Teaching #BlackLivesMatters

As the semester draws to end, the focus of my students turns to their unit plans. One common topic that students often undertake is that if teaching about the Civil Rights Movement. While many of the attempts are promising endeavors, others focus on the typical "Heroes and Holidays" framework where Dr. King and Mrs. Parks take center stage. While the contributions of these two individuals is undeniable, there were many unsung heroes who also sacrificed their lives.

Another challenge is for students to connect these past efforts with other movements for justice that followed. The preservice teachers are often curious about how to teach about #BlackLivesMatters in an attempt to connect the past to the present. However, they often do not have enough foundational content knowledge beyond what the have heard from the media. Fortunately, Teaching for Change provides a valuable resource for educators to gather the necessary content knowledge, as well as classroom activities to assist students in processing and analyze systemic injustice.

http://www.teachingforchange.org/teaching-blacklivesmatter

Teaching Black History

Check out this link recognizing the accomplishments of 50 African Americans, one for every state in the Union, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/50-iconic-black-trailblazers-who-represent-every-state-in-america_us_5890cbb6e4b0522c7d3d6cfb?.

Teaching Islam in a Catholic School

Check out this article by Gregory Landrigan, http://www.teachingforchange.org/teaching-islam-catholic-school.

Perspectives on the Civil War

During the fall 2016 semester, the social studies methods students participated in a learning experience (http://chssp.ucdavis.edu/programs/historyblueprint/the-civil-war) that allowed for them to learn about the diversity in perspectives as to whether the Civil War was necessary and desirable. Below are two links to VoiceThreads, which capture are some of the perspectives of individual Americans. These perspectives highlight the complexity of public opinion and allows for the exploration of how perspectives impact actions, beliefs, and history.

https://voicethread.com/share/8490883/

https://voicethread.com/share/8525741/