ERIN MCCARTHY
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Collector of Untold Stories

Contradictions: Citizens and Non-Citizens, Honor and Valor

3/12/2026

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It might seem crazy to continue updating a course that you will never teach again. Yet, I find myself continuing to update my Two World Wars high school course again this semester. Perhaps my work will only be used this one last time or maybe it will have an enduring value. Time will tell.
However, whether I can use this work again or not, the changes had to be made for a few reasons:
1. I know from my research that Latino and AAPI voices are not well-represented in the social studies curriculum.
2. I had to adapt my course to fit the needs of my students who would struggle with independent research.
3. There was so much misunderstanding surrounding definitions of "American" and "citizen" and "Puerto Rican" when Bad Bunny performed for the Super Bowl halftime show that I see a need to bring some factual evidence to my students.
​
So, the Contradictions of WWI lesson was born.

This lesson is part of larger Catalyst Project, in which students are evaluating the impact of WWI on various marginalized groups. I wasn't sure if combining AAPI and Latino history would work but the stories weave meaning together because of the shifting non-citizen/alien to citizen, sometimes contradictory, changes that took place. Students meet a Puerto Rican soldier, who joined shortly after the island's people gained citizenship, but also a Mexican-citizen who served in the army and refused a discharge. They examine a Chinese-American medal of honor winner whose family faced the challenges of the Chinese Exclusion Act back home while he served. They discover integrated units and segregated units. In the case of Thind v. the United States they learn that definitions of whiteness and the implications for citizenship changed from month to month at times.

​I see the lesson as a 1 day activity (but I have a block schedule.) My course is open to freshmen through seniors. Students with both IEP and 504 accommodations are part of my classroom community.
Procedure: 
I'll review the two groups we've researched for our project already.
What did the signal corps operators (The Hello Girls) prove by serving in WWI?
What did the Harlem Hellfighters prove by sacrificing and showing bravery in WWI?

Students will then visit 5 stations based on this slide deck and complete a worksheet or modified worksheet.

Eventually we will add that evidence to our catalyst change frame organizer:



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    Dr. Erin McCarthy earned her doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in 2025. She has taught high school in Wisconsin for 2 years and taught middle school for 13 years. She is a National Board Certified Social Studies educator and  the 2020 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year.

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  • Diverse Democracy
  • Blog
  • A Greek Fulbright Journey
  • How to Include: YouTube
  • 4 i's of Inquiry Model
  • About Me
  • Example Units
  • Anchor Texts
  • Inquiring about Race