Step one- Philosophy Quote: Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it. Malcolm X Freedom is something students care deeply about, especially when it’s taken away. Consider …
Teaching is a little like fishing, with one exception: we often feel that we are teaching without a hook, trying every strategy we can to get kids excited, asking questions and taking learning seriously. Despite our noble efforts, we fall …
This big question comes from a New York Times article by Beverly Gage, which was shared via Twitter by Mary Ellen Daneels ( @daneels_m ), lead teacher mentor for the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and contributor to IllinoisCivics.org The article …
Seems counter-intuitive to me. But maybe I’m missing something. Inspired by stoic philosopher Epictetus, I worked through the 3-Step process to create a Big Question for a US history unit on imperialism. (I’m teaching this essential question-creation process in an online …
For some students there is nothing that inspires more abject fear than participating in a class discussion. You can almost predict the sequence of events… The discussion starts. There is a mad rush for attention. Students obsessed with earning participation …
Social studies teacher Melissa Fainman designed a lesson centered around an issue of growing importance in our divided country: income inequality. The essential question framing her lesson was: How does the amount of money you make impact your life choices?
From the historic March on Washington to the streets of Charlottesville, and now into the opening ceremonies of football games, we see people and groups fighting against intolerance to promote a more peaceful, just society. But wait… Can intolerance be a …
What on earth does the Araboolies of Liberty Street children’s story by Sam Swope have to do with the Civil Rights Movement and the 1st Amendment? Well, according to high school social studies teacher Julie Dickinson, a lot.
Do you have students who can’t function unless they have clear answers? Or students who question you to death about everything? I do and I always find myself imploring the first group to tolerate the ambiguous nature of questions and …
Hiding inside the iconic children’s story Swimmy by Leo Lionni, is the timeless theme of bravery and a great opportunity to teach students of all ages about the historical importance of Abolitionist Movement.