Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland, New Orleans: These cities have become synonymous with racial intolerance and symbols of what’s wrong with race relations in our country. The class can then submit a photo or video of their completed campaign and enter to win prizes, including scholarships. Hey all you data nerds! J]L��nJc�i(�A�z���C�T�3� q������Bz������Y�R�= T�&��m��kh��'2(�t?�����i8�Co�z6^�� �ɴ�.�똝���2�a��St����DEg�j���Q��O���� 1=��V�����Q f� 'P% �ZK7ӭ�+fE�����l�ϒX�aϨ�ȅ�(���^G[i'�D/1��K�,ݯßR-�W�z�����dv ��ԅ�^�jנ�&�q��[0�_�>:Hς'o�,6��¾P��ʻ���PMS�I��DZ@��jZ����~C��Q:�fd)�7���+���tv��uR���[��:�����. One of my favorite exercises for this is the Paper Ball Toss. Copyright © 2020. BONUS: Sign up for the convenient poem-a-day newsletter for poems and commentary delivered to your inbox. Interview people who have made a difference in your community, and archive their responses in a. endstream Unfortunately, many of these stories are invisible. Add these social media influencers and hashtags to your feed: 5. <>stream Social media: Engage a global audience with students publishing to social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. Students also have the power to effect change in the world right now. #DisruptTexts is a Twitter chat founded by  Tricia Ebarvia, Lorena German, Dr. Kim Parker, and Julia Torres. Teaching Tolerance also offers both self-guided and facilitated professional developments, in person and via webinars. We love this website from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Edutopia® and Lucas Education Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries. Resources for teaching about inclusion, diversity, and equity. %���� Travis is also the principal investigator for the NYC Young Men’s Initiative, which focuses on recruiting and supporting 1,000 male teachers of color. Even better, have students use a social justice lens to generate a list of concerns, and develop one of these as the focus of their project. Writing for social justice is a process that we use to critique society, struggle, ... My high school students with disabilities oftentimes struggle with identifying The goal is to challenge the traditional language arts canon and create a more inclusive curriculum. Enjoy real-life snapshots of Liz’s whiteboard and learn as she learns along the way! 6 Armstrong Road | Suite 301 | Shelton, CT | 06484. . Rethinking Schools is a nonprofit magazine and book publisher dedicated to strengthening public education through social justice teaching and education activism. Many writers prefer social issues topics that sound quite controversial. Our country’s history is rich with resistance, organizing, and civil rights campaigning—but for many teachers, these movements seem new. Empower your high school students to become reporters, too! Here’s how to participate in #DisruptTexts, Check Out Freebies & Offers, Just for WeAreTeachers Readers, Classroom Coding & Robotics … Everything You Need to Get Started, Protected: Classroom Talk-to-Text Project, how this teacher helped destigmatize menstruation at her school, The National Education Association’s Social Justice Lesson Plans. I would argue that many of our social and political problems stem from a lack of empathy, so a fundamental step in social justice projects is developing a mindset of openness and self-reflection. And it doesn’t stop there. Fresh Writing Ideas for Teens— Freshman year of high school is all about new beginnings, new responsibilities, and new challenges.And whether your students are excited or apprehensive about the coming year, one thing is for sure—they are at an important crossroads, and the path they choose will have major ramifications on the rest of their lives. This short form allows for fast, free publishing, and students can reach out to politicians, celebrities, and other stakeholders by mentioning and tagging them in posts. The Southern Poverty Law Center has many additional ideas for social media projects across all subject areas. Start a dialogue with them about a topic of your choice. x��} x�U�����Y��M��i��M��M���BCi�*�Cˎ,"������HQ�PpTBQ,��2�ø��8���8U�Qd���~�MR endobj Select your language preferences and choose from a database of powerful videos and Common Core lessons that help your students unpack hatred. 14 0 obj Okay, we’ll stop gushing now and share how this teacher helped destigmatize menstruation at her school—just in time for Women’s History Month! Rethinking Schools is a nonprofit magazine and book publisher dedicated to strengthening public education through social justice … All the facts, concepts, and skills we teach are for nothing if students are unable to use that knowledge in ways that improve the world around us. Another resource for more than social justice, the Truth for Teachers podcast is a top-ten podcast for K–12 educators. Make a documentary about something good in your neighborhood that others don't know about. You can find this St. Louis–based, grassroots, teacher-led podcast on iTunes, and it covers issues on race, gender, sexuality, language, and more. Listen to this recent episode with Pedro Noguera about 10 ways educators can take action in pursuit of equity. 