Classroom Activities

Activities will help students:

• understand how a cartoon uses irony to make a political statement
• interpret visual and written material in an editorial cartoon

People who are poor don’t have access to the kinds of resources—good jobs, high-quality education and health care, for example—that people with more money have. One thing they do have access to, unfortunately, is a disproportionate share of environmental problems. You can see why: People who can afford to, live in places far away from oil wells, factories and toxic waste dumps. People with less money more often live near those environmentally undesirable—and often dangerous—places. 

This final lesson of the series, I See You, You See Me: Body Image and Social Justice, which helps students think about their bodies and body image as related to broader issues of social justice and stereotypes.

Honoring the far-reaching contribution of women authors.

What would a neighborhood survey of businesses reveal about your community?

Measure your awareness of Native American influences in U.S. history and culture.

Students can make a pledge to help end continued racism.

Americans may not give much recognition to the UN observance, but for ten years the citizens of Canada have heeded the UN's summons and gone so far as to expand upon the idea of a one-day commemorative event to create a nationwide program toward the eradication of racism.

Celebrated annually on November 2, Dia de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead," embraces life as it pokes fun at the Grim Reaper. (Note: In some regions, the celebration spans two days, from November 1st through the 2nd, in which case it is called Dias de los Muertos.)

"You can't continue to have a world without equal participation of men and women. That's my central thesis."

"I am not a politician by choice. Instead I try to pursue the objective of institution building, an essential component of the reconstruction of our nation."

"I realized that although eighty percent of women in India are economically active, they are outside the purview of legislation."

"The myth of male superiority can only be demolished with shining examples of female achievement against which nobody could argue intelligently."

"What remains in the end is a deep longing for justice. . .We want you all to remember what happened to our children so that it never happens again."

"We turn away so often. ... Each one of us has an individual responsibility to inform ourselves. To care. To respond."

Teaching Tolerance teamed with Bread and Roses, the cultural arm of local 1199, the National Health & Human Service Employees Union of the AFL-CIO to present the International Women of Hope Project.

Ways to use "Home was a Horse Stall" in the classroom

Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.

Examine identity and assimilation with an activity that asks the essential question: Was there ever a part of your identity you had to hide?

In this lesson, students will explore the way clothing can influence our perceptions of one another.

Totally Us is a classroom activity developed from Totally Joe.

Photocopy or create a large map of the school, including the school grounds and the cafeteria. Then have students identify places that cliques or self-segregating groups gather.

This activity, developed from materials found on Poverty USA, will help students gain added perspective on poverty when considering the mathematical realities of what it means to live in poverty.

The game centers on a question: "Could you be friends with someone who. . . ?"