Agency, Choice, and Action
Students apply their thinking about power and agency to an analysis of four personal narrative essays written by young people.
Introducing the Writing Prompt
In step 1 of the unit assessment, students develop an initial position for an argumentative essay in response to a question about the importance and impact of choices in history.
The Power of Belonging
Students discuss the first half of Bethany Morrow’s short story “As You Were” and create character maps as a way of exploring the character of Ebony’s identity and sense of belonging in her school community.
Finding One's Voice
Through continued reflection on the short story “As You Were,” students consider the factors that impact power and agency in moments of decision-making and explore the possibilities and limitations of justice and reconciliation.
The Power of Representation: Patsy Takemoto Mink, Shirley Chisholm, and Kamala Harris
Use this mini-lesson to help students learn about the groundbreaking careers of Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm and to consider the significance of Vice President Kamala Harris’s election.
Choosing to Participate
Students use the “levers of power” framework to identify ways they can bring about positive change in their communities.
The Concept of Race
Students analyze the socially constructed meaning of race and examine how it has been used to justify exclusion, inequality, and violence throughout history.
Responding to Difference
Students explore a poem by James Berry about the ways we respond to difference and complete a creative assignment about their school or community.
Schools Where We Belong: Whole School Partnership
Schools Where We Belong is a two-year partnership for middle and high schools. It is designed to help implement practices that foster inclusion and belonging, promote civic engagement, and support deep academic learning.
Facing History & Ourselves in South Africa
We partner with Shikaya to support educators, school leaders, and administrators to create classrooms, schools, and systems that nurture a vibrant multiracial democracy.