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Cultural Diversity
Introducing the topic of cultural diversity and the social issues surrounding it, this presentation will get your students thinking about stereotypes involving race, gender, and sexual orientation. Affirmative action and positive and...
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A Forum on Racism
Twelfth graders compare and contrast the work of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. For this racism lesson, 12th graders read The Autobiography of Malcolm X and discuss how Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. approached ending racism.
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Racism: Law and Attitude
Students examine discrimination laws. In this racism lesson plan, students compare and contrast de facto and de jure discrimination. Students also explore the Bill of Rights and determine what makes some acts and speech illegal.
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Slavery and the Underground Railroad
Third graders discover racism in our country by investigating the Internet. In this abolitionist movement lesson plan, 3rd graders define the Underground Railroad and participate in an activity by logging on to an on-line History...
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Land, Liberty and the Struggle for the American Dream
Learners investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class. In this civil rights lesson, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...
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Matthew Henson: Heroic Explore Who Conquered Racism
Young scholars explore the concept of racism. In this character building lesson plan, students read a biography about a hero Matthew Henson. Young scholars discover the challenges he, and others, faced during a time of unfairness.Â
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Nation Building
Ninth graders examine the role of the United States in nation building. In this World History activity, 9th graders evaluate the role of the United States in building nations in other parts of the world.Â
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Racism And Discrimination
Students watch and analyze the short film "Broken Dreams" and discuss the causes and effects of racism and discrimination. They answer discussion questions related to the film, then create a leaflet entitled "Racism and Discrimination."
National First Ladies' Library
The History of Jim Crow: Legal Racism in America
Students study the history and culture of Jim Crow, as well as the scope of Jim Crow laws across the United States. They consider the concepts of terror and triumph with respect to the history of Jim Crow, the recognition of evidence of...
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A New Generation of Fighters
Students discuss the reasons why people are less likely to take a stand on issues today than they were in the past. In groups, they research the efforts of Kings, Parks and others to end discrimination and racism. They read excerpts of...
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Mosaic America: Patterns of Racism
Seventh graders use print and electronic resources to gather and analyze information on the political system in the United States. Using the Constitution, they identify and discuss instances of racism included in amendments and laws. ...
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Racism, Discrimination, and the Law
Seventh graders examine the various racism and discrimination faced by various ethnic groups in the United States. In groups, they research the legal system and describe the purpose of the United States Constitution. They review cases...
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Playing the Game
Students view a video "Playing the Game" which depicts racial conflict, including name-calling, taking place during a basketball game at a high school. They discuss and role play situations suggested by the video. Students complete...
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Recognizing and Combating Segregation in U.S. Schools Today
Students explore the prevalence of racism and statistical segregation in America's schools. They design a project to investigate how the racial makeup of their school compares to other schools. In addition, they evaluate their design...
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The Fight to End "Separate but Equal" in American Schools
Students study the court cases related to Brown v. Board of Education and the "separate but equal" standard established by Plessy v. Ferguson. They create an informational display that can be used to teach others the particulars of the...
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Using High Stakes Testing to Make Students and Schools Accountable for Learning
Students conduct an informal survey about their views on high stakes testing and use basic computation skills to evaluate results as a group. They participate in activities related to high stakes testing and "No Child Left Behind"...
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One Person CAN Make a Difference
Students illustrate how the actions of one person can make a difference. They identify school and community issues to address and complete group projects and action plans for making changes in the school or community.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
First graders gather on the story rug to listen to a story about Martin Luther King, Jr. As they gather, the teacher gives a cookie to some of the students, but not all of them. They discuss the unfairness of the cookie situation and...
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The Hurricane
Students analyze three different ways a story is told, determine truth and fiction in each story, and discover and apply techniques to narrate a good story.
Students listen to Bob Dylan's "The Hurricane" and watch the "R" rated movie,...
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Terrible Things
Students reflect on the Holocaust in two lessons. Using prior knowledge, they investigate and make decisions dealing with human behavior before beginning their studies on the Holocaust. After examining different aspects of the event,...
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"Jazz is About Freedom": Billie Holiday's Anti-lynching Song Strange Fruit
Working in small teams, learners analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of...
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More Than Words: Racism, Identity And the Power of Words
Learners explore how words can be powerful instruments of racism, and discuss ways to combat racism, prejudice and discrimination in their own lives.
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Kaffir Boy
Students explore the concepts of intolerance and racism in the autobiography Kaffir Boy written by Mark Mathabane. The lesson reveals the story's depiction of the terrible toll of apartheid on the lives of individuals.
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Sixteenth Street: Civil Rights at the Crossroads
Students study the Civil Rights movement constructing definitions of discrimination, prejudice and racism. They use varied media to study the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, write a newspaper and complete a mock trial.