Use Poetry To Teach About Identity
Celebrate National Poetry Month with this mini-lesson that uses poetry to help students grapple with the complexities of identity and inspire them to tell their own stories.
![Zoomed in photo of student writing.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/118_Bully_Summit%2C_2012%2C_LA%2C_113_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=7fb2964e&itok=xdupak2M)
What Happened During the Insurrection at the US Capitol and Why?
This mini-lesson guides students to use an iceberg diagram to synthesize the events of January 6, 2021, and outline the complex array of causes at work.
![Photo from inside the capitol on January 6th.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/shutterstock_1888486645_full-res.jpg?h=781d8428&itok=E5Jj8lDn)
What Is Our Obligation To Asylum Seekers?
Help students understand how the United States’ complex asylum process works. Invite them to consider the question, who has an obligation to asylum seekers?
![Image for What Is Our Obligation To Asylum Seekers?.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/AsylumSeekers_RTX71YVX_teaser_0.png?h=24afd704&itok=v1j7-Aw5)
Where Do We Get Our News and Why Does It Matter?
Explore media bias using recent news coverage of controversial events and help students think about what healthy news habits they want to adopt.
![Image of boy looking at phone on bus.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Where_Do_We_Get_Our_News_iStock-1064105690_Medium_res.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=LOCaiMzI)
Youth Taking Charge! Placing Student Activism in Historical Context
Use this mini-lesson to explore the rich history of youth activism from the 1960s to present day.
![Students protesting for gun control.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Parkland2_AP_18052669994705_Medium_res.jpg?h=ffeece36&itok=a5MpsFR0)
Young People Respond to Climate Change
Explore with your students why young people are calling for action against climate change and some of the strategies they can use to make a difference on this issue.
![Swedish activist Greta Thunberg participates in a youth climate change protest in front of the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/YoungPeopleClimateChange_RTX706QZ_full-res.jpg?h=a141e9ea&itok=O-m3XU8m)
Why Do People Migrate?
In this mini-lesson, students reflect on stories of migration and learn about migration from El Salvador to the United States as a means of exploring the underlying factors that drive migration.
![Photo of Central American Migrants.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/WhyDoPeopleMigrate_RTX70WND_fullres_Medium_res.jpg?h=958cf23b&itok=KYhL_IVP)
Developing Character Inferences
Students are introduced to the concept of inferencing; they draw inferences from the opening scene of the play, and consider what messages Priestley sends through the language, character and setting.
![Male uniformed British students work on a classroom assignment.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/UK_Classroom_Male_Uniformed_Students_Sikh_2015_FH137600.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=OXt0jVSF)
Differing Perspectives and Conflict
Students begin Act Two of the play, reflecting on the differences in perception emerging between the characters and considering how conflict can arise from such differences.
![Boardman Robinson cartoon of Robert La Follette attacking newspaper press](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/411px-Boardman_Robinson_cartoon_of_Robert_La_Follette_attacking_newspaper_press.jpg?h=4666f868&itok=19Kmw8UP)
Entering the World of the Play
Students begin reading the play, having applied what they have learnt about Priestley and the relevant sociohistorical context to make predictions about its content.
![Simple illustration of a silhouetted woman against a cityscape that is comprised of soot from chimneys](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/AIC_USSR_Poster_Medium_res.jpg?h=1d36513c&itok=K2rjuqQJ)
How to Bring Spoken Word Poetry into the Classroom
For National Poetry Month, introduce students to spoken word poetry and explore its power to give voice to issues that impact our communities.
![Smiling student gesturing during classroom discussion](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/_DSF7139-10.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=Q2T3mPi7)
How to Read the News Like a Fact Checker
Reading “laterally” is a key media literacy strategy that helps students determine the quality of online sources. This mini-lesson trains students to use this technique to evaluate the credibility of the news they encounter on social media feeds or elsewhere online.
![Two high school students look at a laptop screen in a school library](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/NewEngland_Classroom_2017_%20FH256241.jpg?h=a141e9ea&itok=i6eK1LBI)