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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues: Correcting an Injustice

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
It's been a long time coming! In 2020, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manifred, Jr. stated that "the Negro Leagues would be recognized as official major leagues." Middle schoolers investigate the history of the Negro Leagues and use evidence...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Intent vs. Impact: Why Does it Matter?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Contrary to the popular saying, words can hurt. Words matter! Tweens and teens can reflect on how words impact others even if the intent wasn't how the words were perceived. After examining an Instagram post where Lizzo apologized for...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Microaggressions In Our Lives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Defining, identifying, and learning how to counter microaggression is the lesson's focus for high schoolers. Learners examine a definition of the term, write about their own experiences with microaggression, watch short video examples,...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Emojis and Me

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A lesson features the work of O'Plérou Grebet, a graphic designer who created a collection of emojis to represent his life in West Africa. Scholars explore the history and purpose of emojis, then read and discuss an article about...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Identity and Diversity in My Generation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, according to research, is the "most racially and ethnically diverse generation in U.S. history." Gen Z high schoolers are challenged to consider how they identify themselves. They select a photo...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

The Gender Allowance Gap

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Does the pay gap begin with allowance? That is the big question scholars answer in a lesson examining how gender affects how much money an individual earns. Class members conduct a survey to identify how the allowance is paid, take their...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

What "Draw-A-Scientist" Reveals about Gender Stereotypes

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
What do you picture when you hear the word scientist? Challenge scholars to put pencil to paper, draw a scientist, and then reflect on the patterns they observe. Learners read an article about a female scientist and write a story about a...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Bellen Woodard, Identity, and “Crayon Activism”

For Teachers 1st - 4th Standards
Scholars learn about a young child turn activist and author, Bellen Woodard. Learners discuss identity, the importance of representation, and how activism makes a difference. Small groups brainstorm ways to create change and the steps to...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Identity, Hair and Seeing Myself

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
Scholars read about and discuss how seven-year-old Morgan Bugg wrote a company to add avatar styles that reflect her. The company realized its error and added more inclusive styles to its avatars. Learners reflect on identity, what...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Lonnie Chavis of 'This Is Us' Writes about Racism

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Scholars read and discuss an essay by 12-year-old actor Lonnie Chaves about racism, paying close attention to how racism presents itself in interpersonal and institutional ways. Learners reflect on how they experience or witness racism...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Sneakers and Prejudice: Letters to Challenge Bias

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
After learning that NBA player Stephen Curry's shoes only come in boys' sizes, Riley wrote a letter sharing her concern, highlighting the gender bias and inviting Curry to take action. Scholars view a news clip, review the letters,...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Job Roles without Gender Boundaries

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
A lesson examines gender stereotypes and how they relate to career choices. Small groups look closely at job titles, identify gender bias, and brainstorm ways to add inclusivity. Individuals reflect on their interests and future career...
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Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Civil Rights: What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement?

For Teachers 11th Standards
Sit-ins and boycotts, marches and speeches, songs and demonstrations were hallmarks of nonviolent protest of the civil rights movement. Young scholars research primary and secondary source documents to determine what made nonviolent...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Challenging Gender Role Stereotypes

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Through thoughtful discussion and a read-aloud, scholars challenge gender role stereotypes. Pupils examine pictures and collaborate with their small groups to debunk stereotypes. They explain what gender role stereotypes they know of and...
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Lesson Plan
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Anti-Defamation League

We Were Strangers Too: Learning About Refugees Through Art

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Did you know that "in the largest refugee crisis since World War II, more the 64 million people have been forced from their homes"? The Anti-Defamation League presents an activity that asks class members to examine a series of artworks...
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Activity
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Anti-Defamation League

7 Ideas for Teaching Women's History Month

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Celebrate Women's History Month with hands on-learning. The resource provides seven strategies to help educators teach Women's History Month, ranging from watching films to reading books written by women. Activities including writing...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Indian/Native American Boarding Schools: Their History, Harm and Impact

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Encultureate, assimilate, or eliminate? The 2021 discovery of a mass grave of over 200 children on the site of a former Canadian Indian Boarding school led to the creation of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. High schoolers...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Columbus Day"? Indigenous Peoples' Day"? "Native Americans' Day"? The controversy over what to call the federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October is the focus of a lesson that asks high schoolers to consider various...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Analyzing Primary Source Documents to Understand U.S. Expansionism and 19th Century U.S.-Indian Relations

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Historical events can be viewed from multiple perspectives. This simple truth is brought home in a lesson that examines primary source documents related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny,...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Viewing History from Multiple Perspectives

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Celebration or protest song? The full text of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" opens a study of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Louisiana Purchase, and Western Expansion from various perspectives. Middle schoolers examine...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Should Washington's NFL Team Change Their Name?

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
"What's in a name?" Is it irrelevant, as Juliet suggests in Shakespeare's play, or is nomenclature deeply significant? Young scholars weigh in on the debate by examining the controversy over the NFL's Washington, D.C. Redskins. Groups...
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Lesson Plan
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Anti-Defamation League

Dealing with the Social Pressures that Promote Online Cruelty

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Why do people engage in cyberbullying? What can be done about it? These are the questions middle schoolers consider in a very timely lesson. Participants view PSA announcements, read a case study, and participate in scenarios designed to...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

What Is Weight Bias?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
After setting rules and expectations to create a safe place to share thoughts and feelings, scholars define the terms; stereotype, basis, and discrimination. Using a web brainstorm, learners list words associated with overweight and...
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Lesson Plan
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Learning for Justice

Looking Closely at Ourselves

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
A thoughtful discussion about self-reflecting leads to a conversation about skin color and making a list of words associated with "beauty." Budding artists use a mirror to examine their features and create a self-portrait. Peers critique...