Laura McClure

The city of New Orleans removed four prominent Confederate monuments that had stood as symbols of white supremacy in that city for 133 years. This lesson uses speeches by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and City Councilmember Nadine Ramsey to explore the legacy of the Civil War and slavery, and how we choose to address that legacy today.    

Through roleplays and small group work, students consider erroneous claims about immigration and learn facts to counter them.  

Students hear and discuss excerpts from President Trump's inaugural speech, and discuss the Women's March on Washington and its sister marches across the world.  

This activity acknowledges the painful feelings surrounding the killings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas, and points the way to positive action.  

In the closing days of 2015, some of the highest flood waters ever recorded hit the Mississippi River valley. This activity encourages students to empathize with flood victims, and to consider how we as individuals and as a community can best respond to floods and other climate change-related disasters.  

Students learn about the historic global climate agreement reached in Paris on December 12, 2015, and consider different reactions to it.  

Students learn some background about the surge of refugees pressing into Europe, view a 4-minute video about a group of refugees stranded in Hungary, consider how refugees may be feeling, and share their wishes for the refugees.  

In this brief activity, students take a quick quiz about vacation policies and practices in the U.S. and other countries, analyze a chart comparing vacation policies, and discuss what they think about U.S. vacation policies.  

In this brief activity, students learn about recent controversies surrounding the Confederate flag, discuss opposing views of the flag, and consider the range of opinion among different groups about the flag.   

Chicago decided on May 6, 2015, to provide reparations for its history of brutal police abuse, after decades of organizing by activists. This brief classroom activity uses two quotes to help students consider the news and its implications.  

This short (15-minute) classroom activity uses a 2-minute video and discussion to explore the growing controversy over the Trans-Pacific Partnership 12-nation trade agreement.   

Students consider three numbers: the Obama administration's newly announced target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions; the target scientists advise; and the zero target called for by many conservatives.   

Francis Perkins would not agree to become FDR's secretary of labor until he met nine bold demands.  

In this brief activity, students explore a key phrase in the women's movement during the 1960s and 70s. 

This 10-15-minute activity touches on key arguments for and against the XL Pipeline proposal President Obama just vetoed.  

A brief activity on the movement to get colleges, cities, churches and other entities to divest from fossil fuels, pegged to Global Divestment Day on Feb. 13-14, 2015.  

This lesson includes two parts. In Part 1, students review the facts about the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases.  In Part 2, students break into small groups to discuss six different proposals that have been made to address injustices related to these incidents.

The life and music of folksinger Pete Seeger, who died on January 27, 2014, provides a teachable moment on activism, music, and on nearly every major social movement over the past century.  In this lesson, students learn about his life, read and hear songs from three social movements Seeger was a part of, consider what those songs mean, then share their thoughts about the songs with the class. 

President Obama's recent proposal to cut Social Security's cost-of-living increases is part of a major national debate, but one that many students know little about. In this activity, students find out about Social Security  by interviewing a senior family member or friend about it, and through reading and small and large-group discussion. 

We're deeply saddened by the tragic killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Here are resources aimed at helping families and educators comfort young ones and help explain this violent event.

A one-day strike by fast food workers in New York City is a teachable moment for students on the fast food industry and worker organizing. This lesson includes a brainstorm, small-group readings and discussion, and an opinion continuum activity to get students thinking about these issues.