May 11, 2023 · curriculum
May is Haitian Heritage Month ! There are many ways to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month , but why not start with asking students what they know about Haiti, finding Haiti on a map, and learning more about Haiti ? After Gabby and I took a social justice educators’ tour to the Dominican Republic , we shared some of our experiences with our students and they were fascinated by the fact that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share an island, but are two completely separate countries that speak different languages. This led to a great discussion about why certain languages are spoken where and how borders are created and are a social construct. Our trip encouraged me to learn more about Haiti as what little I knew came from books (I definitely recommend American Street by Ibi Zoboi ) and a few friends of Haitian origin. I was embarrassed that I knew almost no Haitian history and had no idea
HaitiHaitian Heritage Monthgeohistoryslavery
February 7, 2023 · curriculum
It is suddenly February and BLM at School Week (February 6-10) is here! I am not in a classroom this year, so am sharing some of our past work below in case anyone is looking for a new angle, read aloud, activity, or any other reminder. One quote that has been sticking with me lately is from Walidah Imarisha as she masterfully explains Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? She says, “I call it a living legacy not history because it walks with us everyday.” That seems like a perfect way to conceptualize Black History Month and how to center what we teach our students in the present and the future. Black History Month (from 2022) Black History Lesson: Sit-Ins (from 2021) Black Lives Matter at School (from 2021) Black History Month: Past Ideas & Thoughts (from 2020) Ideas for Black History Month and Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action (from 2019) Reflecting on Black Lives
Black Lives MatterBlack History MonthBlack lives matter at schoolhistory
October 13, 2022 · curriculum
October is LGBT History Month ! While the month has already started, it’s never too late to join in and introduce (or re-introduce) your students (and yourself) to some LGBT icons. As explained on their site, “Each day in October, a new LGBT Icon is featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources.” You can find out more in the 2022 Overview Video . Remember that LGBT History Month is a reminder only - we should be learning about LGBT people every day of the year. If students ask why LGBT people have a specific history month, just ask the question right back to them: why do YOU think we celebrate a specific history month for LGBT people? You can have them generate a list of names of LGBT people they’ve learned about at school in the past. I had a student ask why there wasn’t a “straight history month” and another student responded, “That’s EVERY month.”
LGBTLGBT History Monthmonthhistory
October 15, 2017 · curriculum
Last week, we reconsidered Columbus Day. While our school does not recognize the holiday and remained in session on Monday, it is still a federal holiday and many of our students’ parents had the day off. To lead up to our inquiry work, we asked students to respond to the question, “If you could create a holiday, what holiday would you create and why?” for their Morning Work. They had predictably fun and silly ideas - Kids’ Day when you get unlimited candy, Pets’ Day when pets can go everywhere, etc. However, the idea emerged that a holiday is about celebrating someone or something POSITIVE. Later that week, we did a read aloud of Encounter by Jane Yolen and David Shannon, which tells the story of Columbus arriving in San Salvador in 1492 from the perspective of a Taino child. After reading the story, we had students complete an I think/I wonder chart about the the events described in
holidaysColSocial Studiessocial justice educationhistory
February 16, 2017 · curriculum
Image from the Women's March on 1/21/17. Sunday, February 19th is the 75th anniversary of the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 (in 1945) which led to the removal and internment of approximately 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Many of them were US citizens. Many of them lost property or were forced to sell at a loss when they were removed and relocated. I personally find “relocation” and “internment” misleading as people were incarcerated and given no choice about their removal from their homes. Image credit: http://hdjapaneseinternment.weebly.com/uploads/6/8/7/3/6873644/9418554_orig.jpg While this shameful occurrence in American history is and always will be relevant, it feels especially relevant today with the recent Muslim ban, fears of a Muslim registry, and frequent executive orders. You know your students and school best, so I compiled some
historySocial Studiessocial justice educationMuslim bandiscrimination