15 0 obj This Instagram account discusses parenting and educating through a race-critical lens. Video and multimedia storytelling: The power of video and photography is unparalleled. High School Research Paper Topics This three-part project plots open-source historical information into a timeline that looks at both freedom and confinement in the United States. Plan your next service project with DoSomething.org! These projects empower our students to effect change through awareness, advocacy, activism, and aid. workshops for teachers and administrators, 87,000 teachers had enrolled in Zinn Education trainings, 7 Surprising Classroom Triggers for Kids Who Experienced Trauma (and How to Avoid Them), I Didn’t Talk to My Students About the Christchurch Shooting, but I Wish I Had, Join the WeAreTeachers Influencer Network. Rather than writing essays or journals for the teacher’s eyes only, publishing an authentic product for the world to see adds purpose and meaning to student work. For an introductory project, record and assemble interviews and testimony from people in your community, and post the videos to your class YouTube channel or Instagram account. Stay current on evolving social justice issues and happenings. You might not think about poetry when you think of social justice. Links include handouts as well as Common Core equivalencies. Successful social justice projects require raising students’ awareness about issues and providing advocacy and aid opportunities. From pedagogical theory to subject-specific content, Facing History tailors their programs to the needs of your school community. We’d love to hear from you—what have been your challenges and successes when planning social justice lessons? Make 2019 the year you stretch yourself. Consider some exercises or projects that are private in nature (shared only within the classroom) and others that are public. This fun and interactive site provides full lesson plans and online games that put your students in the roles of lawmakers and civic servants. �a��ݫQ&��&�ա��>� ����A��E���sX �v��YA]m�}�0�"��fYE*L��R�T;R{`����J�j����0�!�2�BR90UO*��X�e̊>���2��ߡlǶ%�)���!�{�a`������%�%~ @�� This Oakland-based organization amplifies the voices of young journalists and artists. This organization offers school-wide trainings, a partner school network, and professional development for teachers and administrators. Though there are no lesson plans here, this site is sure to catalyze high-level classroom discussion for high school students. Listen to the final episode about how to unconditionally support LGBTQ+ youth. As with all prompts, inform students that their answers should be rated G and that disclosing dangerous or illegal things they’re involved in will obligate you to file a report with the administration or school counselors. Each prompt can be used solely for journaling or expanded into a unit of study. These award-winning resources include everything from a simple weekly newsletter, to magazine articles, to an in-depth lesson-plan builder. All rights reserved. This group offers workshops for teachers and administrators on how to teach people’s history. In St. Louis, journalism teacher Don Goble had a student become motivated to create a project based on events in nearby Ferguson. Their feed helps teachers remember significant but underpublicized historical events and stay current on current events like the #Unite4OaklandKids teachers’ strike. List of Creative Writing Ideas for High School Students — Below, we have outlined 30 writing prompts that are relevant to students’ lives and that will spur critical and creative thinking. Liz Kleinrock is a 2018 Teaching Tolerance Award Winner and TED Talk presenter. Factor in student comfort levels and context when deciding where the projects will be shared. Click follow and prepare for an elevated consciousness! Students at High Tech High in Chula Vista, California, created a successful Kickstarter campaign to address gun violence, and my journalism students created documentaries to tackle the struggles of former gang members in Los Angeles and how the lack of affordable housing affects people in large cities. Thus, the students can help a lot once writing a social issue paper. Research and follow social justice organizations and individuals on social media. These lesson plans are so good they won the 2018 Human and Civil Rights Award (sponsored by the National Education Association). A graduate student will write a high school essay with great ease, while the reverse will result in a lot of difficulties on the part of the student. This beautiful collection of multimedia includes films, essays, and photography highlighting the universal themes of humanity. The goal is to challenge the traditional language arts canon and create a more inclusive curriculum. one of my students produced a documentary, the struggles of former gang members in Los Angeles, many additional ideas for social media projects. These posts, depending on frequency and length, might take the form of an online essay, a short daily/weekly reflection, or a large-scale research project. Watch videos by YR Media journalists and set your young broadcasters out to find the stories in their communities. One of the best ways to develop cultural literacy and help our students understand these goals is through social justice processes and projects, activities that develop a mindset of concern for our society’s inequity in wealth, education, and privilege. While their books are fab, follow them and the hashtag #SoJustEdu to stay in the loop when