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Books Matter™: The Power of Children's Literature

Article
Kids Reading Books
Anyone who has ever read to or with a child—parent, family member, teacher or friend—knows books leave lasting impressions. Beyond the educational benefits, books have the power to instill empathy, affirm, teach, transport and inspire action. Books matter. EmpathyIn exposing children to other people’s stories and the motivations and feelings behind those narratives, children begin to connect with others on an emotional level, which is the foundation for bridging differences…
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7 Engaging Picture Books about Voting and Elections

Tools and Strategies
Collage of books about voting and elections
September 17, 2020 Talking with young children about voting and elections can open doors to conversations about fairness, democracy, citizenship and participation. As children grow, it is critical to help them understand how government works, the importance of civic participation and how voting is a key way to make your voice and your opinions heard. These picture books, some fiction and some non-fiction, provide discussion starters about voting, equity, gender, race,…
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Gaining Momentum: Lobbying for Change

Lesson Plan
Young woman shakes hands at interview
Civics Lesson GRADE LEVEL: High School How Do Lobbyists Impact the Democratic Process? What are Effective Ways of Lobbying? How Might I Lobby for My Bill?   “Lobbying” is an effort by individuals and groups to influence government decisions and actions, and specifically the writing of laws. Lobbying can take different forms including writing letters, making phone calls to legislators and meeting with people in the administration. As student activism in…
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ADL’s Global 100 Survey: What Does it Actually Say about Muslim Attitudes toward Jews?

Article
September 09, 2020 By David Andrew Weinberg ADL’s Global 100 survey is one our greatest tools for measuring, assessing and fighting antisemitism.  First launched in 2014, this unique study documented levels of public acceptance of antisemitic beliefs in 100 countries around the world, and we have since updated it with follow-up surveys in many of these countries in 2015, 2017, and, most recently, in 2019. One outcome from the survey that has received particular attention was…
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Survey of U.S. College Students Shows Holocaust Education is Effective in Building Empathy, Tolerance and Open Mindedness

Press Release
Survivor Testimony Has Profound Impact on Students New York, NY, September 8, 2020 – A new national survey shows that Holocaust education in high school reflects gains not only in historical knowledge but also manifests in cultivating more empathetic, tolerant, and engaged students. The results also indicate that exposure to Holocaust survivor testimony is strongly associated with numerous positive outcomes in early adulthood including higher critical thinking skills and a greater sense…
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Let’s Talk about Voting!

Tools and Strategies
Hands hold a piece of paper with the message "Your Vote Matters"
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current EventsIn its simplest terms, voting is an act of expressing your opinion. Whether you participate in a poll, take an online survey or vote in the Presidential election, you are expressing an opinion or point of view with your vote. Merriam Webster defines voting as “to express one's views in response to a poll” or “to express an opinion.” In political elections, people vote for a variety of offices and laws. This includes…
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National Hispanic Heritage Month: Ideas for Educators

Tools and Strategies
U.S. Army South Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month Flags
National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the achievements, contributions, culture, and history of Hispanic and Latin American people. The month-long celebration begins on September 15 commemorating the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. The 2025 theme for National Hispanic Heritage Month…
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Lead with Empathy, Teach with Anti-Bias

Article
Teaching High School Students in a Classroom During COVID-19
by: Scotland Nash August 26, 2020 Now more than ever, we need to build the capacity for empathy and compassion with our students and school communities.   The health crisis of COVID-19 highlighted again the racial disparities across the country. The racial violence embodied in the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and George Floyd re-ignited our understanding of the systemic racism that plagues our nation.  We can’t deny the staggering statistics that…
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ADL Partners with Bites Media to Launch New Anti-Bias Civics Curriculum for High School

Press Release
Curriculum is available free to high schools across the U.S. New York, NY, August 19, 2020 ... Every generation can lay claim to the shared experience of a divided nation. Yet many young people, especially Gen Z, are learning about polarization in today’s society through a barrage of soundbites, headlines and social media posts. This means that, now more than ever there is a critical need, as evident in the latest NAEP Civics Assessment, for young people to learn how to participate…
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Addressing Anti-Immigrant Bias in Times of Uncertainty Confirmation

