MORNINGSIDE
CENTER for
Teaching Social Responsibility educates young people for
hopeful and intelligent engagement with their world. A national
leader in fostering social and emotional learning (SEL), Morningside
Center reaches tens of thousands of educators and students each
year through an array of programs that develop such skills as
handling anger, being assertive, solving conflicts creatively
and nonviolently, and dealing well with diversity. We help teachers
make their classrooms more caring and productive. We support
students in taking leadership to improve their communities -
from the classroom to the world.
See
our 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
OUR
SERVICES IN SCHOOLS:
Elementary
Schools
Middle
Schools
High Schools
What's New on TeachableMoment.Org
TeachableMoment.Org,
Morningside Center's website of free teacher resources, provides
timely, inquiry-oriented lessons on issues of the day. Newly posted
items include:
Part
II: 50 years after The Other America: POVERTY IN THE U.S.
for
high school
(4/26/12) TeachableMoment
marks the 50th anniversary of Michael Harrington's influential
book with a series of readings and discussion questions for high
school students. In Part II, readings focus on the debate about
who should count as poor in this country and proposals for combating
poverty.
Part
I: 50 years after The Other America: POVERTY IN THE U.S.
for high school
(4/5/12) Two student readings, with discussion questions,
provide an overview of Harrington's book and consider the state
of poverty in the U.S. now.
Trayvon
Martin case reignites GUN LAW DEBATE for
high school
(4/18/12)
In the wake of the tragic killing of the Florida
teen, two student readings examine the controversy surrounding
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law and the wider gun
control debate.
Earth
Day 2012: DEVELOPING OUR 'GREEN INTELLIGENCE' ON FOSSIL FUELS
for high school
(4/13/12) Students consider American
consumption of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas; learn
about new methods of extracting these fuels; and discuss their
pros & cons.
EARTH
DAY: Ideas for the classroom
See our selected list of past Earth Day & environmental lessons.
Parent
perspective: SHOULD
I LET MY TEN-YEAR OLD READ THE HUNGER GAMES? (3/30/12)
'This is a hot topic among parents of the upper elementary set
- and it's gotten even hotter since the movie version of Hunger
Games came out. For me the decision wasn't hard...'
TEACHING
ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL OR DIFFICULT ISSUES
(3/26/12 )These
helpful guidelines were written by Jinnie Spiegler for the
New York Times Learning Network, a great resource on teaching
and learning. The guidelines suggest many resources for teachers,
including on the Trayvon Martin case.
TEACHING
FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Five Essential Ingredients
(3/15/12)
Jinnie Spiegler offers key guidelines for how to help our kids
engage in a positive way with each other and the world.
International
Women's Day: CONSIDERING WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP for
high school
(3/7/12)
Students consider people who have had an impact on them and what
makes a leader, and learn about some women who have made a difference
in the world.
WHO
MAKES YOUR iPHONE? A discussion about Sweatshops
for high school
(3/6/12)
Two student readings examine labor conditions in factories making
Apple products and the debate about sweatshops more broadly. Questions
for discussion follow each reading.
Respect
for All 2012: STANDING UP TO DISCRIMINATION
for middle and high school (2/14/12)
Students define the terms "prejudice" "stereotype"
and "discrimination," read an an article about a group
of vets who took a stand against discrimination, and consider
the role of an ally both in the article and at school.
RESPECT
FOR ALL (2/13/12)
Classroom lessons to foster respect for diversity--a concrete
way for schools to mark Respect for All Week.
2012
Election STEPHEN
COLBERT & the Role of Political Satire
for high school (2/12/12)
Students view
a clip from Colbert's Comedy Central show about his Super PAC,
then read and discuss several views on the role of Colbert's spoof
of the election process.
2012
Election WEALTH
& TAXES: WHAT'S FAIR? for
high school (2/3/12)
Students consider opposing views about taxes and wealth,
analyze charts about wealth distribution, and decide how they
think wealth should be distributed.
Giants
vs. Jets: Two Styles of Coaching (and Leading)
(1/22/12)
In the wake of the NY Giants' Super Bowl victory, this
lesson contrasts the Giants' style of coaching and leading with
that of the Jets, a team the Giants recently defeated. In the
process, students consider: What makes a leader effective? What
does it take to foster teamwork?
CAUCUS
IN OUR CLASSROOM for high school
(1/19/12)
Students understand the caucus election process by experiencing
it firsthand in their classroom - and learn more about 2012 Republican
presidential candidates along the way.
GUANTANAMO
BAY AT 10: A Debate about Military Detention for
high school (1/19/12)
Two student readings provide a brief history of the
Guantanamo Bay detention center, explore arguments for and against
the facility, and examine the evolving debate about it during
the Obama administration. Discussion questions follow.
