Action

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice: Supporting Social Border Crossings: Lesson

Photographs may tell a story or make a statement about a greater concept or ideal. Sometimes photographers use the subjects in a photo to convey a message. This lesson is part of the Using Photographs to ...
Developing Empathy: Lesson

In this lesson, students will gain a better understanding of what it means to be empathetic and be able to identify behaviors that show empathy toward others. Framework When ...
Standing Up Against Discrimination: Lesson

In this lesson, students will learn what constitutes as discrimination, how real-life teens have taken a stand against such acts and ways they can do the same. Framework People ...
Acting Locally: Lesson

In these activities, students will review some of the problems faced by women who enter the United States without legal documentation, research programs in their state that address these problems and identify ...
One Survivor Remembers: Bullies & Bystanders: Lesson

This lesson reminds students that they, too, make choices about whether to stand aside—or stand up—when someone else is being maligned, bullied or harassed. In standing up, we honor not only the other person’s ...
Taking Action on the R-Word: Activity Exchange

Derogatory language is common at the high school where I teach. I call students out whenever I hear them calling names or using profanity, and I often get into deep discussions about ...
Treasure Chest for Change: Activity Exchange

It is a challenge to help students to learn not only about history but also from it. I use Treasure Chest for Change as the culminating activity of an ...
The Only Boy in the Ballet Class: Activity Exchange

To teach about the importance of kindness, I first choose a story in which children are putting down others— for example, The Only Boy in the Ballet Class , by Denise Gruska, or Oliver Button is a Sissy ...
Everyone’s a Helper: Lesson

This lesson helps children identify their own strengths and struggles. Students will work on ways to bring all their strengths together to build a classroom community. Building a ...
Top Ten Ways to Be Successful (and Happy) in Literacy (and in Life): Activity Exchange

One language arts educator's guidance for her new students. 10. Remain calm. Try to avoid banging your head against the table (or the wall) (or the window) (or another ...
A Time to Speak: A Speech by Charles Morgan: Lesson

In this lesson, students will study Morgan’s speech to better understand the civil rights movement and the value of speaking out against injustice. On Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963, four ...
Stars for Diversity: Activity Exchange

This is one of my favorite tolerance activities. It helps students think about leaving others out of groups and tolerating differences within the classroom. You will need many small self-adhesive stars of six ...
Let the Hot Air Out of Bullies!: Activity Exchange

Here is an activity that is fun and teaches kids to recognize the problems associated with bullying. They learn to use critical thinking and empathy skills to come up with ...
Compliment Tag! (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity Exchange

As an elementary school counselor, I am continually amazed at the number of students who do not know how to give and receive a compliment. Students seem to have no trouble, however, with the occasional teasing ...
Cliques in Schools: Lesson

Friendship circles are groups of people who share some common interests or values. They can be healthy, nurturing and supportive. Being bonded to others because of a shared love of sports, music or ...
Editorial Cartoons: A Conclusion: Lesson

Activities will help students understand strategies used in editorial cartoons and create an editorial cartoon that focuses on a social justice issue. This is the final lesson in the ...
Editorial Cartoon: Equal Opportunity: Lesson

Activities will help students explore how editorial cartoons often use familiar adages or idioms in new ways to make a point about something. This is the seventh lesson in the series ...
Defusing School Violence: Lesson

In this lesson, students imagine themselves attending a high school that is polarized by violence between U.S.-born students and foreign-born African immigrants. After learning about the situation, students ...
The Sounds of Change: Lesson

David Brooks wrote an Op Ed piece for the New York Times called, “The Other Education.” In it, he reflected on the role of music in creating a different kind of education with lessons about personal ...
Poverty and Natural Disasters: Exploring the Connections: Activity

In 1989 a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck San Francisco. Sixty-three people died. This year, a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. A month after the disaster the Haitian government estimates that more than ...
A Song for Anti-Bullying: Activity Exchange

This activity involves a simple song that can help younger students deal with the issue of bullying and bullies. When students are bullied, they are often reluctant to let teachers ...
Ground Rules for Discussion: Lesson

Students work to draw up a list of “ground rules” for classroom discussion through whole class and small group work. Time 50 minutes, plus preparation and optional activities. ...
The Assertion Jar: Activity

Students produce assertions on slips of paper and “stock” the classroom Assertion Jar. As a daily or occasional activity, students practice refutation skills by pulling an assertion from the jar and refuting ...
Letters to the Editor: Activity

Students identify parts of arguments – using the ARE framework – by reading and evaluating letters to the editor. They identify weaknesses and strengths of letters, suggesting improvements to arguments ...
Reducing Gender Stereotyping and Homophobia in Sports: Lesson

Recently, professional football players Brendon Ayanbadejo and Scott Fujita spoke out to support marriage equality. Their advocacy brings to the surface a discussion that has been going on for a long time ...
Marriage Equality: Different Strategies for Attaining Equal Rights: Lesson

This lesson focuses on the different means that the Constitution provides for people to bring about change. While each of the methods the lesson presents worked in the Civil Rights movement, all three are ...
Census Activities: Activity

Explore the U.S. Census data and create your own! So your class will understand the importance of the U.S. Census, ask them to research how the federal government uses census ...
Rooting Out Termites: Activity Exchange

Termites, small and overlooked, can knock down forests and turn buildings to powder; intolerance operates in much the same way. It’s not uncommon to hear students — including ...
Brush Up on Respect: Activity Exchange

Whenever I feel that students are starting to pick on each other and get disrespectful, I use this activity to get them to think about their behavior. For this activity, you need a tube of toothpaste, a ...
Upper Grades Mapping Activity: Lesson

Students are involved in many school teams, groups and organizations. These school-sanctioned groups help students find identity, increase academic commitment to school and give students friendships throughout ...

Teaching Tolerance

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