Upending the Model Minority Myth through Historical Inquiry in Secondary Social Studies Education

The model minority myth is a pervasive stereotype about Asian American communities that divides them into certain categories: superior versus inferior, insider versus foreigner, and disposable versus essential. Limited literature demonstrates how this stereotype negatively influences racialized communities, and far less is written about how educators can disrupt this myth in the classroom. Building on Asian American racialization scholarship, we present an inquiry-centered curriculum designed to unsettle model minority myth assumptions. This secondary unit focuses on five East Asian American racializing events: the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese American Internment during WWII, the 1965 Immigration Act, the murder of Vincent Chin, and Anti-Asian hate during COVID-19. A comprehensive unit plan is offered to support students’ understanding of how the myth grew and/or persisted through these events, and of how to disrupt the myth’s stereotypes.