September 27, 2024 · event
Happy Friday (and almost end of September)! I hope everyone's back to school season is going as smoothly as possible. We are so excited to be hosting an event with Katy Swalwell . Please join us for our first-ever Educator Pitch-In Collective ! We're hosting a Zoom hangout on Tuesday, October 15 from 5:30-6:30 CT for educators to share concerns, ideas, and resources for teaching the 2024 election. We are focusing on elementary as there are so few resources out there, but everyone is welcome! We'll also share a vetted resource pack as a "party favor." Register by 10/8 at www.tinyurl.com/EPIC1election . FREE event, donations appreciated. Please spread the word and share with any educators you know. Also, happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Read more ideas for how to recognize this month (and why it starts on September 15th) in our post from last year
electionteacherseventprofessional development
November 7, 2022 · current events
Happy Election Day Eve! I know many of us are feeling a lot about the election, and waiting for the results will make for an anxiety ridden late night. I often end up staying up too late for inconclusive results, so I have learned to turn off the TV, put my phone down, and go to bed! Two years ago, when we were all waiting for the presidential election to take place, addressing the topic on everyone’s mind and Teaching the History of Voting Rights in the USA actually gave me some relief and channeled some of all of our nervous energy into learning about participating in democracy and civil rights. Also, students were excited to share the way many of their family members voted (by mail, early voting, etc). We read Granddaddy’s Turn, A Journey to the Ballot Box for that lesson, but another great picture book to use to start the lesson is Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the
electiondemocracyelection daymidtermpicture books
January 17, 2021 · current events
Image credit: Goodreads Before the election, we wanted to focus on something other than the actual candidates as many students (and teachers, including me) were feeling so stressed about the outcome. So we learned about the history of voting rights in the United States of America. We started, as we so often do, by reading a picture book to the students. We read Granddaddy’s Turn, A Journey to the Ballot Box and talked about what we knew and what we could infer about Grandaddy and the narrator. In this excellent book by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, a young boy goes with his grandfather to vote shortly after the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. It appears that they are in the rural South. The narrator’s grandfather is dressed up and has waited a long time to be able to vote. However, they are turned away and disrespected. Granddaddy is told he needs to read a complex text, and
votingelectioncurrent eventsMartin Luther Kingprimary sources
November 10, 2016 · Uncategorized
Yesterday was a difficult day, in every sense of the word. I went into school feeling devastated and exhausted. Other teachers came into our classroom for hugs. Many of my coworkers were in tears, sharing stories of heartbreaking questions their children asked them that morning. Some were wondering what to do to make sure they or their family members would stay (and feel) safe. Image credit: VOA news ( http://www.voanews.com/a/minnesota-state-legislature-llhan-omar-somali-refugee/3589660.html ) But our students were arriving, whether we were ready or not, so I set up our sign-in prompt for the day. It was the photograph above with the headline: "Ilhan Omar will be nation's first Somali-American legislator." Students wrote thoughts and questions related to the headline as they trickled into the classroom. Later, we watched this video during Morning Meeting. My students responded to the
electionpolitics