Tips and guidance for helping K-12 schools encourage students to become civically engaged, provide safety and protection for all students, and adhere to students’ First Amendment rights.
177 Results
By Frank Murphy
Ages:5-8
Teach students about disability rights activist Judy Heumann and what work in schools and communities still remains.
Teach students about Bellen Woodard, how she became a "crayon activist," and how they can change something they think is unjust.
Olivia Julianna (who uses only her first and middle name publicly to protect her privacy) has been an activist for several years, advocating voting rights and reproductive-health care. Like many in her generation, she found the political side of TikTok where young people post about important issues facing them. Olivia is involved with Gen-Z for Change, a nonprofit organization leveraging social media to promote civil discourse and political action on a variety of topics including…
New York, NY, June 24, 2022 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) is stunned by today’s Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturns the longstanding precedent set by Roe v. Wade affirming the constitutional right to abortion.
ADL joined 72 other organizations in an amicus brief urging that Mississippi’s anti-abortion law be found unconstitutional as a violation of fundamental liberty and equal protection rights.
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Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current EventsOn June 24, 2022 in a historic decision, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, asserting that the constitutional right to an abortion no longer exists. The decision, most of which was “leaked” (when confidential information comes out for the public to see) in May 2022, means that in almost two dozen states, abortion will likely to be banned immediately.
It is also important to note that in his concurring…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is privilege? How does privilege impact the criminal justice system?
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old Black teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer was not indicted. The story captured the attention of the nation and the media, and in many ways became the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. Many stories like this occurred in the following years and continued…
April is National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month provides an opportunity for many schools and classrooms to dedicate time to the study of reading and writing poetry.
Poetry uses vivid and descriptive language, beautiful imagery, unique sounds and rhythms, and diverse voices. It often evokes an emotional and empathetic response and can open doors to people and worlds for which we are unfamiliar. It can touch hearts and minds and motivate action and societal…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Were Youth Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
Throughout history, young people have stepped up and into leadership roles during different civil rights and social movements. This was never more evident than in the Civil Rights Movement, where young people were on the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycotts, Freedom Rides and sit-ins. Given that student activism is on the rise again across the U.S., understanding how those young voices…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What are Human Rights?
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
In 1946, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, with hopes of preventing future atrocities, an international committee with varied legal and cultural backgrounds began to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR was proclaimed by the new United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This document contains 30 Articles that set a standard…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Has the Media Responded to My Social Justice Issue?
Our current world offers a seemingly endless stream of media, from news stories to blog posts, Instagram feeds to social media memes, and more. Some media from news sites is fact-based straight reporting or opinion pieces advocating a particular point of view. Other pieces are thought provoking nonfiction informing us about our own communities, or places on the other side of the world. In…
By Michael G. Long
Ages:6-9
Sports and athletes are captivating to young people and adults alike. We look up to athletes as our heroes, idols and role models. And yet, sometimes sports provide a negative example: a way not to act or behave.
Throughout our nation’s history, athletes have taken stands on issues and made political statements, lent their names to causes they believe in and used their power and platform to speak truth to…
Teach students about the role and importance of the youth vote and have them consider barriers to the youth vote.
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is ‘Fake News’ and How Can We Identify it on Social Media?
What is Our Role and Responsibility to Identify and Stop the Spread of Fake News?
The term “fake news” refers to misinformation that presents false, inaccurate, or intentionally misleading information in news stories, current events and other issues. Many of these stories are spread through online sites and social media platforms that…
by: Libby Otto By mid-September, you’re busy with school, work and fall activities. Constitution Day, on September 17, may slip past you without a thought. So why should this year be any different?
Constitution Day is the anniversary of the day that the Founding Fathers signed the United States Constitution. As you reflect this year on how the current political climate and public policies impact millions of people, continue asking yourself: are you making a positive change to…
Engage students in reflecting on some of the underlying problems and issues that emerged from these cases involving police use of force, undertaking research and presenting viable solutions.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language SEL STANDARDS*: Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making Expressions of Justice through PoetryThroughout our nation’s history, poetry and song have been used to express thoughts and feelings about injustice and to envision a world where freedom, fairness and justice are universal for all. Amanda Gorman, Youngest Inaugural PoetDuring President…
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Reflections of Biased Incidents in Basketball and White Privilege
In April 2019, Kyle Korver, a U.S. professional basketball player who plays with the Utah Jazz, wrote an essay on racism and white privilege that received a lot of acclaim and attention. In the essay, Korver, who is white, reflects on several biased incidents involving his African-American teammates and his…