Social justice schooling continues to be on the forefront of Okay-12 information nationwide. Whereas there are individuals who imagine that social justice within the classroom is an non-compulsory apply, we all know that treating social justice within the classroom as a alternative is in the end detrimental, dangerous, and isolating to our college students who expertise probably the most marginalization in colleges, and in society at giant. That’s why we put collectively this listing of free social justice lesson plans and classroom sources.
Keep in mind that it is a place to begin and there are quite a few sources on the market so that you can begin or proceed your journey. This yr, decide to taking extra steps to show your self and your college students about social justice within the classroom and past.
Social Justice Lesson Plans and Classroom Sources
1. Â GLSEN Educator Sources
Based by a gaggle of academics in 1990, GLSEN presents quite a lot of classroom sources to assist educators create affirming and inclusive studying environments for LGBTQ+ youth. Whether or not it or not, you positively have LGBTQ+ college students in your classroom or college. You’ll discover loads of sources on GLSEN’s web site, together with free lesson plans to assist your college students develop respect, empathy, and understanding.
Take a look at: Backyard of Kindness (interactive bulletin board)
2. The Zinn Schooling Venture
The Zinn Schooling Venture presents classroom sources and workshops for academics and directors  on how you can educate “individuals’s historical past.” By final yr, a complete of 87,000 academics had enrolled in Zinn Schooling trainings and realized about matters like local weather change, Islamophobia, the labor motion, the New Deal, antiwar actions, and how you can write curriculum and articles for publication. Classroom sources embrace actions, movies, songs, movies, and extra.
Take a look at: 40 Acres and a Mule: What Reconstruction Might Have Been (multimedia role-play)
3. Physique Comfortable Org
Do you know physique picture is a social justice subject? Discover Physique Comfortable Org’s web site to deepen your understanding of how the way in which we really feel about our our bodies can influence psychological well being. In keeping with their web site, “Physique picture points don’t simply have an effect on how youngsters interact at school—they have an effect on whether or not they may flip as much as class within the first place.” Faucet the hyperlink to view some lesson plans that you should use in your classroom.
Take a look at: Physique Comfortable Praise Labels (printable)
4. Woke KindergartenÂ
Woke Kindergarten is a world portal that helps youngsters, households, and early childhood educators and organizations. They’re dedicated to abolitionist early schooling and pro-black, queer, and trans liberation. Go to the web site linked above to entry read-alouds, poems, workshops, their mutual support store, and a phrase of the day for a few of our youngest learners.
Take a look at: Woke Learn-Alouds (movies)
5. Gender Inclusive School rooms
Some of the polarizing matters we’ve seen in schooling over the previous couple of years is inclusive schooling and equal rights for our LGBTQ+ college students in colleges. This web site not solely gives sources for beginning your individual “Rainbow Membership” at your college, but additionally a library of definitions, inclusive college checklists, and extra web sites to assist you in LGBTQ+ inclusion and fairness. Additionally, take a look at this similar-purpose YouTube channel known as “Queer Child Stuff.”
Take a look at: How To Begin a Rainbow Membership (educating information)
6. Instructing for Change
“Instructing for Change gives academics and fogeys with the instruments to create colleges the place college students be taught to learn, write, and alter the world. By drawing direct connections to real-world points, Instructing for Change encourages academics and college students to query and re-think the world inside and outdoors their lecture rooms; construct a extra equitable, multicultural society; and change into lively world residents.” This hyperlink will take you to their educator sources, which embrace a various vary of alternatives to find out about and implement extra inclusivity in your classroom.
Take a look at: Anti-Bias Schooling (articles and e-book suggestions)
7. Dealing with Historical past & Ourselves
This group presents school-wide trainings, a companion college community, {and professional} growth for academics and directors. From pedagogical principle to subject-specific content material, Dealing with Historical past tailors their packages to the wants of your college neighborhood. Right here’s how you can convey them to your college.
Take a look at: Centering Pupil Voices To Construct Group and Company (on-demand workshop)
8. Â YR Media
This Oakland-based group amplifies the voices of younger journalists and artists. Empower your highschool college students to change into reporters too! Watch movies by YR Media journalists and set your younger broadcasters out to search out tales of their communities.
