Use the recommended slide texts below to create a slidedeck or teachers may access the lesson slidedeck here and modify as needed: https://ucdavis.box.com/s/9in8fmfyxtc7uylfusnfv7gzb7m2ona2 

1. Warm-up: Write the term ‘norms’ on the board. Have students define the term and give some examples. Next do the same thing for the term ‘gender norms.’

2. The teacher will introduce the lesson with a Zoom In Strategy (Tsom Kom Ze Ze, Saib Kom Zoo Zoo): “Class, we are going to look at a series of images (from the slidedeck) and you are going to decide what the picture is trying to tell us or teach us about. We will look at the picture by slowly revealing a little piece of it at a time until the whole picture is revealed.”

3. Slide Context: 
   1. Title Slide: (Slide 1)
      1. Hmong Identity: Hmong Girl’s Identity 
   2. Explore: (Slides 2–6)
      1. Tell students: Take out your journal or a piece of paper. As we go through the slides, there are going to be questions for you to answer. 
         1. For teacher: Take the time to go over each slide and have students jot down their thoughts for each question on the slides. 
      2. Slide 2: What do you see? What do you think it is a picture of? What does this make you think of?
      3. Slide 3: What else do you see? Does seeing this new image help you to see the picture more clearly? Where do you think this is at and what do you think this picture might be about?
      4. Slide 4: What do you see now? What do you think will happen in this picture? Does this new clue help you at all? What do you want to know about this picture?
      5. Slide 5: What are your thoughts now? Does this change your mind about what you think it was before? Do you have any clue what’s happening in the picture?
      6. Slide 6: What new things are being revealed? What are those hands doing? Can they be tying something? Are they playing tug of war?

4. Engage: (Slide 7–13)
   1. For the teacher: Have students share in a pair or group what they wrote down and discuss their answers to the prompts in Slides 7–13. 
   2. Slide 7: What do you think is happening now? What can they be doing? Who is going to win, if they are playing tug a war?
   3. Slide 8: What are all those hands doing? Where might they be going? Do you have any questions to ask about the picture so far?
   4. Slide 9: What time of year is this? Do you think this is the picture you have in your head? What are they doing?
   5. Slide 10: Does this look like a fun activity? Why are they pulling or tugging at the colored ropes? Are you curious about what’s going on?
   6. Slide 11: What else can you see? Why do you say that? What are they really doing? Do you know for sure?
   7. Slide 12: What do you see now? What’s going on in the picture?
   8. Slide 13: Why are these two hands reaching out for one another? What’s happening?

5. Explain: (Slides 14–15)
   1. On slide 14, students will observe and write down their answer to the question on that slide. 
   2. Slide 14: What is really going on?
   3. Slide 15: students will discuss as a large group what message the picture is trying to convey. Have students explain why they think this picture conveys that message. 
   4. Teacher will use the following excerpt to explain the context of the Hlab Si artwork. 
      1. This piece of artwork, created by Rachel Tshua Lor, depicts a Hmong woman trying to run away from being tied down by several hlab si (pronunciation: hlah-shi) or sashes. In the Hmong culture, these pink and green sashes are traditionally worn around your waist like a belt. They are beautiful and needed to adorn the Hmong outfits. While both Hmong men and women can wear them, this pink and green hlab si duo is mostly worn by the women. The sashes in the picture show the binding effect of the Hmong woman to cultural and societal norms.  
      2. This is a representation of how Hmong women are ‘tied down’ by old norms and expectations of the Hmong culture. Part of these old norms that Hmong women are expected to follow partially come from sexist and biased views from the Hmong community. Each sash in this illustration depicts text that states common expectations, limitations, and restrictions of Hmong women, such as “You don’t need an education.” Back in the old days, Hmong women were very unlikely to pursue an education and mostly remained in the house. Some Hmong men expected their wives to just stay home and tend to other duties such as cooking, cleaning, raising the children, and other matters. 
      3. Although Hmong women take pride in their nurturing and kind natures, they strive to be more than just a member of a household and long for a place to stand tall and be proud in the Hmong community. “The Hmong men can have a voice, why can’t our Hmong women be free from these ties?" Even after 45-plus years in America, many Hmong women are still tied down by cultural norms that limit their potential in life. 

6. Apply: 

   1. Slide 16: Listen to a section (about 5–10 minutes) of the oral history from “The Lives of the Children, A Good Hmong Girl” https://kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_l66zjl6v audio. Students will compare and contrast the stories from the audio to the artwork. Students will elaborate on their understanding of the audio and draw connections between the stories and the artwork in small groups.  

      Note to teacher: This podcast may contain some sensitive information, so teachers should review for appropriateness of content for their students.

      1. Students can track the similarities and differences through a venn diagram note catcher.
      2. For support on audio analysis, teachers can use the “Teacher’s Guide: Analyzing Sound Recordings” from the Library of Congress to Observe, Reflect, and Question https://ucdavis.box.com/s/f9mdfro5guq2a62z7jktd1zglwyir81w. If this is students’ first time using this form of analysis, take some time to go over it as they will be doing this in small groups. 
   2. Provide opportunities to share out student notes and findings from their venn diagrams.

7. Reflect: (Slide 17) 
   1. Have students discuss in pairs/group the following Hlab Si Reflection Questions:   
      1. What other norms are imposed on you as a person, a child, a student, a woman, a man, a mother, a father, a dignitary, etc.?
      2. Are there different norms for different people and why?
      3. What are some things that keep you from doing what you like or want to do?
      4. What challenges are you experiencing in your life?
      5. How might societal, cultural, and family norms play a role in how these challenges present themselves or affect you?
      6. Who is affected by cultural and societal norms?
      7. What is good/bad about cultural and societal norms?
      8. Who is most affected by norms? 

8. Evaluate (Slide 18)
   1. Using their responses to these questions, students will create a piece of artwork, reflection essay, or presentation that captures their lived experience. Provide students with choice to support their artistic ability (digital, paint, collage, photography, etc.).
      1. For the presentation option, students can create a visual, oral, or written presentation.
         1. Students can utilize audiovisual elements to enhance the presentation. 
   2. Once completed, allow students to do a gallery walk of their peers' products.