The Debate over Reparations for Racial Injustice
This mini-lesson helps students define the term, learn what forms reparations can take, and consider what reparations should be offered for slavery and other racist policies.
![Chains on wooden floor.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reparations_FullRes_iStock-614509372_Medium_res.jpg?h=827069f2&itok=A4f0NzQP)
The History of Slave Patrols, Black Codes, and Vagrancy Laws
This mini-lesson provides a brief overview of the history of policing in the early United States and then examines how laws, and biased enforcement of those laws, were used to control the lives of Black Americans in the South following the Civil War.
![Image for The History of Slave Patrols, Black Codes, and Vagrancy Laws.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/TI2_master-pnp-stereo-1s00000_full-res.jpg?h=8af6349d&itok=UO9HzG6b)
Verifying Breaking News
Students evaluate the differences among news accounts about Ferguson, develop strategies for verifying news and information, and understand the challenges facing journalists as they cover complex, fast-moving events.
![Reporters conducting an interview.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/iStock-1350663690.jpg?h=62bc044e&itok=TN8_VBij)
Creating a Society That Ensures Safety for All
This mini-lesson invites students to synthesize their learning about the causes of racial injustice in policing and reflect on the implications these causes have on the individual and collective choices we make today.
![Black and white image of time for change protestor.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/TI4_shutterstock_1753485650_full-res_Medium_res.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=5ec6lSq6)
Exploring Contemporary Experiences of Policing and Racial Injustice
In this mini-lesson, students use their head, heart, and conscience to engage with six sources that reflect a range of experiences with policing.
![Police Car.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/TI3_iStock-172192574_full-res.jpg?h=dbfb23f9&itok=rFZal30E)
Preparing for a Conversation about Policing and Racial Injustice
This mini-lesson prepares students to engage in conversations about policing and racial injustice by inviting them to co-create class norms and reflect on the emotions and experiences they and their classmates bring.
![Photo of students seated in a classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/140_Bully_Summit%2C_2012%2C_LA%2C_142_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=7fb2964e&itok=TfALDZt7)
The Importance of a Free Press
Students review the First Amendment, understand the importance of a free press, and consider how that freedom can conflict with other societal needs through journalists’ experiences in Ferguson.
![Newspaper front page featuring story about protests and police in Ferguson.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2014_TheSeattleTimesAugust15_2014_FH224146.jpg?h=0d0c848a&itok=p9HpylXM)
Citizen Watchdogs and the News
Students identify the responsibilities of citizen watchdogs, summarize strategies for combatting confirmation bias and responsibly consuming and sharing news and information, and complete a culminating essay.
![Reporters conducting an interview.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/iStock-1350663690.jpg?h=62bc044e&itok=TN8_VBij)
Confirmation and Other Biases
Students define explicit, implicit, and confirmation bias, and examine why people sometimes maintain their beliefs in the face of contradictory information.
![Students learning in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2019_SL_190522_0466_FH2101333.jpg?h=0f4230fa&itok=sXctzD8c)
Hands Up, Don't Shoot!
Students review the US Department of Justice report, revisit how confirmation bias impacts our understanding of events, and consider how to bridge the gap in understanding that often surrounds events like Ferguson.
![Darnell Taylor marches with his daughter, Lauren, 4, on his shoulders down Market Street to Kiener Plaza as part of a march against police violence downtown St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cristina Fletes-Boutte)](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/2014_PoliceShootingMissouriProtests_FH259331.jpg?h=40d6a7d7&itok=hl3b_gIx)
How Journalists Minimize Bias
Students experience the challenges to reporting objectively by writing a news piece and watching a video about how journalists counteract bias in the newsroom.
![Reporter with microphones.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/iStock-501259042.jpg?h=28d1688e&itok=2hbbI2Ox)