Take a look at: Girls Empowerment and Pink Hardhats (video)
9. Â Â DoSomething.org
Plan your subsequent service undertaking with DoSomething.org! Survey your college students to be taught what they’re enthusiastic about, then assist them browse an enormous listing of campaigns to conceptualize a undertaking they will launch in your neighborhood. The category can then submit a photograph or video of their accomplished marketing campaign and enter to win prizes, together with scholarships.
Take a look at: Vibe Test Information (teen psychological well being suggestions and sources)
10. Educators for Social Change
Below the umbrella of social justice is environmental justice. On this useful resource for educators, you can be supplied with details about environmental justice in addition to lesson plans and classroom concepts for implementation.
Take a look at: Diversifying Disney (lesson plan)
11. Studying for Justice
No listing can be full with out this web site. Studying for Justice is an internet site with a strong quantity of sources, social justice lesson plans, articles, info, and extra about all issues associated to social justice.
Take a look at: One Survivor Remembers (Holocaust movie package)
12. World Oneness Venture
This stunning assortment of multimedia contains movies, essays, and images highlighting the common themes of humanity. Particular collections embrace sizzling matters like local weather change, migration, and endangered cultures. The paintings inside all of the collections is gorgeous, however the bonus is that the online web page presents social justice lesson plans for academics. Assist “convey the world to your classroom” and take a look at the moment.
Take a look at: Indigenous Language Revitalization (lesson plan)
13. IWitness
Discover survivor testimonies with this well-organized exercise library for educators. Choose language preferences and select from a database of highly effective movies and Widespread Core classes that assist college students unpack hatred. Bonus: Take a look at their utterly free skilled growth webinars.
Take a look at: Faces of Intolerance (info quest)
Social Justice Podcasts
14. Educators for Social Justice Podcast
You could find this St. Louis–based mostly, grassroots, teacher-led podcast on iTunes, and it covers points on race, gender, sexuality, language, and extra. Its presence was quick however candy.
Take a look at: Unconditional Assist and Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Youth.
15. Cult of Pedagogy Podcast
Cult of Pedagogy’s podcast is useful for the self-proclaimed trainer nerds (like us) who wish to hear about educating methods, classroom administration, schooling reform, and academic expertise—many with a social justice lens.
Take a look at: 10 Methods Educators Can Take Motion in Pursuit of Fairness (that includes Pedro Noguera)
16. The Reality for Lecturers Podcast
One other useful resource for greater than social justice, the Reality for Lecturers podcast is a top-10 podcast for Okay–12 educators. In this episode, Angela Watson speaks with Dr. Travis Bristol, a former trainer now researching at UC Berkeley. Bristol can be the principal investigator for the NYC Younger Males’s Initiative, which focuses on recruiting and supporting 1,000 male academics of colour.
Take a look at: Why Are Most Lecturers White Girls and How Can Faculties Assist Extra Numerous Colleges?
Social Justice on Social Media
From hashtags to influencers, these hyperlinks will information you to leaders in schooling who’re sharing their work in quite a lot of accessible methods to enrich a few of the sources above.
17. @RethinkSchools
Rethinking Faculties is a nonprofit journal and e-book writer devoted to strengthening public schooling by social justice educating and schooling activism. Whereas their books are fab, comply with them and the hashtag #SoJustEdu to remain within the loop once you don’t have time for further studying. Their feed helps academics bear in mind important however underpublicized historic occasions and keep in-the-know about present occasions just like the #Unite4OaklandKids academics strike.
18. #EduColorMVMT
In case you are searching for month-to-month chats on language, tradition, self-care, and fairness, be sure you comply with this hashtag. Organized by a collective of activists of colour, EduColor is right here to advertise intersectional range and supply knowledgeable sources that assist academics do their half in deconstructing the oppression that lives inside the college system.
19. DisruptTexts
#DisruptTexts is a Twitter chat based by Tricia Ebarvia, Lorena German, Dr. Kim Parker, and Julia Torres. The objective is to problem the standard language arts canon and create a extra inclusive curriculum. Right here’s how you can take part in #DisruptTexts.
20. @theconsciouskid
This Instagram account discusses parenting and educating by a race-critical lens. You’ll love this account for e-book suggestions, social commentaries, and important articles.
We’d love to listen to what your challenges and successes have been when planning social justice classes. Come and share your experiences in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Fb.
Plus, take a look at these #OwnVoices books by numerous authors so as to add to your classroom library.