Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Were Youth Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
Throughout history, young people have stepped up and into leadership roles during different civil rights and social movements. This was never more evident than in the Civil Rights Movement, where young people were on the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycotts, Freedom Rides and sit-ins. Given that student activism is on the rise again across the U.S., understanding how those young voices…
103 Results
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…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is Bias? What is Implicit Bias?
In What Ways Could Bias Have an Impact on Your Civic Participation?
The U.S. Constitution embodies ideals of equal opportunity and fair treatment for all and is reinforced by laws like the Civil Rights Act and Title IX. Yet, marginalized people who have experienced discrimination and unfair treatment historically, continue to do so in the present day. The current surge of stories in the news…
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
What was Frederick Douglass’s Argument for Why Black Men Should Have the Right to Vote?
During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, large questions loomed about the futures of four million formerly enslaved people. The 15th Amendment, one of three crucial amendments passed in the immediate wake of the Civil War, was essential to securing voting rights for African-American men. One…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Has the Media Responded to My Social Justice Issue?
Our current world offers a seemingly endless stream of media, from news stories to blog posts, Instagram feeds to social media memes, and more. Some media from news sites is fact-based straight reporting or opinion pieces advocating a particular point of view. Other pieces are thought provoking nonfiction informing us about our own communities, or places on the other side of the world. In…
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…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is an Algorithm?
How are Algorithms Being Used in Our Daily Lives?
How Could Biased Algorithms Impact Political Institutions?
Algorithms are quickly replacing human judgment in many aspects of our lives. Algorithms started out as a way of making predictions, decisions and recommendations about products and entertainment by online service providers such as Amazon, Spotify, Google, Netflix and Facebook.
Today,…
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…
Echoes & Reflections: Teaching the HolocaustGRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language The lessons in this unit increase students’ awareness that antisemitism did not end after the Holocaust and provide them with opportunities to learn about the persistence of antisemitism in its contemporary forms. Students investigate the ways in which old ideas about Jews and Judaism have given rise to new expressions of…
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language How is the Coronavirus Impacting People of Color?
Coronavirus is devastating nations and communities around the globe. New demographic data from some U.S. cities and states reveals that the disease is disproportionately impacting communities of color in the U.S. According to the data, African American people are more likely to become infected with and die from coronavirus than…
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language Presidential Elections: Sexism at Work
The 2020 presidential election is unique in that six of the Democratic candidates who ran or are running for President are women. This unprecedented number of women candidates has led to a heightened awareness of how they are perceived, treated and scrutinized as viable candidates.
The Most Female Presidential Candidates in History
In 2019, six…
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…
Right-Wing Extremists and Others Storm the U.S. Capitol
On January 6, 2021, Congress met in the U.S. Capitol to count electoral votes and certify the results of the 2020 Presidential election. While this took place, a violent mob of right-wing extremists and others stormed the Capitol. They came to Washington, D.C. (and several state capitals) to disrupt and overturn the results of the Presidential election. As House and Senate lawmakers held their floor debates, angry rioters—many…
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…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Does Entertainment Represent Our Increasingly Diverse Society?
In September 2019, Kodi Lee won America's Got Talent, which was a groundbreaking and emotional victory. Lee is a person who is Asian-American, blind and has autism. While he is one example of on-screen diversity, there is still more work to be done to ensure that the stories told reflect all people…
Teach students the casting decision of Ariel in The Little Mermaid and reflect on the lack of diversity of Disney princesses, considering the general importance of diversity and representation.