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)
18 Teacher Resources on Native American History and Culture
Below are 18 resources that middle and high school teachers can turn to when developing lesson plans related to the roles of Native American peoples in American history and contemporary life. These resources include online exhibitions at the Smithsonian; the Smithsonian’s Native Knowledge 360° Educational Initiative; the work of the Mitchell and Hood Museums; and the growing work of Facing History in these thematic areas.
![Three members of the Sioux tribe pose in Indian Village, 1898.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Black%20Foot-Standing-Bear_Big_Eagle_Sioux_ca_1898.jpg?h=26ac82e5&itok=5rYHkhl2)
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)
Why Teach Reconstruction Today?
Studying the history of Reconstruction reveals that American history is lined with recurring cycles of social progress and backlash in which everyday people have surmounted immense barriers to drive powerful change.
![Man representing the Freedman's Bureau stands between armed groups of Euro-Americans and Afro-Americans.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Freedman_bureau_harpers_cartoon_FH21213.jpg?h=83f3d97f&itok=jf0SD3Wz)
Identifying Raphael Lemkin's Outrage
Students examine how Lemkin’s outrage over the crimes committed by the Ottoman Empire during World War I inspired him to take action.
![1950 --- International lawyer Raphael Lemkin helped draft the Genocide Convention, which maps out prevention and punishment for the crime of genocide](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/U1133580INP_Medium_res.jpg?h=478e0a8d&itok=MAYHZy-W)
Exploring Raphael Lemkin's Actions: The Invention of the Word "Genocide"
Students learn about the challenges Lemkin faced from the international legal community, including its lack of sufficient language to talk about crimes against humanity and civilization.
![A photograph of several delegates who signed the UN Genocide Convention Credit: US Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of United Nations](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Lemkin_Ratification_Of_Genocide_Convention_FH131485.jpg?h=6db1c67f&itok=hEICVT3F)
Continuing Lemkin's Legacy: What Can We Do to Prevent and Stop Genocide?
Focusing on the crisis in Darfur, students examine what it means to pursue Lemkin’s mission to stop and prevent genocide in today's world.
![1950 --- International lawyer Raphael Lemkin helped draft the Genocide Convention, which maps out prevention and punishment for the crime of genocide](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/U1133580INP_Medium_res.jpg?h=478e0a8d&itok=MAYHZy-W)
Accountability, Justice, and Healing after Derek Chauvin's Trial
Help students reflect on the verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial while exploring the complicated concepts of justice, accountability, and healing.
![Temporary Memorial for George Floyd.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/GeorgeFloydSquare_FH2153760.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=1ceaiIyC)
Reexamining Reconstruction: A Conversation with Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries
On-Demand
Virtual
Examine how the Reconstruction Era is remembered and the impact of its legacy on contemporary society with Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University and scholar of African American history and contemporary Black politics.
![A teacher speaking to a table of four students](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/NewEngland_Classroom_2017_%20FH256728.jpg?h=a141e9ea&itok=grB8pgg4)