include organizing a school clean-up event, planning
a social activity to help students who do not speak English feel more
included, hosting a training event to address discriminatory behaviors
identified in step one of this lesson activity, conducting a food drive for
local families in need, etc. (The Maryland State Department of Education
provides additional Project Ideas
(http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/servicelearning/pr
oject_ideas.htm) to help students make a difference in the community.)
Divide the class into specific committees to handle different aspects of the
project and appoint a leader for each committee. Then, have the class
carry out their project and reflect on what happened in their journals.
EXTENSIONS
1. Conduct a more extensive service learning project. The class project in
this lesson’s activity is designed to be short-term and discrete to promote
class teamwork and to provide students with a taste of organizing to
address a local issue. If time and resources permit, however, the class
could engage in a more in-depth service learning activity. For information
on how to create and carry out an effective project, see the K-12 ServiceLearning Project Planning Toolkit
(https://www.ffa.org/documents/lts_servicelearningtoolkit.pdf) provided by
the Learn and Serve Clearinghouse.
2. Study how other groups have used a legal strategy to achieve their goals.
For example, the film A Class Apart tells the story of a group of lawyers
that challenged Jim Crow-style discrimination against Mexican Americans
with the case, Hernandez v Texas. Find additional cases to investigate on
the NAACP’s list of Landmark Cases
(http://www.naacpldf.org/cases/landmark) and on this summary of 10
Landmark Court Cases in Women’s Rights
(http://www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com/features/10-landmark-court-
cases-in-womens-rights.html). Have student pairs research and
summarize a case, determine its impact, and then present their findings to
the class.
3. Explore additional strategies for achieving reform. Show the students Clip
4 (length 2:27) and discuss why and how a group of young people
occupied City College in New York City in 1969. Some of the young
people involved in the takeover were members of ASPIRA. How did
participation in ASPIRA prepare them for such activities? What was the
result of their actions? Brainstorm a list of ways that people can protest or
seek reform, such as letter writing, petitions, picketing, art, etc. Do
students think that less confrontational strategies could have achieved the
same results? Why or why not? Have students explain their thinking in
writing.
4. Create profiles of other Latino American leaders. In the film biography,
Antonia Pantoja: ¡Presente!, Dr. Pantoja is described as, “…an example of
someone who had a vision, who believed in themselves, and who created
what they talked about. Rather than sit back and say, “We need this, and I
wish we had it.” She said, “We need this, and this is how we can get it.”
Ask students to research other Latino Americans who have demonstrated
strong leadership, such as Cruz Reynoso, Cesar Chavez, Hector Garcia,
Sonia Sotomayor, or people in the local community. What qualities do
these individuals have in common? What are some of the unique
contributions of each leader? Have students share their findings on a
class blog, in a school exhibit or poster display, in a class newscast, or
through another type of creative work.
5. Learn more about the life of Antonia Pantoja. Show students the complete
film, Antonia Pantoja: ¡Presente! Focus on Pantoja’s statement: “You
cannot live a life that is lukewarm. You gotta live a life of commitment and
passion… of doing, of producing, of thinking, of dealing with making the
world a better place.” List examples from the film of how Pantoja reflected
this philosophy throughout her life. Ask students to journal about how they
will live a life of commitment and passion.
RELATED RESOURCES
ASPIRA: Our Founder
www.aspira.org/en/about-aspira/our-founder-dra-antonia-pantoja/our-founderdra-antonia-pantoja
This page provides a brief biography of ASPIRA founder Antonia Pantoja.
Community Organizer’s Guide
www.abilitymaine.org/rosc/cog.html
This basic guide to community organizing includes sections on how to start and
build a group, strategies for social change, publicity, etc.
Library of Congress: Migrating to a New Land
www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentatio
ns/immigration/cuban3.html
This article provides an overview of the massive migration of Puerto Ricans to
U.S. cities following World War II.
Make a Difference Day: Youth Toolkit
http://makeadifferenceday.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/09/MDDayYouthToolkit1.pdf
This resource provides helpful planning tools that can be adapted for a class
service project activity.
STANDARDS
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
(www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf)
SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated
or distorted evidence.
SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas,
word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
WHST.9-10, 11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
Content Knowledge: (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/) a
compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel
(Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning).
Behavioral Studies, Standard 1: Understands that group and cultural
influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior.
Civics, Standard 10: Understands the roles of voluntarism and organized
groups in American social and political life.
Civics, Standard 14: Understands issues concerning the disparities
between ideals and reality in American political and social life.
Civics, Standard 18: Understands the role and importance of law in the
American constitutional system and issues regarding the judicial
protection of individual rights.
Civics, Standard 25: Understands issues regarding personal, political, and
economic rights.
Civics, Standard 28: Understands how participation in civic and political
life can help citizens attain individual and public goals.
Geography, Standard 9: Understands the nature, distribution, and
migration of human populations on Earth’s surface.
Geography, Standard 10: Understands the nature and complexity of
Earth’s cultural mosaics.
Language Arts, Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the
writing process.
Language Arts, Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to
understand and interpret visual media.
U.S. History, Standard 26: Understands the economic boom and social
transformation of post-World War II United States.
U.S. History, Standard 29: Understands the struggle for racial and gender
equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
U.S. History, Standard 31: Understands economic, social, and cultural
developments in the contemporary United States.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary
education and media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactive's
Director of Education, overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to
PBS programs and online teacher professional development services. She has
also taught in Maryland and Northern Virginia.
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