GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language The Most Important Ballot Initiatives of 2018
Voting rights were on the ballot in the 2018 midterm elections, with several states enacting ballot initiatives/measures to expand voting rights. These initiatives include rules about redistricting, same-day voter registration, automatic voter registration and restoring the voting rights of people convicted of felonies. …
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Teach students about athletes who have taken stands on political issues.
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Columbus Day Controversy
Columbus Day is a federal holiday that commemorates Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Americas (the “New World”) on October 12, 1492. It became an official holiday in 1937. For many, the holiday honors Columbus’ achievements, celebrates Italian-American culture and heritage and pays tribute to patriotism. According to a 2017 poll, 58% of Americans…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language In early September 2018, it was announced that Colin Kaepernick, former N.F.L. quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, would be prominently featured as part of Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign. The campaign’s slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything” is featured in the ad. Kaepernick…
Engage students in reflecting on artworks that critique injustice and exploring other ways art can be used to inspire and communicate social justice.
Teach students about what is happening with family separations and detentions at the border and have them reflect on quotes about the current situation.
Teach students about the history of U.S. expansion and Indian policy and present the voices and perspectives of Native Americans on the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Teach students about the First Amendment, how these freedoms originated and how they function today.
Teach students about DREAMers/DACA and have them reflect on what it means to be “American,” culminating in them writing a persuasive letter to their representative in Congress.
Teach students about Confederate monuments and the push to remove them.
Teach students about non-violent resistance is and how it relates to issues in the news.
Teach students about the 2017 'Muslim Ban' executive order and the actions immediately following the signing of it.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language The Day of the Presidential Inauguration
The Presidential Inauguration, the ceremony where the new President takes the oath of office and officially their presidency, always takes place on January 20. It includes the swearing in ceremony where the President-elect and Vice President-elect take the oaths of office. This is followed by the inaugural address, which is…
Engage students in reflecting on their thoughts and feelings about the Presidential election and write a letter to the President-elect.
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language The words that make up the First Amendment haven’t changed since they were adopted by the United States as part of the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. For over 200 years, the First Amendment has been the cornerstone of freedom in the United States. Commonly referred to as the “five freedoms,” the First Amendment has helped people in the U.S. exercise their rights to…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language In what has been named the largest refugee crisis since World War II, more than 65 million people have been forced from their homes. Around the world, one in every 122 people is currently a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum.
Roughly 11 million people from Syria have left their homes in search of safety and assistance since the country’s civil war began in…
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language In light of the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, ADL offers a four-part lesson that examines the debate over school integration within the broader context of the Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 and the desegregation of Central High School in Little…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking and Listening Commemorating National Hispanic Heritage Month
In commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we present this resource to help teachers engage students in thinking broadly and critically about the Hispanic American experience in all of its complexity. In highlighting the significant events as well as people that have made a substantial contribution…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Teaching Opportunity: Exploring the Electoral Process
Political debates can provide important learning opportunities. When election time comes around—whether it be a presidential election or a local contest for mayor, city council member, governor or member of Congress—these debates give teachers an opening to explore candidates, issues and the electoral process with…
Teach students about the refugee crisis in Europe and explore what nations around the world are doing in response to the crisis.