How Formidable Fourth Graders led Back-to-School Night through intersecting New Jersey histories
By Tamar LaSure-Owens, NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador
When families stepped into the Formidable Fourth grade classroom for “Back to School Night,” they were not met with a traditional teacher-led lecture. Instead, as students entered with their parents, they immediately took ownership of the room, guiding their families directly to one of four interactive map stations to talk about the activity, walk through the historical maps, and share what they have been learning. Earlier that week, students wrote personal invitations inviting their parents to “Back to School Night,” eagerly building excitement for the evening. Equipped with their student-led tour guide cue cards, Formidable Fourth graders took full agency over their learning environment, proving that when students are given ownership, education becomes a transformative experience.
The NJEA Consortium Framework: Connections, Community and Justice
This transformative “Back to School Night” experience was built directly upon the foundation of the NJEA Consortium framework, supported by the NEA grant Cultivating Community, Action, Justice, and Understanding through the NJEA Consortium: Connections. Community. Curriculum.
As an NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador and educator in the Teach Asian American Stories (TAAS) K-5 Residency, I design curriculum experiences that move beyond basic “heroes and holidays” to integrate inclusive histories into daily learning. The NJEA Consortium platform grounds unit design in four macro-curriculum themes:
- Self and Identity: Ensuring every student sees their own narrative, culture, and heritage reflected in the state’s broader story.
- Institutions and Structures: Examining historical systems, migration patterns, and civic movements that shaped New Jersey communities.
- Equity and Equality: Highlighting shared struggles, civil rights advancements, and solidarity across diverse communities.
- Activism and Advocacy: Empowering students to recognize how historical fi gures and everyday neighbors organize to stand up for justice.
By embedding Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Understanding by Design (UbD) principles, Formidable Fourth grade’s interactive stations allowed students to serve as authentic leaders and tour guides to their families.
Grounding Learning in Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Five Pursuits
The interactive stations brought the NJEA Consortium framework to life through Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Five Pursuits, engaging students and parents in:
- Identity: Students and parents explored their own roots by placing blue pins on their hometowns, seeing themselves directly integrated into the map of New Jersey.
- Skill: Students applied critical geography and social studies skills, analyzing maps, tracing trade and escape routes, and making cross-historical connections.
- Intellect: Families examined the history of International Underground Railroad Month—commemorating Harriet Tubman’s fi rst escape attempt on September 17, 1849—and discovered how America’s fi rst civil rights movement developed right here in New Jersey.
- Criticality: By layering historical maps, students analyzed how marginalized groups—from Indigenous Lenape communities and escaping Black freedom seekers to Asian American pioneers, navigated systemic oppression and created networks of support, safety, resources and freedom.
- Joy: Families celebrated joint discoveries and co-created refl ection cards, fi lling the room with shared laughter, high-fi ves, and pride as students proudly demonstrated their historical expertise.
Intersecting Maps: Connecting the Underground Railroad and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) History
At each of the four interactive tables, families engaged with two of New Jersey’s primary visual resources: the 1860 New Jersey Underground Railroad Map and the vibrant Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Jersey History Map.
Parents loved the bright, colorful AAPI map, pointing out historical details and fi gures. Many shared that they recognized trailblazing journalist Connie Chung and excited to discover historical connections linking the Asian American experience directly to the Underground Railroad era in New Jersey. Students helped guide their parents through these mid-19th-century connections:
- Harriet Tubman and Cape May, New Jersey: As anchored in Formidable Fourth grade’s mentor text, Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough, students highlighted that Cape May, New Jersey, is explicitly documented as a place where Harriet Tubman lived and worked in the early 1850s. She worked in hotel kitchens along Cape May’s coast to earn the wages needed to fi nance her dangerous rescue missions back South.
- Safehouses for Freedom Seekers: Students walked parents through key New Jersey stops along the Underground Railroad, including Lawnside (the Peter Mott House), Timbuctoo, Springtown, and Bordentown.
- AAPI Pioneers and Parallel Histories: Families and students discussed 68 Chinese pioneers arrived in Belleville, New Jersey in 1870. Many parents were surprised to learn about early New Jersey Chinatowns and how Asian immigrants built mutual aid organizations (Huiguan) to protect and support one another, mirroring the sanctuary communities established by free Black settlements and Lenape allies.
Using color-coded pins, families marked their homes (Blue), Underground Railroad sites (Red), and AAPI heritage landmarks (Gold), visually representing New Jersey as one woven tapestry of freedom and solidarity.
Vibrant Classroom Elements and Joyful Parent Narratives
Beyond the map tables, the room was filled with heartwarming moments of authentic connection, laughter and family pride:
- The Spy Discovery: While examining the Harriet Tubman materials, one student’s father enthusiastically shared that Harriet Tubman was also a Union spy and scout. We all shared a laugh because his child hadn’t learned that detail because we hadn’t reached that chapter in Who Was Harriet Tubman? yet! It was a joyful moment where a parent got to preview upcoming history lessons with his child.
- The Display of Flags: Formidable Fourth grade’s captivating window display of international flags was a massive hit throughout the evening. Parents walked along the windows, reaching up to touch the flags and share stories with their children. One parent reached up, touched the Dominican Republic fl ag, and proudly explained its significance to her child, creating an unforgettable moment of heritage and identity affirming connection right inside the classroom.
- Diverse Book Collections: Parents spent extensive time browsing Formidable Fourth grade’s classroom libraries, admiring the wide array of diverse titles that represent various cultures, histories, and backgrounds. They loved seeing an environment where every child’s story is honored and celebrated.
Co-Creating Our Inclusive Community Wall
Together, students and parents wrote responses on their Family Connection Cards. They also reflected on historical hero values such as bravery, kindness, and mutual support and wrote high-five wishes for the fourth grade year ahead. Students then walked their families to “Our Inclusive Community Wall,” pinning their completed cards to create a vibrant display of family engagement, shared values and student leadership. When educators step back and allow our students to guide their families through inclusive frameworks, we do more than just share information; we build a joyful, collaborative and formidable community of lifelong learners alongside parents and families.
