Literature and Imagination Make Democracy Work
Students explore the connection between literature, imagination, and democracy by engaging with the work of acclaimed author Azar Nafisi.
![A sitting teacher speaks to three students while holding a book.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/_DSF7297-15.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=PjXiF622)
Reflection and Action for Civic Participation
Students consider the importance of young people in democracy and analyze stories of civic participation using a ten-question framework.
![Students listening to the teacher](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SL_190523_0856.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=uHWNF4Ss)
Responding to Difference in Democracy
Students explore the varied ways people respond to differences by reading and reflecting on a poem.
![Two students reading at a table.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SL_190523_0561.jpg?h=0f4230fa&itok=piiAD0Rl)
After Charlottesville: Contested History and the Fight against Bigotry
Students consider the power of historical symbols as they investigate the 2015 controversy over the Confederate flag in South Carolina and then draw connections to the violence in Charlottesville.
![Students learning in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2017_5-1-17FacH08748_FH256889.png?h=a141e9ea&itok=JIucYZJy)
LGBTQIA+ History and Why It Matters
Students learn about two millennia of LGBTQIA+ history and reflect on how that history is represented in their textbooks and curricula.
![Pride Day Parade in Calgary, Alberta Canada](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2018_PrideDayParadeinCalgaryAlbertaCanada_FH2166958.jpg?h=54d1c1f1&itok=f7Rx8u3q)
Free and Fair Elections: Why Do They Matter?
This mini-lesson uses our Free and Fair Elections explainer to help students reflect on the importance of elections, define the phrase “free and fair elections,” and learn about electoral systems in their region.
![Hand putting Jefferson County Colorado election ballot envelope into ballot drop box in early voting mail election](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/TIFreeFairElections_iStock-1209551764_fullres.jpg?h=62bc044e&itok=S4Nqqy5G)
Understanding and Assessing the UK’s Democracy
Use this lesson to deepen students’ understanding of the concept of democracy, provide a framework for assessing a democracy’s health, and explore the strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s parliamentary democracy.
![A birds eye view of London, United Kingdom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/paul-silvan-Nv1-l_xZnV4-unsplash_banner.jpg?h=79aa1f20&itok=EZyyAjHN)
Connecting to the Past
Students read personal essays that illuminate how the choices made by our families and previous generations influence who we are today.
![One student talks while others listen.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SL_190523_0544.jpg?h=0f4230fa&itok=sAQTnjrF)
Finding Your Voice
Students reflect on what "American" means to them and are introduced to the idea that the United States is the product of many individual voices and stories.
![The “Flag of Faces” exhibit at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum features a mosaic of individual portraits.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Flag_of_Faces_Medium_res.jpg?h=7fb2964e&itok=NLw_pw22)
Identity and Choices
Students consider their own agency in creating their identities through choices made about who we are and how we present ourselves.
![Bayeté Ross Smith’s 2010 series "Our Kind of People" examines how clothing, ethnicity, and gender influence our ideas about identity, personality, and character.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2010_OurKindofPeoplecombined_FH2170284.jpg?h=52649bae&itok=_jsHfuii)
Identity and Labels
Students analyze a cartoon and a short video that prompt reflection on the ways we use labels, stereotypes, and assumptions to identify each other.
![A man and woman warm up for a run on an outdoor trail.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2022_WhatKindofAsianAreYou_FH2170285.jpg?h=ae1281eb&itok=Bd0IyTwf)