K20 LEARN
How Did We Get Here? Native Americans in the United States
High schoolers imagine what their lives would be like if they had no access to potable water and watch a morning news show about the water situation on a Navajo reservation. Groups investigate the policies that lead to the lack of water...
K20 LEARN
Where I'm From: Poetry
We carry memories of where we're from; tweens and teens can capture these memories by first listening to several memory poems and then crafting their own. They analyze literary devices other poets use, brainstorm a list of images they...
Anti-Defamation League
Indian/Native American Boarding Schools: Their History, Harm and Impact
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...
K20 LEARN
Native American Education - Past, Present, and Future: Assimilation
To understand the history of Native American education, high schoolers examine the record of young scholars who attended the Carlisle Indian School from 1879-1918. They also examine sources that contain information about indigenous...
Anti-Defamation League
Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?
"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...
Anti-Defamation League
Analyzing Primary Source Documents to Understand U.S. Expansionism and 19th Century U.S.-Indian Relations
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,...
Anti-Defamation League
Should Washington's NFL Team Change Their Name?
"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...
K20 LEARN
The K20 Chronicle, Lesson 4: Putting It All Together - Layout and Final Product
Senior Spotlight! Read all about them! Young photojournalists put together their articles and photographs, craft a layout, and publish their interviews with a senior from their high school.
K20 LEARN
The K20 Chronicle, Lesson 3: Crafting the Article
Picture your class members as photojournalists! Using their interview with a senior as a starting point, would-be photojournalists begin developing an outline for their article by examining their notes from the interview, gathering...
K20 LEARN
The K20 Chronicle, Lesson 2: How To Conduct An Interview
Young journalists learn how to prepare for an interview, conduct an interview, and craft good interview questions with follow-up questions. After they watch and analyze several interviews, class members select a senior to interview,...
K20 LEARN
The K20 Chronicle, Lesson 1: What Makes a Good Article?
Good news articles are engaging, informative, and often compelling. In the first lesson of the four-part series, young journalists analyze and evaluate news stories about former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. They learn about the...
K20 LEARN
Trigger Warnings - Intellectual Rights and Responsibilities: Banned Books, Censorship Part 1
"Warning: Conducting this lesson may be harmful." Such statements, called "Trigger Warnings," are the focus of a two-part lesson that looks at censorship, especially the pros and cons of trigger warnings. Class members read two articles,...
K20 LEARN
Texture Poetry: The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Touch
To prepare for crafting a descriptive poem about a character in F. Scot Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, groups describe the texture of objects hidden in small bags. Individuals then select a character from the novel and an object...
K20 LEARN
The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg: The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Sight
To conclude a study of The Great Gatsby, class members create a multimodal project that represents what they feel the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg see about the hidden side of one of the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel....
K20 LEARN
Writing Wrongs Mini Lesson: Peer Editing And Revising
High schoolers draft a paragraph about their stance on the issue of school uniforms and share their work with a peer for editing. After watching a parody video about peer editing and revising, class members generate a "Top 10 list" of...
K20 LEARN
Lord of the Flies Unit, Lesson 1: I'm A Survivor
What three readily available things would you grab in case of an emergency? That's the question that launches a unit study of William Golding's The Lord of the Flies. After sharing their choices, class members read Golding's rationale...
Learning for Justice
Cliques in Schools
Band geeks, jocks, preppies; every school has its groups. Middle and high schoolers identify the various friendship groups and cliques in their school and consider these groups' positive and negative traits. After completing a Clique...
Learning for Justice
Looking Closely at Ourselves
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...
Anti-Defamation League
Don't Let Hate Ruin the Fun: Youth and Online Games
Gamers unite! Take action against bullying and hate speech in online video games! After reading data that reveals the extent to which various age groups experience hate and, or harassment while playing video games online, groups develop...
Anti-Defamation League
Hair Discrimination and the CROWN Act
The CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) is the subject of the lesson that asks groups to research the stories of five different women and share their insights in a jigsaw activity. Participants then craft...
Anti-Defamation League
Teens, Tech, Connect: How Technology Impacts Teenagers' Friendships
To understand their time spent online, class members chart their use of technology during early morning hours, during school, after school, in the evenings, and on weekends. They then read several reports about how social media...
Anti-Defamation League
Bias, Bullying and Bad Behavior in the NFL
A 2014 case of locker room behavior in the National Football League offers high schoolers an opportunity to get involved in the conversation of bullying and abuse. Class members read about the case and analyze quotes that reveal...
Learning for Justice
Showing Empathy
A short social-emotional learning instructional activity teaches high schoolers how to show empathy toward others. After completing a short survey that has them assess their understanding of empathy, the class learns specific behaviors...
Learning for Justice
Standing Up Against Discrimination
Expert groups investigate five teens who stood up against discrimination they faced and then report their findings in jigsaw groups. The class drafts proposals for actions the school could take to stop discrimination.