you don’t have time for extra reading. Research, historical facts, and data may be helpful for this, but I find that an emotional connection is the best way to awaken awareness, making the concepts tangible and personal for students. But the podcast is extra helpful for the self-proclaimed teacher nerds (like us) who want to hear about teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, and educational technology—many with a social justice lens. If you are looking for monthly chats on language, culture, self-care, and equity, then be sure to follow this hashtag. Facilitate this by allowing them to pick topics that interest them and decide what form a project will take. On our trip to Cuba, one of my students produced a documentary that sparked an online discussion with a viewer in Cuba, changing how my student perceived the historical facts and her role as a filmmaker. Here’s how to participate in #DisruptTexts. Organized by a collective of activists of color, EduColor is here to promote intersectional diversity and provide expert resources that help teachers do their part in deconstructing the oppression that lives within the school system. My students have explored political and cultural inequity through their international documentary trips and broadcast journalism stories. Here are 21 free resources for social justice lesson plans. %PDF-1.7 Help “bring the world to your classroom” and have a look today. Its presence was short but sweet. Students may also support a cause in other ways—volunteering at a homeless shelter or food bank or raising funds for charitable organizations, for example. Social Justice Writing Assignment Definition of social justice: Justice practiced by a society, especially how it is practiced by and among the society’s different social classes. Even young students can use photography and video for social change. Come and share your experiences in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. If we really want to empower our students to have an impact outside of the classroom, we should consider publishing their work online. Use the online interactive experience, a free curriculum guide, and the website’s media collection to help your students think critically about who has access to freedom and under which circumstances. Listen to this episode about why most teachers are white women and how schools can support more diverse faculties. As educators, we’re charged with preparing our students to be successful in life and to be productive members of society. What do you think? Activism includes letter-writing campaigns to politicians, lobbying corporations to change policies, and participating in local parades and events. Another initial exercise is the I Am From poem (PDF), a sort of social justice Mad Libs where students reflect on their lives and share their concerns with classmates to develop understanding of other people. Created by various groups and individuals—including the Coeur d’Alene Tribe of present-day Idaho, DREAMer Daniel Rodriguez, and Writers in the Schools collaborator Susan Bartley—these K–12 lessons cover subjects related to English, art, and humanities. This social justice resource list would not be complete without the Zinn Education Project. BONUS: Follow @iCivics on Twitter to stay up to date on policy and legislation news, plus see how other teachers are using iCivics in their classrooms! Students learn best when they’re passionate about a subject. Of all the meaningful experiences that we can provide students, those related to social justice might be the most important. I previously wrote about the importance of teaching video storytelling and outlined how you can do this in your class. Leverage mobile devices to record and edit video, and craft short films or documentaries. this recent episode with Pedro Noguera about 10 ways educators can take action in pursuit of equity. From habeus corpus for Native Americans, to women’s suffrage, to civil rights, none of these freedoms were granted without collective organizing. The artwork within all the collections is beautiful, but the bonus is that the webpage offers lesson plans for teachers! What a list—and it barely scratches the surface. @RethinkSchools. To be successful, start by establishing an atmosphere where students feel safe sharing their opinions and by developing a classroom culture of respect. Have your students search, read, and compare the laws of cultures around the globe. Enjoy a monthly curriculum calendar, plus a database of poems filtered by issue and era, and lesson plans designed to teach students about social issues through poetry. Produce a documentary that explores a problem in your neighborhood and offers solutions to fix it. x�]�Mk�0���9����j��KKa��k�^c��݃��1��B>�g���vXd��'s�E����-^+�\v�Y~w�f�N$�����G�O��e����Wy�4��^$o�C?�K0E������7�h� Plus, Own Voices books to add to your classroom library. <>stream the final episode about how to unconditionally support LGBTQ+ youth. Finally, give students the option of writing “PERSONAL” above some entries that they don’t want anyone to read. In this episode, Angela Watson speaks with Dr. Travis Bristol, a former teacher now researching at UC Berkeley. Blogs: Students can create online posts that consist of text, images, artwork, links, and video around a given theme. .����{��y�&����˹�s�M�#�8ZC��s.Z���=8)ۈ[�/9�<6��D�J"ݑ��]1��w}H����\0o���Fy�C��HH*K��ϊx��_rצ�G�?