Webinar
Preteen girl excluded from group struggles with loneliness
Presenters: Julia Chang Wang and Kathy Lu, Immigrant History Initiative; Adam Strom, Re-imagining Migration; Andrea Neighbors, Smithsonian Asian American Pacific Center; and Deb Chad, ADL Education This webinar highlights resources and strategies for educators to help address the wave of anti-immigrant and anti-Asian bias that has spread with the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar addresses: Why is this important? What is the impact on young people, those who are targeted,…
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Webinars to Support Holocaust and Genocide Education

Webinar
African American Female in Front of a Laptop
For Educators Explore the library of webinar recordings from our Holocaust education program, Echoes & Reflections. These one-hour webinars focus on an array of topics, all designed to increase participants’ knowledge of Holocaust history, explore and access classroom-ready content, and support instructional practice to promote student learning and understanding of this complex history and its lasting effect on the world. Echoes & Reflections utilizes unparalleled expertise…
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Justice, Life, and Memory After the Holocaust

Lesson Plan
The Nuremberg Trial
Echoes & Reflections GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening The purpose of this unit is for students to explore the concepts of justice, trauma, memory, memorialization, and human behavior. With a firm understanding of the events of the Holocaust, students are now tasked to understand the lasting effects the Holocaust has had on our understanding of human actions and how the way we remember the Holocaust…
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The Purpose and Power of Protest

Tools and Strategies
Hennessy Garcia at New York City Students 4 Justice protest, 2020
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current EventsIn the wake of George's Floyd's murder in May 2020 by the police, protests erupted across the United States. The first protest took place in Minneapolis, MN the night after George Floyd was killed. Within days, protests were taking place in all fifty states and more than 140 cities nationwide. Tens of thousands of people also gathered in countries around the world to support the protests and show solidarity. In a…
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The "Final Solution"

Lesson Plan
Jewish Women and Children Selected for Death
Echoes & Reflections is dedicated to reshaping the way that teachers and students understand, process and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. They partner with educators to help them introduce students to the complex themes of the Holocaust and to understand its lasting effect on the world. GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening The purpose of this unit is for students to learn about one of humanity&rsquo…
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Complicity and Responsibility

Lesson Plan
Painting by Felix Nussbaum - The Refugee
Echoes & Reflections is dedicated to reshaping the way that teachers and students understand, process and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. They partner with educators to help them introduce students to the complex themes of the Holocaust and to understand its lasting effect on the world. GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening This unit provides an opportunity for students to examine the complex issues…
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Transformational Texts: Using Children's Literature to Open Doors on Historical and Current Events

Webinar
Books of the Month Collage
Speakers: Jinnie Spiegler, Director of Curriculum and Training, and Libby Otto, Associate Director of Curriculum and Training, ADL Books for young children about historical topics like enslavement, the Holocaust, Japanese-American internment, voting rights, segregation and genocide present these subjects with both sensitivity and insight. When it comes to current event topics there are many excellent books about immigration and the refugee crisis, racial justice, transgender rights,…
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Holocaust Survivors and Liberators

Lesson Plan
Child survivors of Atlit refugee camp
Echoes & Reflections is dedicated to reshaping the way that teachers and students understand, process and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. They partner with educators to help them introduce students to the complex themes of the Holocaust and to understand its lasting effect on the world. GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening The purpose of this unit is to provide students with an understanding of the…
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Liberation at 75: Teaching Strategies and Resources

Article
Old woman and children walking in Auschwitz-Birkenau
January 22, 2020 On January 27th, the anniversary of the allied liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day in honor of the victims of Nazi persecution. This annual observance provides an opportunity for teachers to focus on the pivotal role of liberators in defeating the Nazis at the culmination of World War II, and as some of the first to bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust. Here are some strategies and resources to guide you in…
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Nazi Germany

Lesson Plan
Adolf Hitler Walking up Steps at an Annual Nazi Party Rally Ceremony
Echoes & Reflections is dedicated to reshaping the way that teachers and students understand, process and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. They partner with educators to help them introduce students to the complex themes of the Holocaust and to understand its lasting effect on the world. GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening The purpose of this unit is for students to learn about the Weimar Republic…
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