One text I use to teach about diversity is Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley. In this story, a young girl visits all her neighbors’ home, and sees that everyone is making rice for dinner, only they’re doing so in …
A conversation with Martin Luther on responsibility, beginning with his famous quote, “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say,” will raise core questions for students, who are frequently faced with …
The Giver, by Lois Lowry, has become a standard in middle school classrooms. I would ask the question “How do we know when we should take risks?” towards the end of the novel to lead students in a discussion about …
Emerging research about the psychology behind altruism offer an interesting lens through which students can examine the happiness attained throughout selflessness. I would start this lesson by discussing the Booker T. Washington conversation about happiness, and ask students to share …
I love to use Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to teach students about the happiness derived from helping and serving others. This is a great unit to teach around the holidays, if culturally appropriate, and to even include film clips …
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter sheds an ironic light on Puritan hypocrisy and human tendency. Hester Prynn, guilty of adultery, is kind and humble. She does not expose Dimmesdale, who is blindly loved for his piety. The villagers mandate that …
One short and meaningful poem I enjoy sharing with my students is “I’m Happiest When Most Away” by novelist Emily Brontë. The speaker in this poem enjoys taking time alone to disengage from the world and contemplate life. This poem …
Young readers love to experience the children’s classic “Not a Box” by Antoinette Portis as a read-aloud in class. This book provides a fun and easy-to-understand example of the value of critical thinking and creativity. I would use the Socrates’ …
Before having students read Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau (or an excerpt), I would start a discussion using the conversation about responsibility from Dr. Seuss. This discussion will get students thinking about the role of the individual and how …
A creative way to open a unit on Westward Expansion would be to have a conversation with Dr. Seuss on ambition. What I hope would come out of the conversation is a better understanding of the costs and benefits from …
After the last tree falls and the factories shut down in The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, the Lorax has to leave the once fruitful forest. For this lesson, I would use the Sophocles’ conversation on hardship. In small groups, I …
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles is a captivating telling of courage of a young girl who was escorted to school by federal marshals to stake her claim to a free education. Ruby Bridges was that girl and …