MLK
Day Lesson: THE MONTGOMERY STORY
for high school (1/12/12)
Students use a remarkable 1957 comic book to learn
about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the real nature of the civil
rights movement.
Honoring
Dr. Martin Luther King: THE POWER OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE
(1/13/10) Through
engaging activities, video, and small-group discussion, students
consider the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how they might stand up
against injustice in their own lives.
The Power of Strategic Nonviolent Action: STRATEGY
FOR CHANGE for high school
(12/21/11)
Students consider nonviolence as a strategy for intentionally
building public support--in both in the Civil Rights Movement
(as expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr.) and in the Occupy movement.
Person
of the Year: THE PROTESTER for
grades 7-12) (12/19/11)
Students nominate their own "person
of the year"; read and discuss Time magazine's article
naming "the protester"; and write new captions for photos
of the protesters.
STUDENT DEBT CRISIS
for high school (12/19/11)
The nation's total student debt load now exceeds $830 billion,
and the problem has touched off protests. Two student readings explore
the scope of the student debt crisis and some proposals for dealing
with it. Discussion questions follow each reading.
HOLIDAYS:
Often Happy, Sometimes Sad
This usually happy season
may also bring up negative feelings for some students--perhaps
because of family tensions or other problems. It's important to
take this into consideration as we talk about the holidays in
the classroom. This classroom activity is aimed at raising students'
sensitivity and providing some encouragement for those who may
be facing hardship during this holiday season.
EUROPEAN
UNION IN TROUBLE for high school
(12/4/11)
In this lesson about a complex issue, students read a description
of the current crisis in the European Union and conflicting views
about how to address it, including the debate over "austerity"
vs. "stimulus." Then they participate in "fishbowl"
discussion of the issue.
MONEY
IN AMERICAN POLITICS: A key Occupy Wall Street issue
for high school (11/17/11)
Through two readings and class discussion, students think
critically about the effect of corporate campaign donations on
our political system and consider efforts to reform campaign finance.
NONVIOLENCE:
An Assertive Approach to Conflict
for high school (11/8/11)
In this interactive workshop, students explore what escalates
and deescalates conflict, consider nonviolent action as an assertive
response to conflict, and learn about Occupy Wall Street's use
of nonviolence as a strategy.
CONSIDERING
DEMOCRACY in Occupy Wall Street & the Classroom
for grades 4-7 (10/27/11)
Students explore the meaning of democracy and how Occupy Wall
Street is using elements of democracy in their protests. Then
students think of and analyze ideas that might make their classroom
more democratic.
IS
THIS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE? Considering
Occupy Wall Street's 'leaderless movement'
(10/26/11)Students
work in groups to come up with a definition of 'democracy,' then
read and discuss an article on Occupy Wall Street's decision-making
process.
TAXES:
Why do we have them? Are they fair? for high school
(10/13/11)
Students explore the question of taxes, Obama's recent 'Buffett
Rule' proposal, and Republican charges of 'class warfare.'
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ALERT!
PROTEST MAYOR BLOOMBERG'S DRASTIC CUTS
TO AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS, INCLUDING OUR BELOVED
PAZ PROGRAM AT PS 24! SEE BELOW FOR MORE
INFO.
COURAGEOUS
SCHOOLS:
Honoring Teaching as a Calling
Morningside
Center's 3rd annual conference
on social & emotional learning
Saturday,
May 19
REGISTER
ONLINE NOW
Join
us for a day of inspiration and connection at Morningside Center's
3rd annual conference on social & emotional learning! Together
with hundreds of fellow teachers, principals, parents and education
activists, you'll:
- Reconnect
with your own sense of calling as an educator.
- Learn
skills to help you lead with emotional intelligence throughout
the school day.
- Take
part
in hands-on experiential workshops on everything from Talking
Circles and Holistic Discipline to finding openings for SEL
in the Common Core curriculum.
- Join
the growing movement to put social & emotional learning
at the heart of education!
Keynote
speaker: MARTIN BROKENLEG, writer, speaker, longtime professor
of Native American Studies. He cofounded the Circle of Courage
model for youth work after studying how traditional indigenous
cultures were able to rear respectful, responsible children without
resorting to coercive discipline. The model helped transform youth
services in South Africa during the Mandela administration.
SEE
OUR REGISTRATION PAGE for more information, including the
full schedule and workshop descriptions. Download
the PDF flyer.
We
are grateful to the Tiger Foundation for helping to make this
conference possible. Photo above by Carolina Kroon.
Save PAZ @ PS 24!
