Daughter of Earth: Reading, Writing, and Social Class
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
Students read a poignant excerpt from Agnes Smedley's novel, Daughter of Earth, and use it to think and write about how schooling—their own included—teaches lessons about social class.
Time Periods: 20th Century, Turn of the Century: 1900 - 1909
Themes: Education, Social Class, Women's History
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Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools.
How to engage students in a critical analysis of the textbook version of "discovery."
Time Periods: Colonization: 1492 - 1764
Themes: Education, Imperialism, Native American
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A Lesson on the Japanese American Internment
Teaching Activity. By Mark Sweeting. Rethinking Schools.
How one teacher engaged his students in a critical examination of the language used in textbooks to describe the internment.
Time Periods: 20th Century, Prosperity, Depression, & World War II: 1920 - 1944
Themes: Asian American, Democracy & Citizenship, Education, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
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One Country! One Language! One Flag!
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 3 pages. Rethinking Schools.
Discussion questions and teaching ideas for examining the history of the Pledge of Allegiance and the political milieu in which it was written.
Time Periods: 20th Century, Turn of the Century: 1900 - 1909
Themes: Democracy & Citizenship, Education, Immigration
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Presidents and the Enslaved: Helping Students Find the Truth
Teaching Activity. By Bob Peterson. 7 pages. Rethinking Schools.
How a 5th grade teacher and his students conducted research to answer the question: “Which presidents owned people?” Available in Spanish.
Time Periods: 18th Century, 19th Century
Themes: African American, Education, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery and Resistance
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Pump Up the Blowouts: Reflections on the 40th Anniversary of the Chicano/a School Blowouts
Teaching Activity. By Gilda L. Ochoa. Rethinking Schools.
Reflections on teaching students about the 1968 walkouts by Chicano students in California.
Time Periods: 20th Century, People’s Movement: 1961 - 1974
Themes: Civil Rights Movements, Education, Latinx, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
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“A School Year Like No Other”: Eyes on the Prize: “Fighting Back: 1957-1962”
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools.
A companion lesson to the Eyes on the Prize segment on school integration.
Time Periods: 20th Century, People’s Movement: 1961 - 1974
Themes: African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Laws & Citizen Rights, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
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The Singing Strike and the Rebel Students: Learning from the Industrial Workers of the World
Reading for Teachers. By Bill Bigelow.
Author describes how students applied strategies from the Lawrence strike to their own present day activism.
Time Periods: 20th Century, World War I: 1910 - 1919
Themes: Education, Labor, Organizing, Social Class
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Testing, Tracking, and Toeing the Line: A Role Play on the Origins of the Modern High School
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools.
A role play on the origins of the modern high school.
Time Periods: 20th Century, World War I: 1910 - 1919
Themes: African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Education, Immigration, Racism & Racial Identity, Social Class
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Warriors Don’t Cry: Connecting History, Literature, and Our Lives
Teaching Activity. By Linda Christensen. Rethinking Schools.
Role play and writing activities for language arts and social studies on the Little Rock Nine, Brown v. Board, and schooling in general. Designed for use with the memoir Warriors Don’t Cry.
Time Periods: 20th Century, People’s Movement: 1961 - 1974
Themes: African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Language Arts, Racism & Racial Identity
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Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differently in the Primary Grades
Teaching Guide. By Mary Cowhey. Foreword by Sonia Nieto. 2006.
Practical examples and classroom stories about bringing a people's history and peace education to grades 1 and 2.
Themes: Education, Labor, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
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Lessons from Freedom Summer: Ordinary People Building Extraordinary Movements
Teaching Guide. Edited by Kathy Emery, Linda Reid Gold and Sylvia Braselmann. Foreword by Howard Zinn. 2008. 456 pages.
Readings and lessons on the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project.
Time Periods: 20th Century, People’s Movement: 1961 - 1974
Themes: Civil Rights Movements, Education, Organizing
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Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions
Teaching Guide. By Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana. Foreword by Wendy D. Puriefoy. 2011.
The uses and methods of the Question Formulation Technique.
Themes: Education
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The New Teacher Book: Finding Purpose, Balance, and Hope During Your First Years in the Classroom
Teaching Guide. Edited By Linda Christensen, Stan Karp, Bob Peterson, Moé Yonamine. 376 pages. 2019. Rethinking Schools.
Offers practical guidance on how to flourish in schools and classrooms and connect in meaningful ways with students and families from all cultures and backgrounds.
Time Periods: 21st Century
Themes: Education
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A People’s History for the Classroom
Teaching Guide. By Bill Bigelow. 120 pages. 2008. Rethinking Schools.
Lessons to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of U.S. history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula. Published by Rethinking Schools.
Time Periods: All US History
Themes: Education
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Planning to Change the World: A Plan Book for Social Justice Teachers
Plan book. Edited By Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Thomas Nikundiwe, Carla Shalaby. Rethinking Schools.
Plan book designed to help teachers translate their vision of a just education into concrete classroom activities.
Themes: Education
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Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word
Teaching Guide. By Linda Christensen. 314 pages. 2017, 2nd edition. Rethinking Schools.
Lessons for teaching a range of writing genres while addressing social justice themes.
Themes: Education, Language Arts
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Rethinking Elementary Education
Teaching Guide. Edited by Linda Christensen, Mark Hansen, and Bob Peterson. 360 pages. 2012. Rethinking Schools.
The best collection of writing from Rethinking Schools magazine about how to teach for social justice at the elementary level. Published by Rethinking Schools.
Themes: Education
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Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers
Teaching Guide. Edited by Eric Gutstein and Bob Peterson. 300 pages. 2013 (2nd edition). Rethinking Schools.
Lessons and articles on social justice math education for elementary and secondary school classrooms.
Themes: Economics, Education, Math
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Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice
Teaching Guide. Edited by Wayne Au. 418 pages. 2014 (2nd edition). Rethinking Schools.
A Rethinking Schools collection of articles and lessons for multicultural, anti-racist, social justice education in K-12.
Themes: Education, Racism & Racial Identity
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