Early Puritans and Pilgrims learned that the new world required both cooperation and help from unexpected sources. The Erik Erickson conversation plumbs the possibilities and limits of interdependence. Does it promote strength and versatility? Or does it allow vulnerability, compromise, …
“The Danger of a Single Story” is an essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivered at a TED Talk. The speech works well on its own, or as an introduction to a unit dealing with themes of tolerance, understanding, and humility. …
I’m teaching William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies and I’m interested in the theme of power and how it can be abused over time. I start off with the John Adams conversation to explore ideas of power and trust …
The plot of the popular Shakespeare play Twelfth Night is based entirely on deception. I would use the conversation with Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Honesty to lead a discussion with students post reading. I would have them apply the question …
Set in a dystopian future, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a wildly popular young adult novel, and one of its biggest themes in teamwork. Throughout a study of the book, I can stop and lead discussions based on …
I am teaching about Segregation, and I want to focus on the theme of self-expression by looking at Jackie Robinson and his career as the first African American baseball player in modern Major League Baseball. In his first two years on the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson had to stay quiet in the face of racial injustice and harassment in order to protect himself. I would use the Audre Lorde conversation on self-expression by focusing on the counterclaim, that sometimes in such a complex world silence is necessary for self-protection.
Before reading The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, I could use the conversation on sacrifice by Mahatma Gandhi, which explores the idea that serving others is the best way to discover our true purpose. I could then focus on the …
Within a larger unit exploring World War II, students would benefit from learning about Japanese Internment and looking at the theme of conflict. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. conversation can be used to frame how some Americans viewed Japanese …
The context of World War II is a great one in which to talk about the theme of cooperation. The defeat of Hitler could not have come about without coordination between the Allies and the participation of all Americans on …
I want to use the study of Monarchy to discuss the theme of power with students. Thinking about what kinds of power a king or queen has and the good and bad they could do with that power, brings up …
The Great Depression, fueled by the Stock Market Crash of 1929, is a topic that provides an opportunity to discuss the theme of interdependence. The fallout from the Depression showed us how dependent we are on each other and our …
Within a unit on Segregation it would be a good idea to look at the story of Ruby Bridges to discuss the theme of respect, as she was one of the first African American children to attend an all-white elementary …
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