I am teaching students about The Underground Railroad, and I want to focus on the theme of hardship. Harriet Tubman used her horrible experiences from slavery and channeled them into motivation when leading hundreds of others into freedom. I would …
In social studies, I’m preparing a unit on The Industrial Revolution–the period of history in which massive changes to the manufacturing process altered the course of human history. The Abraham Lincoln conversation about self-determination would be a great way to …
I am teaching about the Constitution and I want to look at the beginning of the preamble with students so that we could explore the theme of leadership. I would use the Lao Tzu conversation in order to discuss whether …
“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 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.
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 …
The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s contains great conversations about the theme of ambition, and how the United States, and especially President John F. Kennedy, felt pressure to catch up …
During a unit on the Civil Rights era, I would introduce the Sit-In Movement, a means of peaceful protest in which people would sit quietly in “whites-only” establishments in opposition of racial segregation. Abraham Lincoln’s quote about self-determination would fit …
