An activity focused on tolerance encourages class members to consider how they might respond when they or someone else is the target of oppression and discrimination. After researching how some key figures responded to the...

How did Colonists react to British rule prior to the American Revolution? Give your high schoolers a taste of oppression with this role-play activity, then let them come up with a revolution of their own. This excercise is intended to...

Eleventh graders determine the causes and effects of persecution. They read The Crucible by Arthur Miller. They analyze the historical significance of persecution. They use technology to research types of persecution.

Young historians learn about the dehumanization process of stripping German Jews of basic, fundamental rights prior to the genocide of European Jews in the 1940s. Learners watch video clips of survivors who recount such events...

After generating research questions rated to segregation, groups are given a primary source document (Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes, Plessy v. Ferguson, etc.) and craft a presentation that details the key elements of their assigned...

The Massacre of Tlatelolco is the focus of a discussion-based lesson. Civil-minded learners consider the nature of student movements that have ended in violence based on over-reaction and government oppression. They discuss the social...

Investigate the future of the presidency in the wake of the House of Representatives' vote to impeach President Clinton. The class brainstorms both sides of the argument, reads and discusses an article, then analyzes and writes a journal...

Students discuss the role of religion throughout the world. Using documents from the United Nations, they read through Article 18 and describe it in detail. In groups, they identify religions based on how much freedom or persecution is...

To conclude a study of conflict resolution, class members watch and discuss a series of five videos that frame the conversation in terms of culture and identity, understanding bias, oppression, and interpersonal biases. 

Who is protected by the Bill of Rights? Learners examine the Bill of Rights and conduct research regarding gay people in the military. They use their research findings to prepare for and participate in a debate regarding the military ban...

Students explore controversial current events. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students research selected issues and examine the issues from different perspectives. Students script and record news stories that feature their findings.

Students listen to a read aloud of Dr. Suess' Yertle the Turtle while thinking about the power struggle and oppression in the group of turtles. They note their feelings on chart paper before reviewing more books. They chose a creative...

Students listen to and discuss popular music that addresses political and social issues of oppression, but in a joyful way. They role play as artistic teams and plan a music video that may be used for a specific song.

Tenth graders discuss human rights. They brainstorm and listen to and read examples of music and poetry that deal with human rights and oppression. They choose one poem or song to analyze, looking for theme, oppression, and historical...

Students read Nervous Conditions and explore freedom and oppression. They discuss types of oppression and list examples of discrimination. They create collages or timelines about the novel. They research present day Zimbabwe and make a...

Students brainstorm what they know about Judaism, participate in question and answer session about Judaism and its relation to World War II with guest speaker of Jewish faith, and write journal responses about their feelings on...

Students examine what obstacles hinder resistance, what types of resistance are possible and how different individuals resisted Nazi oppression. They examine primary source documents related to the Holocaust and analyze various sources...

As part of the study of WWII and the Holocaust, class members read a series of diary entries written by children during the onslaught of Nazi occupation. Each entry is accompanied by biographical information and discussion questions. The...

Develop an understanding of how the media and society are connected and responsible for the defense of universal human rights. Learners investigate and examine the conflicts of police brutality as it is portrayed in the media and through...

Students develop an understanding of sexism, its effects, and the ways in which messages in society (in media, texts, schools, families, et cetera) reinforce stereotypical beliefs.

The emotional and spiritual oppression of slavery in the African-American experience is the focus of this lesson. Middle schoolers analyze various texts by Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou related to freedom and oppression....

Should refugees fleeing poverty be allowed the same entrance into the United States as those fleeing persecution? High schoolers read about US foreign policy in the late 20th century regarding refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and engage in...

Notes of pride and persecution, exclusion and isolation resonate in flamenco. Introduce this musical art form to your social studies or Spanish language classes with a resource that follows a young flamenco guitarist as he...

Students discuss examples of resistance. In this anti-slavery activity, students analyze a portrait of James McCune Smith and listen to a lecture about his life and involvement in abolition. Students analyze his actions and write a...