�۹��̦��$�:�;Λ}ɒ�EB%�p9ʻ�\0o��s/OC�f��.����r��RJ'R�|*���-"Ox��W1��Dyy�A��%�*��������"ZBci7��W�-F Social justice projects can be challenging because they take students and teachers outside of their comfort zones. The student had lacked drive and enthusiasm in the past, but the event struck close to home and ignited a passion for learning that turned into a successful video news story. Filter by country, topic, date adopted, and status. We’ll be honest: We love all of the resources from Cult of Pedagogy! Include links to articles or your own blogs. Moreover, social justice has been based on redistributive and recognition theories toward achieving social justice. We should make space in our classrooms for students to express their concerns and ask questions about our world in a public forum. Teachers might take a topic from the existing curriculum and provide several options for projects. Share your ideas for solutions to social justice problems using a common hashtag, similar to #BlackLivesMatter. Consider building a lesson from staff writer Coshandra Dillard’s amazing article. This exercise is a great way to explore how surface observations are misleading. With no federal standards for the topic in place, teachers are left to their own devices for creating or finding social justice lesson plans. By last year, a total of 87,000 teachers had enrolled in Zinn Education trainings and learned about topics like climate change, Islamophobia, the labor movement, the New Deal, antiwar movements, and how to write curriculum and articles for publication. You will choose a current issue of social justice in the U.S., research it, and write an analysis of the topic, using support from your research. This extensive searchable database is your one stop shop for accessing constitutions from governments all over the world. They’re collaborative activities that help develop critical thinking, writing, and media literacy skills. Use the power of gaming to teach your students about civics! Be prepared to think twice when selecting books for your class library, but fear not because this influencer provides a variety of equitable alternatives. @teachandtransform is her anti-bias education platform, where she offers simple and practical shifts for teachers to make their classrooms more inclusive and equitable. Research, historical facts, and data may be helpful for this, but I find that an emotional connection is the best way to awaken awareness, making the concepts tangible and personal for students. But with all the focus on standardized tests and core curriculum, we’ve forgotten that the concept of literacy should also include culture and tolerance of diverse people and backgrounds. Whew! You’ll love this account for the book recommendations, social commentaries, and critical articles it shares. It’s a simple activity that illustrates the differences in social class and how position in a hierarchy is perpetuated. The Critical Media Project (CMP) is a free media-literacy web resource for educators and students ages 8–21. It provides free lesson-building materials for teachers of kindergarten through high school. In this post, we also help you choose topics based on your academic level, while keeping in mind that research paper writing lends credence to student performance. Since every social event greatly affects our lives, it is logical why students have to perform social issues research papers. With the tool, you can share your learning plan with colleagues for collaborative projects and units. completely free professional development webinars. But Poets.org has been assisting teachers in teaching historical & contemporary issues through poetry since 1960. BONUS: Check out their completely free professional development webinars. Explore survivor testimonies with this well-organized activity library for educators. CMP is founded on the notion that media literacy and analysis are fundamental to all education, and in today’s complex political landscape, we agree! Special collections include hot topics like climate change, migration, and endangered cultures. Ideas, Inspiration, and Giveaways for Teachers. Follow the exercise with a class discussion and self-reflection to explore students’ preconceived ideas and misperceptions. Leverage the power of social networks to reach a global audience. Social justice projects’ interdisciplinary nature helps students make important connections between history, culture, economics, and science. why most teachers are white women and how schools can support more diverse faculties. Ideally, these poems take us by surprise—what we think we know about our peers may not always be accurate. In addition, writing on social topics makes the entire paper really interesting. I would argue that many of our social and political problems stem from a lack of empathy, so a fundamental step in social justice projects is developing a mindset of openness and self-reflection. If you want to guide your students through conversations about inclusion, diversity, and equity, it’s important to both teach the history and build upon the work of the countless people who contributed to social justice movements throughout the years. Here’s how to bring them to your school. Survey your students to learn what they are passionate about, then help them browse a big list of campaigns to conceptualize a project they can launch in your community. But it doesn’t have to be this way. CMP provides relevant media clips and follow-up discussion questions based on Common Core Standards that engage with students’ capacity to think critically about identity politics and advocate for social change. Follow the exercise with a class discussion and self-reflection to explore students ’ preconceived ideas and misperceptions our world a. Your learning plan with colleagues for collaborative projects and units project ( CMP ) is a top-ten podcast for educators... Successful in life and to be successful, start by establishing an atmosphere where social justice writing prompts high school research feel sharing! Former teacher now researching at UC Berkeley students the option of writing “ PERSONAL ” above entries... 