In October 2009, President Barack Obama signed into
law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The new
law expands the definition of hate-crime victims, requires additional tracking
of hate crimes by the FBI and removes previous restrictions on the prosecution
of hate crimes. In these lessons, students will review the nature of hate,
understand how laws are created in America, review and present statistical
information related to hate crimes, compare the new law to previous hate-crimes
legislation and deepen their knowledge of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr.
In these lessons, students will work toward understanding what it means to have a learning disability. The goal is make them aware of prejudice and discrimination aimed at those with learning disabilities.
On
November 5, 1989, thousands of people gathered in Montgomery, Ala., to witness
the dedication of the Civil Rights
Memorial. It is a granite monument inscribed with the names of 40 martyrs
who gave their lives fighting for civil rights. Since then, a museum has been
added to the memorial. One of its displays, “The March Continues,” honors later
campaigns for social change. These movements were based on the nonviolent
principles of the civil rights era.
In
this lesson, students will work from core readings and then apply creative and
critical thinking skills to design a monument for one of these later movements.
This lesson seeks to open students’
eyes to the variety of experiences that they and their classmates have at
lunchtime. By thinking about diverse students’ needs and experiences, students
who complete this lesson enhance their awareness of and respect for diversity,
and their commitment to equity.
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 about homophobia in professional sports. It raises questions about homophobia and gender stereotyping in school sports, too. This lesson asks students to identify and discuss homophobia and gender stereotyping in athletics, and think about how to combat these attitudes and behavior at their own schools.
Professional Development You can read some general guidelines about how to teach about gender stereotyping and homophobia at:
Students use the 2010 Census to explore family diversity and the different ways to define a family. They research about the experiences of Michael Oher, a professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens, who scrambled for survival without a family. To wrap up, students create a We Are Family mural to celebrate family diversity.
Teaching Tolerance offers activities and resources about the winding road toward, and away from, integrated schooling in the U.S.
:: Paying Our Respects to Brown (Grades 5-12) In his essay, Julian Bond says the Supreme Court's ruling this summer "is likely to be remembered as Brown's final e
:: A World Apart (Grades 3-7) In her interview, Beverly Daniel Tatum says: "Many social organizations that were once all white are now 'integrated.' However, … residential segregat
Classroom experiences that critically investigate the causes and meaning of poverty in our own nation offer students tools for change, and new ways to interpret the world around them.
