Lesson Plan
Described and Captioned Media Program

Malcolm X: Make It Plain, Part I

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Malcolm X was a complicated man that few in white America understood. After sharing what they know or think they know about this civil rights leader, about nationalism and Black Nationalism, class members view a two-part documentary...
Lesson Plan
Described and Captioned Media Program

Malcolm X: Make It Plain, Part II

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Track the transformation of Malcolm Little into Malcolm X and then into El Jajj Malik El-Shabazz with the second part of Make it Plain, a documentary on the famous civil rights activist. Viewers consider not only how events shaped and...
Lesson Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Ray Charles

For Students K - 3rd Standards
Introduce young learners to the read-aloud process with a short biographical passage about Ray Charles. After listening to the passage, class members respond to factual, inferential, and evaluative questions, and then create a timeline...
Worksheet
Look! We're Learning!

Ella Fitzgerald Biography Mini-Unit

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson Integration or Separation?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What happens when change you imagined, the change you were promised, is slow in coming or doesn't happen at all? What do you do with the frustration and disenchantment? Class members watch two clips from the Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson...
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Teaching with Historic Places: Discover the Jackie Robinson Ballpark

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Can sports and popular culture change public opinion? That's the essential question asked by a lesson plan that looks at the role Jackie Robinson's appearance at City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida played in the desegregation...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson Taking the Measure of a Man

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
During his first few games as the first black player in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson proved that he could withstand the wily curveball of Johnny Sain as well as the racial epithets shouted from opposing teams' dugouts. A short...
Lesson Plan
Pace University

The Harlem Renaissance - The Journey to Freedom: An Interdisciplinary

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The Harlem Renaissance if the focus of a carefully crafted, interdisciplinary unit designed to introduce middle schoolers to the contributions key figures made to American art and culture during the period. Class members select...
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

Race and War in the Pacific: A Propaganda Gallery Walk

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Race played a key role in the war in the Pacific during World War II. Using images from both American and Japanese sources, learners consider racial propaganda and how leaders used it to rally popular support during the conflict. After...
Lesson Plan
1
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PBS

The Legacy of To Kill a Mockingbird: Continuing Atticus’s Fight for Justice

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Tom Robinson was only one man in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, but he represents many people throughout history who have not found justice in the American justice system. Language arts students discuss the theme of social justice...
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

More Than Words Can Say: Analyzing Visual Materials as Primary Sources

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
The propaganda of World War II was a key factor in galvanizing the home front. Class members examine images—without their text—to consider their messages, including those around race and gender. Using pictures and discussion questions,...
Lesson Plan1:30
PBS

Who Are Latinos?

For Teachers 4th - 12th
What does it mean to be Latino? With an eye-opening lesson plan, pupils discover what it means to be Latino in the United States. They participate in classroom discussions, use graphic organizers, and watch a short video to help...
Lesson Plan
K20 Learn

American Exclusivity: The Chinese Exclusion Act

For Teachers 11th Standards
The Chinese Exclusion Act—the first race-based immigration restriction—is echoed in today's debates on the topic. Using graphic organizers and structured discussions, historians consider the reasons behind the act and compare the...
Worksheet
Great Books Foundation

I Shall Not Beg for My Rights

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An excerpt from Henry MacNeal Turner's address to the Georgia legislature provides class members with an opportunity to develop their literary analysis skills. Prompted by the provided factual, evaluative, and interpretive questions,...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Exposing Anti-Immigration Sentiment

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The debate about immigration reform continues. To gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved, class members first examine a photo of an anti-immigration rally. Groups then conduct an internet search for an image that presents an...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Confronting Unjust Practices

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A powerful photograph of the Freedom Riders of 1961 launches an examination of the de jure and de facto injustices that the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s addressed. Young historians first watch a video and read the Supreme...
Lesson Plan
Teaching Tolerance

Why Do We (Still) Celebrate Columbus Day?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What are we really celebrating on Columbus Day? The resource explores the narrative behind Columbus Day and ways for people to change the perception. Scholars also review vocabulary terms associated with the topic and how attitudes have...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Protesting Discrimination in Bristol

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using the Bristol Bus Boycott as a case study, class members examine the strategies and levels of power protesters used to effect change. The two-day activity concludes with individuals reflecting on the actions they might take in face...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

When Differences Matter

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Jane Elliott's controversial blue eyes/brown eyes experiment detailed in the film A Class Divided leads to a discussion of privilege, social power, and opportunity. Viewers note how the children react to the experiment, share their...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Blending In and Standing Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th
An excerpt from Sarfraz Manzoor's memoir about how his experiences as a Pakistani growing up in England shaped the way he though about his identify provides a stimulus for a discussion of how experiences can shape our concept of identity...
Lesson Plan
1
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Facing History and Ourselves

Defining Our Obligations to Others

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Introduce young learners to the concept of a Universe of Obligation, a term coined by sociologist Helen Fein, with a lesson that asks learners to consider the extent to which they feel a responsibility for others. Class members read and...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Public Art as a Form of Participation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
David Binnington's mural commemorating the 1936 Battle of Cable Street is the focus of a lesson that looks at public art as a form of civic participation. After reading background material about the mural, individuals analyze a segment...
Professional Doc
National Education Association

Racial Justice in Education Resource Guide

For Teachers K - 12th
Strive for racial justice within your classroom community with help from an 80-page resource guide. Five modules move scholars through thoughtful, and reflective grand conversations to making a plan, then taking action. Learners write...
Lesson Plan
1
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Just Health Action

Whose Backyard? Toxic Waste Management Meeting and Environmental Injustice

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Toxic waste is a global problem. What to do with environmental hazards and where to put toxic waste is a global concern. To better understand current issues around toxic waste management and how current practices can lead to...

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