Printer-friendly version
Civil Rights and Americans with Disabilities
Classroom activities examining the Civil Rights Act and ADA.
A Bullying Survey
In this lesson, students evaluate group practices and propose measures to improve the classroom climate.
One Survivor Remembers: A Call to Action
This lesson is an excerpt from the teacher’s guide of One Survivor Remembers, a teaching kit built around the incredible life story of Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein.
Violence Prevention
Teaching Tolerance offers an extended classroom discussion with Internet resources. As a follow-up to National Youth Violence Prevention Week or an activity for Malcolm X's birthday (May 19), the activity focuses on Malcolm X and the role of non-violence and self-defense in the Civil Rights Movement.
Juliette Hampton Morgan: A White Woman Who Understood
Students learn the importance of being an ally through the story of Juliette Hampton Morgan, a white woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama, during segregation.
Juliette Hampton Morgan: Discussing the Story
Students learn the importance of being an ally through the story of Juliette Hampton Morgan, a white woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama, during segregation.
Juliette Hampton Morgan: Being a Cultural Anthropologist
Students learn the importance of being an ally through the story of Juliette Hampton Morgan, a white woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama, during segregation.
Juliette Hampton Morgan: Becoming an Ally
Students learn the importance of being an ally through the story of Juliette Hampton Morgan, a white woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama, during segregation.
Friendship Without Barriers
Friendship Without Barriers is excerpted from the teaching kit "Rhinos and Raspberries: Tolerance Tales for the Early Grades," a literature-based teaching kit.
Why Frogs and Snakes Never Play Together
This Pourquoi of Prejudice is used to promote tolerance in the classroom.
Writing Persuasive Letters About Immigration Reform
Latino workers from Central and South America, as well as Mexico, have long been part of the workforce in the United States. In response to calls for immigration reform, President G. W. Bush proposed a new temporary worker program. There was just one catch -- it would be based on existing guest worker initiatives, which civil rights advocates said were rife with abuse.
Mexican American Labor in the U.S.
Christine Sleeter and Carl Grant wrote this lesson to encourage students to explore policies and attitudes about Mexican and Mexican American laborers in the U.S. and develop informed personal perspectives of the United States-Mexico border and undocumented Mexican immigrants.
What Do Halloween Costumes Say?
This activity, adaptable across grades, is designed to help students look critically at the Halloween costumes marketed to them. In schools where Halloween is observed, the activity can be used to develop guidelines for acceptable holiday garb.
Anti-Racism Activity: The Sneetches
In this early grades activity, students learn about unfair practices in a simulation exercise and then create plans to stand up against discrimination.
Holding Onto Heritage: Native Whale Hunts & Diversity
In this activity, students will explore diverse points of view about the 1999 Makah whale hunt and draft letters to the editor about community support for diversity.
Thanksgiving Mourning
In this activity, students will explore the perspectives of two Native American authors about the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday and then write journal entries.
Racial Disparities Jigsaw Mini-Unit
In this mini-unit, students investigate racial disparities and their underlying causes and identify steps individuals and society should take to alleviate them.
Gender Separate Dialogue Groups
How do girls and boys see themselves? How do they think they’re seen by others? What do gender stereotypes teach kids about who they’re supposed to be?
Beauty is Skin Deep
This media literacy lesson helps students analyze the ways media representations about size and appearance can impact our attitudes and behaviors.
Many Shapes and Sizes
This activity helps even the youngest of children celebrate size diversity.
Reshaping Body Image
This activity helps students dissect the current social norms about physical size and appearance.
My Multicultural Self
In today's multicultural schools and classrooms, resolving conflict means being culturally aware.
Injustice on our Plates
From Viva La Causa, our teaching kit about César Chávez and the Delano Strike and Grape Boycott, this lesson examines consumer support of the ongoing struggles for justice and fairness.
Me And We: We are All Similar and Different
In this activity, students explore the ways we are all similar and different.
Breaking Down The Walls of Intolerance (Lunch Day Mixer)
On Mix It Up at Lunch Day, members of the school community will tear down the wall collectively, uniting as one.
