When teaching about the years leading up to the Civil War, I never leave out Harriet Tubman’s role in leading 300 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. The Toni Morrison conversation would work very nicely just before bringing up …
When reading Aesop’s Fables with my students, I would use the fable, “The Donkey, The Fox, and The Lion” to teach my students about friendship and betrayal. Before reading the fable, I would introduce this concept by having a discussion …
Before reading A Bargain for Frances, I could use the conversation inspired by Dr. Seuss about risk-taking. This will spark a great discussion about decision-making and the value in taking risks. During and after the reading of this story, students …
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 …
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 …
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’ …
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 …
I want to help the students find some sort of positive meaning from the Coronavirus crisis. The conversation with Sophocles on hardship would be a great tool to encourage self-reflection on the fact that sometimes a person has to go …
In Norma Jean, Jumping Bean the main character is a young kangaroo who must learn to follow rules. When she gets in trouble for jumping, she resolves to never jump again. By the end of the story, she has the …
Many people believe that one must suffer in order to achieve success and happiness, or that people can only appreciate success once they’ve known true hardship. Before reading James and the Giant Peach, in which a young, mistreated orphan embarks …
I would use the book Walking for My Life, written by Jennifer Dewey, to teach students about the ways in which suffering can help a person become more knowledgeable and understanding. In this story, the narrator walks through the desert …
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