Ideas This Week
Ideas This Week is your hub for updates on all things Facing History—from announcements and featured press to expert interviews, impact stories, and essays on the ideas driving our work.
We Cannot Lose These Lessons: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Holocaust remembrance honors the lost and informs the present: from survivor stories to the acts of perpetrators, we learn the consequences of hate.
![Color photograph of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum Gate From The Outside](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-01/lasma-artmane-yZ6UJvLDgKc-unsplash.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=AEh8gPm_)
New Teaching Resources for They Called Us Enemy and Author Event with George Takei
Participating in our All Community Read? Our recommended resources can support you and your school as you learn about Japanese American incarceration.
![Group of teenagers reading together](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-01/Group_of_teenagers_reading_together.jpg?h=9d5da6b6&itok=97iiMXGm)
Student Journal Prompts for the New Year
Help jumpstart classroom motivation and participation with journaling exercises and ready-made prompts for inspiration!
![Middle school student writing with pencil at desk](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-01/Middle_school_student_writing_with_pencil_at_desk.jpg?h=7d6ac08e&itok=7KB3a7jo)
Winter Professional Development Opportunities
Join our upcoming workshops and online courses to gain new tools and insights, connect with other educators, and expand your teaching practice.
![Woman uses a laptop computer](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-01/iStock-1171173484.jpg?h=033d03bf&itok=120QCy8L)
Teaching about the January 6 Insurrection and its Impact on US Democracy
The January 6 insurrection remains important to understand and discuss, as well as the larger questions it raises about the state of US democracy. A recent poll found that 52% of young people between 18 and 29 believe that either US democracy is "in trouble" or "failed," while only 7% agree that it is "healthy," further highlighting the need to teach students about democratic institutions.
![Black and white photo of the US State House](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/b%26w_photo_us_state_house.png?h=a6c55029&itok=OVK2Jup-)
Freedom Dreaming and the Struggle for Equality after Emancipation
We consider how the Emancipation Proclamation opened up the chance for freedpeople to finally determine their own lives and what that looked like.
![Graphic image of reading The Emancipation Proclamation](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-12/3a08642r.jpg?h=aaf45653&itok=St9QJ6ma)
Year-In-Review: Popular Resources for Teaching Current Events
Current Events are ever-present. These are Facing History resources teachers used most in 2023 to help their students process and understand the news.
![Group of students studying in the library](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-12/Group_of_Students_Studying_in_the_Library.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=Ap7Yu4uf)
Top Five Social Studies Resources for Teachers
Start 2024 with Facing History’s most compelling social studies material. This year’s most popular content spans a variety of history topics.
![Photograph of a conference room](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-09/IMG_5796.jpg?h=d08f423e&itok=hM7AlRRG)
Hope Will Never Be Silent
How do we remain hopeful in the face of overwhelming sorrow and anger? Use these strategies to help you and your students stay engaged.
!["Don't Give Up" yard sign](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-11/rosie-kerr-Gz0PxBYPfs8-unsplash.jpg?h=85250578&itok=VofhWW3M)
Inclusive Leadership: Lean into Discomfort
Facing History’s President and CEO offers advice for school leaders on how to navigate polarizing moments with students, staff, and the communities you serve.
![Our President and CEO, Desmond K. Blackburn PhD addresses a crowd of educators, alums, students, and supporters in Memphis, TN](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-12/Desmond2.png?h=e9403ca4&itok=txkL8JvY)
The Power of a Single Word: The 75th Anniversary of the Genocide Convention
Seventy-five years after coining the term "genocide," Raphael Lemkin's voice continues to echo in the consciousness and responses of global citizens.
![Raphael Lemkin's United Nations ID card](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-12/aa-p154-b01-f012-004-002.jpg?h=b64789bb&itok=TMt7Snq5)