Exploring the Film: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Using the common literary strategy of prediction, students will write descriptive compositions based on visual prompts and will connect symbolically with one of the farmworkers or allies.
Economic Injustice Affects Us All: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Students will understand how economic disparities affect us all.
Farmworkers and the Union: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Students will understand the organizational and agenda issues common among labor unions.
Committing to Nonviolence: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Students will explore how the concept of nonviolence affected and united social change movements in the 20th century.
Allies for Justice: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Students will understand the power of allies in civil and human rights movements.
Worker Exploitation Today: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Students will understand that the struggle for worker justice continues.
The Immigration Debate: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
In this lesson, students will explore social justice issues within our nation’s immigration debate—a debate that is largely connected in the public psyche to undocumented Latino workers. Students will examine a commentary by Mary Bauer, Legal Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, that encourages everyone to take a hard look at the harm and devastation done to people of Alabama because of the state’s anti-immigrant legislation, HB 56, passed in 2011.
What Does 'Post Racial' Mean, Anyway?
In this activity, students in the middle and upper grades will explore whether Obama's selection as the president of the United States marks a new era in America, one where race doesn't matter.
Our Unfinished Work
In this activity, students will debunk the idea that Obama's election means race and racism are no longer relevant in U.S. society.
An Historic Vote
In this lesson, students in the upper grades will explore the struggle of African Americans to attain voting rights and develop a greater appreciation for the significance of Barack Obama's election.
Visualizing School Equity
By examining the funding gap in their own state, students will learn about inequities in the system and begin to question why those inequities exist.
The Real Monopoly: America's Racial Wealth Divide
In his historic March 2008 speech on race, Barack Obama explained some of the barriers to opportunity that created the racial wealth divide. In this lesson, students take a deeper look at the lingering economic effects of slavery, segregation and other forms of institutionalized bias.
A Nation of Immigrants?
In his groundbreaking March 2008 speech on race, Barack Obama described the white experience in America as "the immigrant experience." But what does that mean? In this lesson, students will take a close look at their own textbooks to see how the immigrant experience (white and non-white) is treated.
Defenders of Justice
In this activity, students will summarize biographies of individuals who fought racism and helped make it possible for a black man to serve as President of the United States. Along they way, they'll discover that they, too, can take a stand for justice and equality and make the world a better place today.
Rev. Joseph Lowery: What Makes a Civil Rights Leader?
Rev. Joseph Lowery, who delivered the benediction at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement. They were among the many activists who cleared the way for the election of the first black president. This middle-grades lesson plan will show your students how to march in their footsteps.
Does Rick Warren Represent Diversity?
President Obama angered many advocates for gay equality when he selected Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, despite Warren's views on gay rights. Obama said he made the choice to represent a "range of viewpoints" – but does his argument hold up?
Inaugural Prayers in History
In this lesson, students will examine the practice of including prayers in inaugural ceremonies, focusing on the messages these presidential selections send about diversity and faith in American life.
Labor Matters
Draw on your students' prior knowledge to help them understand the importance of the labor movement.
United We Stand
In this activity for early grades, students will read a short biography of César Chávez, be introduced to labor unions and reflect on how powerful it can be to speak up, with others, for change.
Introducing Kids to the Idea of Environmental Racism
In this lesson, students will participate in an activity designed to simulate the inequity of environmental racism. They will also have a chance to explore various ways children can get involved in these issues.
Progressive City Planners
In this middle school lesson, students will create their own imaginary cities, deciding where to place amenities such as parks and libraries, as well drawbacks such as environmental hazards. Then they will compare their cities to the real world – where resources and hazards often aren't distributed fairly.
Reporting on Environmental Racism
In this upper-grades activity, students use basic news reporting skills to explore the impact of environmental racism.
Communication – The Total Impact of Your Message
Effective conflict resolution models explore the ways others communicate from their cultural norms.
In-Group Favoritism
This activity looks at the way in-group favoritism hurts instead of heals the conflicts we might have with each other.
