Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
This activity uses a circle to help students process the many disasters that have struck people around the world in the summer and fall of 2017. It includes a more extended process about the post–Hurricane crisis in Puerto Rico.
Critics charge that the real goal of a new federal commission to investigate voter fraud is to justify efforts to make it more difficult for people of color to vote. Students learn about and discuss the controversy.
In two readings and discussion, students explore the meaning and history of DACA, including the social movement activism that won DACA during the Obama years and prospects for future action.
In this activity, students watch a video about responses to the Trump administration’s decision to roll back this Obama–era program, which has allowed young undocumented immigrants to stay in the country. Students then read and discuss a variety of opinions about the decision.
After a short quiz about current Fight for 15 movement, students read about and discuss U.S. labor's struggles — and historic strikes — through history.
This brief activity gives students a chance to share and reflect on the the Trump administration's recent decision to end the DACA program, which has protected many young immigrants from deportation.
After an initial gathering, students read about and discuss the human and natural context for Harvey’s devastation. An extension activity has students research local climate change threats and consider how to address them.
This lesson begins with activities aimed at creating a sense of community among your students, then invites them to explore issues in the news, and to consider how these issues are connected to their own lives and community.
Students continue the exploration they began in Part 1 of what happened after a mosque in Fort Smith, Arkansas, was defaced. In Part 2, students learn about and discuss the aftermath of the event, which included an informal restorative process. The lesson is based on this New York Times story by...
In this activity, students consider what happened after a mosque in Fort Smith, Arkansas, was defaced. They explore the personal stories of people in the community, including those targeted by the attack, through information gleaned from this New York Times story by Sabrina Tavernise about the...