Middle School Gender Neutral Alliance and Youth-Led Gender Sensitivity Training
Middle school students at Capital City Public Charter School and educators Lapeta Solomon and Mrs. Amanda Yeager have formed the school's first Gender Neutral Alliance. Lapeta Solomon is the 8th Grade Inclusion Humanities teacher at Capital City Public Charter School and a 2018 Education First, SEL Innovation Award winner for her work in founding the MS Gender Neutral Alliance and Gender Sensitivity Training for teachers and staff. Read more >>
Social Justice Printmaking in Middle School: Black Joy
Students at Jefferson Middle School (DCPS) engaged in a social justice printmaking workshop.
People's History of Black Muslims in the U.S.
Fifty seventh and eighth grade students at McKinley Middle School (DCPS) learned about the history of Black Muslims in the U.S. in a lesson led by Alison Kysia.
Middle School Students Explain 13 Guiding Principles in American Sign Language
Middle school students at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, a D.C. school serving deaf and hard of hearing students from birth through grade 8, created a video outlining the 13 Principles of the Black Lives Matter movement in their own words.
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom
On February 8, 2019, fifth graders in Ashli Wilson’s class at DC Edgewood Prep in Washington, D.C. read Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March as a part of the Black Lives Matter in Schools Week of Action.
Articles for a Jigsaw Activity in 8th and 10th Grade
Students read articles and discuss the media portrayal of black victims of racial violence versus white perpetrators of mass shooting as well as articles about "missing white women syndrome."
Activities Incorporating the 13 Guiding Principles in Middle School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Middle school students at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, a school serving deaf and hard of hearing students from birth through grade 8 on Gallaudet University’s campus, learned about the thirteen principals of the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.
Black Lives Matter Principles at School-Wide Assembly
Students from Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the Deaf wrapped up their observation and celebration of Black History Month on March 27, with a biographical performance and arts program.
Black Lives Matter Week of Action: School Wide Activities
Every grade participated in the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.
Black Lives Matter Banner
All students and staff at Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS were invited to contribute to a Black Lives Matter mural as part of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. Each grade level responded to a different prompt on colored post-its that were then placed on the banner.
Writing Inspired by Gordon Parks and Richard Wright
Students from the Culture at Home homeschool community met at the National Gallery of Art for a tour of the exhibit Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940-1950, then engaged in group discussion, photo analysis, a poetry slam and a writing assignment inspired by the book 12 Million Black Voices by Richard Wright.
Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action Open House
On December 19, 2018, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice hosted an Educator Open House at the Teaching for Change office for Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools. Read more >>
Black Muslims Lesson at Deal Middle School
Eighth grade social studies teachers at Alice Deal Middle School used the “Black Muslims in the United States: An introductory activity” lesson with their 550 students. The lesson, part of Teaching for Change’s Challenge Islamophobia project, was used during a unit about the colonization of North America. Read more >>
How My Students Brought Reconstruction to Life
Amy Trenkle, a DCPS middle school teacher, piloted the Zinn Education Project's Make Reconstruction History Visible project with her students. Read more>>
Filmfest DC 2018 in D.C. Classrooms
Teaching for Change partnered with Filmfest DC: The Washington, DC International Film Festival for a seventh year to spread the word about the international film festival and to bring filmmakers into D.C. classrooms. Filmmakers from Queens in Training, Puerto Rico: Citizens in Peril, and The Foreigners' Home visited four classrooms. Students learned a lot from viewing the documentaries, preparing questions, and interacting with the filmmakers. Read more >>
Understanding colorblind racism, intersectionality, and oppression through the Black Lives Matter Movement
I used a number of lessons from D.C. Area Black LIves Matter Week of Action resource page and others I collected at that BLM curriculum share. #Lastwords was one of the most powerful lessons for many of my students.I have a number of students with significant learning disabilities as well. So in their classes, I used the lesson related to the book Milo's Museum. We're still working on this unit, but they seem to really be enjoying it!
In a School Where Black Lives Matter we…
An Inspired Teaching Demonstration School educator wrote… "In a school where Black Lives Matter, we embrace uncomfortable, messy, and yet essential conversations about race. We recognize the systemic injustice of our society and we work daily to provide a school environment that is safe, inclusive, and affirming for every student, without exception." While a Student at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School wrote...
What is Justice?
This week, HB Woodlawn Program (Arlington Public School) educator, Christy Gill, had her 8th grade students explore the meaning of justice.
The Fight for Justice: Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution
Kenmore Middle School educator, Dr. Tiffany Mitchell, started her class today by asking her students to share what they know about the Black Lives Matter movement. Student responses included, “people marching and saying Black Lives Matter in response to police brutality,” and “football players taking a knee during the national anthem as a form of protest.”