Rose, Thorn, Bud
The Rose, Thorn, Bud exercise increases students' self-awareness as they reflect on recent successes, challenges, and opportunities.
![A bush of blooming red roses.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/bloomingredroses_FH2174430.jpg?h=790be497&itok=Bi-7cuYn)
Fist to Five
Students communicate how they are feeling in response to a chosen prompt, giving teachers a pulse on the class’s opinions or well-being.
![A person holding a rectangular white photo frame near a body of water.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/personholdingwhitephotoframe_FH2174431.jpg?h=85ee10f1&itok=FI7scKNp)
First Chapter Fridays
Read aloud a chapter of a book your students are interested in to build community around stories and storytelling.
![Person sitting on the floor while holding a book.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/personholdingbook_2017_FH2174436_teaser.jpeg?h=84071268&itok=8vuJsWXh)
Compass Points
Students get an opportunity to give feedback about the class and communicate their needs and worries.
![A person holds a compass in their hand with the ocean in the background.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/personholdingblackandwhitecompass_FH2174435_teaser.jpeg?h=5dfb68b6&itok=-Xaib-Ey)
Mood Meter
This mood meter activity develops students’ vocabulary for describing their feelings and their empathy muscles.
![Two middle school students write with pencils on a big paper activity.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/ClassroomImage_FH2101676.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=2LE9vXfG)
Exit Cards
Students share how they are feeling, what their needs are, and what goals they’d like to set in an exit card.
![A person holds a glass door open with a backpack over one shoulder.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/manholdingglassdoor_2017_FH2174434.jpg?h=d8832164&itok=qp7RoHxk)
The Power of Propaganda
Students analyze several examples of Nazi propaganda and consider how the Nazis used media to influence the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individual Germans.
![An issue of the antisemitic propaganda newspaper Der Stürmer (The Attacker) is posted on the sidewalk in Worms, Germany, in 1935. The headline above the case says, ""The Jews Are Our Misfortune.""](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_2016_NaziPropagandaNewspaper_FH229452.jpg?h=fb0bd1b2&itok=WOgfci3M)
Defining Our Obligations to Others
Students are introduced to the concept of universe of obligation to better understand how societies create "in" groups and "out" groups.
![A chalkboard with a hand-drawn Universe of Obligation diagram of concentric circles on it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/IMG_8783.jpg?h=1f7c1d57&itok=ENXxhHAU)
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.
![Kamala Harris being sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/USA-Biden%3AInauguration_2021_FH2143511.jpg.JPG?h=790be497&itok=4KIchZQ-)