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December 4, 2014
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, MD, Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and Eric Garner in New York City, have generated much debate and discussions about race, justice and the legal system.
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The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, MD,
Michael Brown in Ferguson,
MO, and Eric Garner in New York City, have generated much debate
and discussions about race, justice and the legal
system.
AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson have added their voices to the discussion. “We understand the frustration that mounts with each incident where an unarmed black or Latino man loses his future, and with the hopelessness that stems from poverty and joblessness.”
As United Federation of Teachers President, Michael Mulgrew, stated
after the Eric Garner decision on Dec. 3, 2014, “[We] represent
educators who tomorrow will be in schools with students. We must be
ready to help them work through their emotions and the difficult issues
that this decision raises for many of them.”
The Share My Lesson team has identified lesson plans, activities and
classroom resources to help students understand these events while also
encouraging them to discuss their feelings about them, and how
these events are being discussed across the country.
Feeling
Angry: Peacemaker Skills
This
first grade lesson helps students improve their ability to identify and
understand feelings of anger, as well as to identify constructive ways
to cope with these feelings.
Communication:
Peacemaker Skills
This third grade lesson
helps students improve their ability to communicate and appreciate
communication as a tool of peacemaking.
Managing
emotional reactions to traumatic events
Parents
and teachers can help youngsters manage their feelings by both modeling
healthy coping strategies and closely monitoring their own emotional
state and that of the children in their care.
A
national tragedy: helping students cope
Whenever a
national tragedy occurs, children, like many people, may be confused or
frightened. Most likely they will look to adults for information and
guidance on how to react—this guide will help.
Circles
of control
We all worry,; but we do not always have
control over what happens to us. In this resource students categorize
various fears according to level of control over them.
Social
Emotional Learning (SEL) Toolkit
SEL focuses on the development of a core set of social and emotional
skills that help children more effectively handle life challenges and
develop skills they need to recognize and manage their emotions,
demonstrate caring and concern for others, and establish positive
relationships.
Stand
Up/Sit Similarities/Differences Exercise
This whole class interactive activity has students respond to a series
of “yes/no” statements dealing with respect and violence. It is meant
to show students that they are more similar than different and inspire
respectful non-violent interaction in the classroom.
How
Do We Want Our Class To Be?
Promote a welcoming environment by completing this activity with
students and partnering with them to create rules and norms that
highlight how we can communicate clearly with one another, solve
problems, and treat one another with respect.
What
Does My Community Look Like?
In this lesson, students take a literal and figurative snapshot of
their community with regard to tolerance/inclusion of those with
intellectual disabilities. They compare their own perceptions to what
someone with an intellectual disability might experience. This lesson
would work well in a unit that explores social justice or service
learning.
Racial
Profiling
This lesson was designed to help students to define and identify
instances of racial profiling and understand why racial profiling
matters.
Stereotypes
In this lesson, students learn to define, identify and evaluate racial
stereotypes.
The
Press and the Civil Rights Movement
Learn
about civil rights leaders who understood the value of having a media
spotlight on their cause and effectively used the First Amendment and
the press to expose the injustices of racial segregation.
Using
photographs to teach social justice
This activity will
help students explore issues of racism, stereotypes, and bias while
understanding how photographs can expose racism.
Fighting
for a cause
Use this unit to teach your students
about historical figures, including César Chávez, who fought for causes
they believed would make a difference.
Change
through strategic nonviolent action
In this lesson,
nonviolence is introduced to students as a concept with a deep history
that reverberates in the present. Students will analyze major figures
who practiced nonviolent action.
Evaluating
Non-Violence
This lesson plan examines the use of
non-violent resistance during the Civil Rights Movement.
John
Lewis: Non-Violent Activism
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be able to describe a non-violent campaign for
social, political or cultural change.
Un-civil
rights: Unspoken history
History project that
requires students to do research on key social groups such as the Black
Panthers, Brown Berets, Young Lords, Native American Movement and their
leaders to gain a broader understanding of the fight for
equality.
Role
of the courts
In this podcast from
60 Second Civics, students learn about the role of the courts in civil
rights cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Justice
and Injustice
A This lesson that introduces students to the concepts of justice and
injustice.
The
Legal System: A Review
This
handout helps students review key elements of the legal
system.
Police
brutality and excessive force
Use these resources to discuss police brutality and the use of
excessive force.
The
Rule of Law
Learn about the rule of law and how it is intended to protect citizens.
The
Supreme Count and US Judiciary
This
resource contains activities that have students look at the Federal
Court Structure and the Supreme Court.
Jennifer
Bishop-Jenkins
Learn about how Ms. Bishop-Jenkins
advocates that we look at crimes as “victim-centered.”
