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Writing a Bill

Lesson Plan
Close up on a notary public hand signing a document
Civics Lesson GRADE LEVEL: High School How Do I Write a Bill? When a change in the law is desired, whether at the community, state, or national level, people need to understand the processes of making that desired change, a bill, into a law. Submitting a bill for consideration by the legislature involves writing, revising and sharing bills with a focus on passing them in a Senate hearing. About the Lesson Plan In this lesson, students will brainstorm to identify changes they…
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The Supreme Court and the Right to Marry

Lesson Plan
John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney during a Marriage Equality Rally stand in front of the U.S. Supreme Court
Civics Lesson GRADE LEVEL: High School What Were the Multiple Perspectives of the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court Based on During the Repeal of DOMA? According to the Supreme Court Decision, Who Has the Right to Marry? What Assurances Do We Have that the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are Able to Be Non-partisan and Avoid Bias When Deciding a Case?   The Judicial branch of the U.S. government is headed by the Supreme Court. This court analyzes and judges cases…
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What is the Electoral College and Why Is it Controversial?

Tools and Strategies
Electoral College Map Numbers by State in the U.S.
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current EventsThe Electoral College is an election topic that inspires confusion, controversy and conflict. Many people know that the Electoral College is part of the Presidential election process but may be unsure about its importance and how it works. In the early days of our country’s formation, deciding on the process for electing a U.S. President was a controversial topic. Some suggested that Congress should choose the President…
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Studying the Holocaust

Lesson Plan
Jews Forcibly Pulled Out of Dugouts, 1943
Echoes & Reflections is dedicated to reshaping the way that teachers and students understand, process and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. They partner with educators to help them introduce students to the complex themes of the Holocaust and to understand its lasting effect on the world. GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening This unit introduces students to the Holocaust by providing a…
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Gaining Momentum: Lobbying for Change

Lesson Plan
Young woman shakes hands at interview
Civics Lesson GRADE LEVEL: High School How Do Lobbyists Impact the Democratic Process? What are Effective Ways of Lobbying? How Might I Lobby for My Bill?   “Lobbying” is an effort by individuals and groups to influence government decisions and actions, and specifically the writing of laws. Lobbying can take different forms including writing letters, making phone calls to legislators and meeting with people in the administration. As student activism in…
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7 Engaging Picture Books about Voting and Elections

Tools and Strategies
Collage of books about voting and elections
September 17, 2020 Talking with young children about voting and elections can open doors to conversations about fairness, democracy, citizenship and participation. As children grow, it is critical to help them understand how government works, the importance of civic participation and how voting is a key way to make your voice and your opinions heard. These picture books, some fiction and some non-fiction, provide discussion starters about voting, equity, gender, race,…
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ADL’s Global 100 Survey: What Does it Actually Say about Muslim Attitudes toward Jews?

Article
September 09, 2020 By David Andrew Weinberg ADL’s Global 100 survey is one our greatest tools for measuring, assessing and fighting antisemitism.  First launched in 2014, this unique study documented levels of public acceptance of antisemitic beliefs in 100 countries around the world, and we have since updated it with follow-up surveys in many of these countries in 2015, 2017, and, most recently, in 2019. One outcome from the survey that has received particular attention was…
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Survey of U.S. College Students Shows Holocaust Education is Effective in Building Empathy, Tolerance and Open Mindedness

Press Release
Survivor Testimony Has Profound Impact on Students New York, NY, September 8, 2020 – A new national survey shows that Holocaust education in high school reflects gains not only in historical knowledge but also manifests in cultivating more empathetic, tolerant, and engaged students. The results also indicate that exposure to Holocaust survivor testimony is strongly associated with numerous positive outcomes in early adulthood including higher critical thinking skills and a greater sense…
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Sports and Social Justice

Tools and Strategies
Young girl wearing a Kaepernick jersey sitting in the stands waiting
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…
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Let’s Talk about Voting!

Tools and Strategies
Hands hold a piece of paper with the message "Your Vote Matters"
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 10 and upIn its simplest terms, voting is an act of expressing your opinion. Whether you participate in a poll, take an online survey or vote in the Presidential election, you are expressing an opinion or point of view with your vote. Merriam Webster defines voting as “to express one's views in response to a poll” or “to express an opinion.” In political…
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Lead with Empathy, Teach with Anti-Bias

Article
Teaching High School Students in a Classroom During COVID-19
by: Scotland Nash August 26, 2020 Now more than ever, we need to build the capacity for empathy and compassion with our students and school communities.   The health crisis of COVID-19 highlighted again the racial disparities across the country. The racial violence embodied in the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and George Floyd re-ignited our understanding of the systemic racism that plagues our nation.  We can’t deny the staggering statistics that…
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ADL Partners with Bites Media to Launch New Anti-Bias Civics Curriculum for High School

Press Release
Curriculum is available free to high schools across the U.S. New York, NY, August 19, 2020 ... Every generation can lay claim to the shared experience of a divided nation. Yet many young people, especially Gen Z, are learning about polarization in today’s society through a barrage of soundbites, headlines and social media posts. This means that, now more than ever there is a critical need, as evident in the latest NAEP Civics Assessment, for young people to learn how to participate…
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Addressing Anti-Immigrant Bias in Times of Uncertainty Confirmation

Webinar
Preteen girl excluded from group struggles with loneliness
Presenters: Julia Chang Wang and Kathy Lu, Immigrant History Initiative; Adam Strom, Re-imagining Migration; Andrea Neighbors, Smithsonian Asian American Pacific Center; and Deb Chad, ADL Education This webinar highlights resources and strategies for educators to help address the wave of anti-immigrant and anti-Asian bias that has spread with the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar addresses: Why is this important? What is the impact on young people, those who are targeted,…
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