Speak Truth to Power
Dalai Lama: Free Expression and Religion
How is religious freedom connected to the conflict between China and Tibet? After reading an online passage of background information, your learners will divide into groups and both read and view an interview with the Dalai Lama. They...
Curated OER
Gandhi Speech Writing
Explore non-violent protest in this social values and world history lesson plan. After viewing the movie Gandhi, and discussing important events in Gandhi's life, young orators write a speech defending Gandhi's position on the value of...
Echoes & Reflections
Jewish Resistance
Resistance to the Holocaust took on many forms. Learners explore the passive and active resistance of Jewish people who continued their practices and observances, as well as organized resistance against the evils of the Nazis. An...
Curated OER
Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students explore the concept of non-violent resistance. In this political philosophies lesson, students study the political tactics of Mohandas Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to discover how each of...
Curated OER
Protests against Bush
Non-violent conflict resolution is the focus of this lesson plan, which addresses the protests against President Bush in the UK (2003). Students list the strengths and limitations of non-violent conflict resolution, and chart the cycles...
Curated OER
Evaluating Nonviolence as a Method of Social Change
In this history worksheet, students read, describe, summarize and analyze a document concerning non-violent resistance. Students list twelve facts from evidence concerning this issue.
Fu Jen Catholic University
Cry Freedom
If you are considering showing the film Cry Freedom, directed by Richard Attenborough, to your class, you might show them this presentation first. The slides contain background information about South Africa, apartheid, Steve Biko, and...
Curated OER
Socratic Seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
Key in the struggle to gain the rights of democratic citizenship was the April 1963 arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil disobedience. To deepen their knowledge and understanding of events during the civil rights movement,...
Curated OER
20th Century Civil Disobedience
Students write from varying perspectives in the American South about the civil rights movements in the 1950s. In this civics lesson plan, students view video clips and take notes. Students discuss the film and listen to a lecture on...
PBS
Making Change: Revolutionary Tactics of the Civil Rights Movement
The film American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs introduces viewers to the differing philosophies of and strategies employed by 1960s civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the debate over...
Curated OER
Muhammad Ali and his Vietnam War Resistance: Defining Nonviolent Action through Gandhi and King
Pupils research Muhammad Ali's act of civil disobedience. In this civil disobedience lesson, students research Ali's defiance of the Vietnam War draft and compare his reasoning to Martin Luther King's thoughts on the war. Pupils debate...
Curated OER
Seeking Civil Rights
Students explore the impact of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. In this social justice lesson, students examine the case, Jim Crow laws, and non-violent forms of protest. Students write essays to persuade the government regarding unjust laws.
Curated OER
Nonviolent Resistance: Gandhi and King
Young scholars use the internet to research the major events and dates of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. In groups, they use this information to create a poster to present to the class. They reflect on how these two men...
Curated OER
Paradigm Shift: Gandhian Nonviolence and the Concept of Power
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this social justice lesson, students examine sources regarding the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi pertaining to nonviolent...
Curated OER
Free India: Resisting British Rule in India
Students explore the impact of nonviolence during Gandhi's Free India movement. In this World History lesson, students complete several activities including research, class discussions and a multimedia project, all centered around Gandhi.
Newseum
Making a Change: Letter From Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" was written in response to "A Call for Unity," written by eight white ministers from Birmingham and published in the local newspaper. After reading both letters and following a list...
Curated OER
Speaking Out Against War
Students discuss the affect the Iraq War has had on citizens taking advantage of their right to express themselves through non-violent protests and pledges of resistance. They research and discuss local community and school events and...
Curated OER
Conflicts and Win-Win Solutions
Learners examine the healthy ways to dealing with conflicts. In this conflict management lesson, students examine what problems lead to conflicts, and how to turn a situation into a win-win. The learners utilize a conflict checklist in...
Curated OER
Speaking Out Against War
Students research on the Web and in other venues to track the Iraq war protests high school students have joined or even led. Students interview students in your community who have joined protests or expressed their views in other ways...
Stanford University
Lesson Plan: The Children's Crusade and the Role of Youth in the African American Freedom Struggle
Young people played significant roles in the Civil Rights movement. Class members examine the contributions of Barbara Johns, Claudette Colvin, Mary Louise Smith, and the children of Birmingham,...
Curated OER
Actively Organizing Passive Resistance
Students explore organizing to resist oppressive authority without the use of violence. In this philosophy lesson, students research Gandhi's approach to organizing people around a positive cause without the need to be aggressive or...
Curated OER
ON BECOMING A NONVIOLENT WARRIOR
Students examine the concept of non-violent social change. In this lesson on social change, students research and role play to demonstrate ways in which this might be accomplished while making connections to various events in history.
Curated OER
Hip Hop and Political Activism
Young scholars identify and employ non violent methods/tactics to bring about social change as exemplified in hip hop culture. They examine hip hop as a form of political activism.
Curated OER
Breaking the Unjust Law
Students consider the concept of civil disobedience. In this lesson on changing unjust laws, students use primary sources to understand how Gandhi and King changed the law. Students will then list laws that they feel are unjust and plan...