On April 30, we learned that funding for our award-winning PAZ
After-School Program at PS 24 in Brooklyn was eliminated as part
of a drastic cut to Out-of-School-Time programs across the city.
(See the New
York Times editorial opposing these cuts.)
We
are devastated, and so are the 240 children and their families
that PAZ serves every school day from 3-6 pm and throughout the
summer. See our PAZ @ PS 24
fact sheet for more information about this stellar 13-year-old
program serving the primarily low-income immigrant community of
Sunset Park.
We
are working to reverse this decision and to find other sources
of funding for PAZ. And we are joining with allies around the
city to mobilize in support of high-quality after-school for all
children.
Please
VOICE YOUR SUPPORT for PAZ @ PS 24 and after-school for all children!
For sample language to paste into the web-based emails below,
click here.
EMPATHY 101: Bronx kids connect to the plight of Iraqi refugees
through our Nothing Like My Home Project
In
June, the PBS NewsHour aired a moving report by producer John
Tulenko featuring Lauren Fardig, a teacher at Banana Kelly High
School in the South Bronx, and her ninth grade students. Through
Morningside Center's NOTHING
LIKE MY HOME project, Fardig brought her students "as
close as she possibly could, without leaving the classroom, to
the millions of people who have fled the war in Iraq and become
refugees." Students responded with intense empathy. Nothing
Like My Home, a powerful photo-driven curriculum developed by
Morningside Center's Marieke
van Woerkom with photographer Lori Grinker, has been implemented
in a number of schools around the country. For more information,
please contact Tala
Manassah at Morningside Center.
'We've
got to prepare young people for life in the world we live in'
 Read
Pedro Noguera's speech from
Morningside Center's 2011 Courageous Schools conference.
Left, Noguera with Morningside Center's Tom Roderick. (c)Christopher
L. Smith
NEW
STUDY PROVES EFFECTIVENESS OF THE 4Rs
4Rs
VIDEO: See a 15-minute video of The 4Rs in action in a second
grade classroom in Brooklyn. (c)
Carolina Kroon
A
study published in the March-April issue of the prestigious
journal Child Development finds that Morningside
Center's 4Rs Program (Reading, Writing, Respect & Resolution)
improves children's behavior, increases their social competency--and
significantly improves academic achievement for at-risk students.
'It's
the missing piece of schooling,' says Brooklyn principal.
More
For
more on The 4Rs:
EDUCATORS talk about The 4Rs:
Brooklyn teacher (:27 seconds)
Brooklyn teacher (1:49
seconds)
Brooklyn principal (1:47 seconds)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 212-870-3318 x36.
Check
out our new how-to guide for schools!
Beginning with the Children: A Guide to Creating a PEACE
HELPERS PROGRAM
Our
new 73-page guide describes a field-tested, step-by-step process
schools can use to train and support young students (Grade K-2)
in serving as "peace helpers" in their classrooms. Peace
Helpers take part in workshops to develop their skills in listening,
handling feelings, mediating conflicts, and leadership. Then they
and their teacher establish a classroom peace corner, where students
can go if they are upset or having a conflict. Peace Helpers are
available to talk with their classmates in the Peace Corner or
help fellow students talk out a conflict. (See
Edutopia's
video about our Peace Helpers Program at PS 24
.)
Download a pdf version
of the Peace Helper guide. Or, to order bound copies,
please email Morningside Center's Leslie Dennis at ldennis@morningsidecenter.org.
Beginning
with the Children was produced with support from the JAMS Foundation.
Our
Diversity Work In the Media
-
As
part of its documentary The New York Connection, Dutch Public
TV turned its cameras on Morningside Center trainers Marieke
van Woerkom and Emma Gonzalez, student diversity panel members,
and a mediation session led by young peer mediators -- all
part of our ongoing diversity program at Brooklyn's PS 24.
See our work in action in this
5-minute video clip.
-
See
Eleanor J. Bader's richly drawn portrait of Morningside Center's
work in schools, focusing on Brooklyn's PS 130, in the online
publication On the Issues --Beginning
with the Children: To Teach Peace.
PBS
NewsHour features
Morningside Center's Work
See
the PBS NewsHour's story about our work at PS 24
in Brooklyn.
The piece highlights our classroom-based 4Rs Program (Reading,
Writing, Respect & Resolution), an innovative, research-based
approach for fostering students' social and emotional learning.
Learning Matters, which produced the NewsHour segment, also produced
a great bonus video interview with Tom Roderick, Morningside Center's
executive director.
See
the Edutopia VIDEO
about PS 24!
Edutopia, the website of
the George Lucas Educational Foundation, features Morningside
Center's work at this stellar public school.
Photos
on this website are by Carolina Kroon www.carolinakroonphotography.com
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