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11 Results

Teach Palestine Curriculum 

Tools and Strategies
School desks with morning light
In a world that is increasingly connected through social media, educators often incorporate current events into instruction. While this is an important tool for educators to make learning feel relevant and current for students, it also must be done with thought and care. Many curriculum offerings claim to offer educators resources and guidance on integrating complex current events into their classrooms, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sometimes these offerings, while claiming to provide…
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Vox YouTube Video: “The Israel-Palestine Conflict: A Brief, Simple History” 

Tools and Strategies
School library computer station
Educators surveyed in a 2025 RAND study said that after school curricula and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum materials, YouTube is their most-used supplement for teaching the Holocaust and related Jewish topics. Although its videos are free and visually engaging, their quality varies; for example, Vox’s “The Israel-Palestine Conflict: A Brief, Simple History” can appear more reliable than it is. Vox itself is an American news and opinion website that leans towards the…
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Decode & Disrupt: A Toolkit to Recognizing and Combating Problematic Messages

Tools and Strategies
Yellow School Lockers
In recent years, the education landscape has changed dramatically. With the rise of AI platforms like ChatGPT and resource sharing hubs like Teachers Pay Teachers, there are many organizations and resources that claim to offer quality material—often at no cost.  The rise of these platforms coincides with a change in trends for educators. According to a report from Education Week, the average teacher uses five supplemental resources and two core curricula sources. The report goes on…
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When ‘Just Joking’ Is No Joke: How to Respond When Students’ ‘Jokes’ are Biased or Offensive

Tools and Strategies
Group of high school students sitting in the hallway laughing
There are many benefits of humor. A good joke can ease tension in a stressful situation. Humor can connect people and bring them together. Jokes can bring levity to a situation that begs for lightheartedness. Being funny can signal to others who you are.  Humor can even open a conversation that previously felt closed or off-limits.  However, jokes and humor, when they target social identity groups, can do the opposite. They can make people feel unsafe, disconnected, excluded and…
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5 Things to Know about the Jewish High Holidays

Tools and Strategies
L'Shana Tova High Holiday Art
For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the High Holidays, are celebrated by Jewish people all over the world. The High Holidays fall on different days each year. For the specific dates each year, check our Calendar of Observances. These and other Jewish holidays fall on different days in our calendar because they follow the Jewish calendar, which has a different number of days than our calendar. The Jewish calendar is a Soli-lunar calendar.&nbsp…
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Distribution of Religious Materials and Proselytizing by Outside Groups and Individuals

Tools and Strategies
For Educators Individuals, including parents, and groups who have no formal relationship to a school (Third Parties) may distribute religious materials, including Bibles, to students outside of school premises. They may also discuss religious matters with students. Third-party materials or publications of a religious viewpoint may be distributed on- campus to the same extent distribution of third-party secular materials is permitted. However, courts have applied different rules to…
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Release Time Programs

Tools and Strategies
For Educators Release time in the public schools refers to programs in which students are released from school early to attend religious classes off school premises. Participating students must have permission from their parents. Nonparticipating students remain in school. Such programs may be constitutional if the religious classes take place off school grounds, if no public school funds are expended, and if school officials or teachers do not promote program attendance through coercion or…
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Religion in the Curriculum

Tools and Strategies
For Educators Public schools may not teach religion, although teaching about religion in a secular context is permitted.1 The Bible may be taught in a school, but only for its historical, cultural or literary value and never in a devotional, celebratory or doctrinal manner, or in such a way that encourages acceptance of the Bible as a religious document.2 SPECIFIC ISSUES & QUESTIONS What distinguishes "teaching religion" from "teaching about religion"? Religion may be presented…
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How Can I Plan Inclusive Holiday Celebrations?

Tools and Strategies
For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Most people love a celebration! Adults flutter around busily preparing for the festivities. Children are abuzz with excitement. Special foods are eaten, special heirlooms brought down from the shelf. Traditions are passed down from generation to generation. While children should have an opportunity to learn about and share information about the important holidays and celebrations in their lives, celebrating specific holidays in a school or…
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How Can “Looking at Lights” Promote Respect Among Children for Various Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions?

Tools and Strategies
Candles in the Dark
Early Childhood Question Corner   Common themes appear in holidays and celebrations across many cultures. By connecting themes, as suggested in the Question Corner installment "How can I plan inclusive holiday celebrations?" you can show children that holidays and celebrations are an expression of cultural and religious pride, and help them understand the commonality of certain human feelings, celebrations and their meaning. For example, by trying the following activity, Looking…
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Winter Holidays: December Dilemma or Teaching Opportunity?

Tools and Strategies
Candles in the Dark
For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Winter is a festive time of year because so many holidays are celebrated by people from different religions, cultures and races. We spend time with family and friends, connect with our faith or culture, give and receive gifts and enjoy special foods and treats. However, this time of year—especially in schools and whether it's in-person, online or hybrid—can be a time where some children can feel uncomfortable, excluded, insulted…
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