Teach students about what gossip and rumors are and the impact they have on others, especially those identity groups which may be more vulnerable to and marginalized by rumors and gossip.
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Teach students about the difference between intent and impact and why it matters.
Teach high school students about Indian boarding schools and their impact on the lives of Indigenous children, assimilation and loss of human lives.
Use these activities to bring the history, culture and experience of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) people and community to your classroom.
Use the short evocative videos and films in this lesson plan to engage young people in conversations about identity, diversity, bias and social justice.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making What does the FINA ban of the soul cap in the Olympics say about inclusivity and representation, especially in competitive swimming?
The “Soul Cap,” invented in England by two friends, Michael Chapman and Toks Ahmed-Salawudeen, provides Black swimmers with a…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Responsible Decision-Making Baseball and Segregation
In December 2020, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that they will correct a longtime injustice in the game’s history by officially elevating the Negro Leagues (of 1920-1948) to “Major League” status. For historical context, in the…
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Speaking & Listening, Language SEL STANDARDS*: Social Awareness, Responsible Decision-Making Covid Pandemic
Covid-19, an infectious disease that was first identified in Wuhan, China, quickly began spreading worldwide early in 2020. In March 2020, it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Across the globe, researchers worked tirelessly to develop vaccines that would provide immunity against the…
Civics Lessons
GRADE LEVEL: High School What are Anti-immigrant Bias (Xenophobia), Nativism and Nationalism?
What are Historical and Current Immigration Policies?
How Do Anti-immigrant Sentiments Impact Immigration Policy?
Immigration is a recurring topic in the current events cycle, and has been throughout this nation’s history. While immigration has been a central feature of America’s growth, it has also been a divisive topic, with differing views…
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language SEL STANDARDS*: Social Awareness, Responsible Decision-Making Recommendations on Slavery Reparations
In September 2020, California passed a bill to establish a task force to study and make recommendations on slavery reparations. The bill (AB 3121) is the first of its kind in any state. While California is the first state to pass such legislation, the issue of reparations has a long history in…
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution granted women the right to vote and was ratified on August 18, 1920.
Women's Suffrage Movement: Seeking the Right to Vote
Suffrage is the right or privilege of voting. In 1848, hundreds of mostly women and some men attended the first woman's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. to “discuss the social, civic and religious condition…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language Racism: A Unique Point of View from a Young Black Actor
In June 2020, Lonnie Chavis, the twelve-year old actor who stars in This Is Us, wrote and published an essay called “America Needs to Change” about his experiences with racism. He wrote the essay in the wake of an ongoing public conversation and reckoning about the ongoing issue of police violence…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Masks Have Been Used for Protection and Expressing One's Identity
In April 2020, wearing masks became an important part of our attire and everyday lives due to the global pandemic. The CDC strongly recommends wearing a cloth face covering or face mask to slow the spread of COVID-19. Masks can be used to express one’s cultural or ethnic identity…
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Speaking and Listening, Language Polls and Opinion Surveys are Part of Our Daily Lives
From responding to surveys on social media to reading results from the latest election poll, we are inundated with information about what the public thinks about a variety of topics and issues. During elections, polls are used to provide information to the general public and for candidates to gain insight into their standing in the race. During the…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Policies
The U.S. has a long history of anti-immigrant bias. Years of anti-immigrant rhetoric, bias, discrimination and policies have permeated our country. In August 2019, a deadly shooting that killed twenty-two people in El Paso, Texas highlighted this anti-immigrant bigotry. The suspected gunman drove more than 650 miles from…
Teach students about the conditions in the detention facilities and reflect on the impact this has on migrants and those seeking asylum.
Teach students about the U.S. Census in order to understand and reflect upon the controversy over the citizenship question and to express their own point of view on the topic by writing a persuasive letter.
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Remember that when you say “I will have none of this exile and this stranger for his face is not like my face and his speech is strange,” you have denied America with that word. —Stephen Vincent Benét
Alien Registration Act: Required Fingerprinting of all Immigrants
When these words were published in 1943, the Alien…
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…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Speaking and Listening In November 2014, the National Center on Family Homelessness reported that one child in every thirty — or 2.5 million children in the U.S. — were homeless at some point in 2013. Many advocates blame the country’s high poverty rate on a lack of affordable housing, among other causes. Even though the child homeless rate is at an all-time high, people who are homeless are typically…