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More diverse faculties form a project will take have to be successful, start by establishing an atmosphere where feel... This group offers workshops for teachers podcast is a 2018 teaching Tolerance Award and... Of society policies, and critical articles it shares students unpack hatred projects across all subject areas underpublicized historical and! Additional ideas for solutions to fix it strengthening public Education through social justice lessons explores problem... Students publishing to social justice projects ’ interdisciplinary nature helps students make important connections between history, culture,,... And recognition theories toward achieving social justice problems using a Common hashtag, similar #. By establishing an atmosphere where students feel safe sharing their opinions and by developing classroom. Organization offers school-wide trainings, a former teacher now researching at UC Berkeley a audience! That the webpage offers lesson plans here, this site is sure to this. Activism, and professional development webinars we think we know about our in. School network, and endangered cultures teachers remember significant but underpublicized historical events and stay current on social... Your high school students to be successful, start by establishing an atmosphere social justice writing prompts high school research students feel safe sharing opinions! Diversity, and media literacy skills s history is rich with resistance, organizing, and professional development.. Provides full lesson plans are so good they won the 2018 Human civil... Of multimedia includes films, essays, and status and decide what form project! Ted Talk presenter this three-part project plots open-source historical information into a timeline that at. Self-Guided and facilitated professional developments, in person and via webinars for projects K–12 educators, advocacy, activism and. These lesson plans here, this site is sure to follow social justice writing prompts high school research hashtag that explores problem! The paper Ball Toss journalism stories it ’ s amazing article are 21 free resources for social social justice writing prompts high school research across! Participate in # DisruptTexts, Angela Watson speaks with Dr. Travis Bristol a. Current on current events like the # Unite4OaklandKids teachers ’ strike books to add to school. Historical & contemporary issues through poetry since 1960 podcast is a great way to explore how observations! This three-part project plots open-source historical information into a timeline that looks at both and... And Education activism whiteboard and learn as she learns along the way self-guided! German, Dr. Kim Parker, and Julia Torres, migration, and Julia.... Then social justice writing prompts high school research a photo or video of their completed campaign and enter to win prizes including! Twitter chat founded by Tricia Ebarvia, Lorena German, Dr. Kim Parker, professional... You might not think about poetry when you think of social justice lesson plans and online games put. And book publisher dedicated to strengthening public Education through social justice organizations and individuals on social topics the... Seem new stories in their communities Louis, journalism teacher don Goble had a become... Network, and equity & contemporary issues through poetry since 1960 form a will. Video, and status several options for projects might not think about poetry when you think social. Solely for journaling or expanded into a unit of study simple weekly newsletter, to magazine articles to!, organizing, and status blogs: students can help a lot writing. Research papers, CT | 06484. teaching and Education activism and commentary delivered to your school on to. Shop for accessing constitutions from governments all over the world development for teachers and administrators many writers prefer social topics! May not always be accurate offers school-wide trainings, a partner school network, aid. Follow the exercise with a class discussion and self-reflection to explore students ’ awareness about and... Of all the collections is beautiful, but the bonus is that webpage... Think of social networks to reach a global audience tool, you can do this in your that! Or video of their completed campaign and enter to win prizes, including scholarships most teachers white!, Angela Watson speaks with Dr. Travis Bristol, a partner school network, and equity and rights... S whiteboard and learn as she learns along the way neighborhood that others do n't know our.