Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers In Teacher they called me a ____!, Dr. Debra A. Byrnes defines prejudice as preconceived ideas about people “perceived as being different, due to race, religion, culture, gender, disabilities, appearance, language, sexual orientation, or social status” (1995, 3). She explains that a large body of research (Brown,1972; Byrnes & Kiger, 1992; Milner, 1975; Williams & Orland, 1976)…
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Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Children’s outdoor play offers many opportunities to teach and reinforce anti-bias behavior. To get you started, incorporate some of the below tips excerpted from Bias-Free Foundations: Early Childhood Activities for Educators (2005, 28): Take advantage of these opportunities by helping children to learn skills such as taking turns, sharing toys and inviting new children to play. For example,…
March 02, 2015 What do you know about the events in Selma, Alabama in the 1960’s? What part of that history speaks to you?
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. In the history books, we know this as Bloody Sunday, where 600 peaceful protestors were met with brutality. As events unfolded, the media captured photos and film of what would later become the impetus for thousands to become a part of the movement. Dr. King and his followers…
by: Oren Segal February 25, 2015
Missouri has had long experience with white supremacists ranging from neo-Nazis to the Ku Klux Klan, but in recent years a new threat has emerged in the Show Me state: white supremacist prison gangs. Some states have been plagued by such gangs for years, but until recently, Missouri had only a limited experience with them.
Now, however, there are a number of white supremacist gangs active in Missouri, typically emerging in prisons and…
by: Lorraine Array January 22, 2015 "After Auschwitz, the human condition is not the same, nothing will be the same."
- Elie Wiesel
January 27th marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau Concentration Camp by the Russian army at the end of World War II. For those who were able to survive the horrors of Auschwitz, finally hearing the words “We’re free! We’re free!” echoing across the camp barracks must have seemed…
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday, January 16, and many educators will take the opportunity to teach about King and his enormous contributions to our society. As educators, how we approach the teaching of this holiday makes an impact on how students understand the larger context of the Civil Rights Movement and whether they make a connection between the past struggles to the current day and their own lives. Here are some thoughts about teaching the topic in a meaningful way…
by: Oren Segal December 17, 2014 Malala. Ferguson. Immigration. Ebola. Voter ID Laws. Climate Change. These are just a few of the topics teachers are regularly and actively bringing into their classrooms.
Whether they teach English, Social Studies, Advisory or another subject and whether they have five minutes or decide to do a week- long study, teachers know that topics in the news will engage and interest students in a deep and meaningful way. Research…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Speaking and Listening The First Girl to Pitch a Shutout in the Little League World Series
In 2014 Mo’Ne Davis, a 13-year-old girl, made news headlines as the first girl to ever pitch a shutout in the Little League World series. At that time she was considered the “most talked about baseball player on earth right now” according to many observers in the sports world. Mo’Ne (pronounced Moh-nay…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, History/Social Studies In commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, this curriculum for grades 3–12 provides grade-specific lessons, resources and extension activities to provide your students opportunities to examine civil rights in the United States past and present. The lessons provide an opportunity for students to delve deeper into Martin Luther King Jr…
by: Oren Segal December 05, 2014 In the wake of two grand jury decisions—in Ferguson, MO and Staten Island, NY—not to indict the police officers who were involved in the killing of black men, the time has come to ask ourselves: Where do we go from here? There are a myriad of ideas and legislation on the table--diversity training for the police, funding to provide body cameras for police officers and legislation to tighten standards on military-style equipment for local police…
December 02, 2014 His Excellency Luis Leonardo Almagro Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Palacio Santos: 18 de Julio 1205 Edificio: Colonia 1206 Montevideo, Uruguay Dear Mr. Foreign Minister:
We write to express our sincere appreciation regarding the statement issued on November 18, 2014, in which Uruguay strongly condemned the brutal terrorist attack inside a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood in Jerusalem, killing four Jews at…
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers The early childhood program environment should look and feel welcoming for all children and should reflect the diverse world in which we live. In addition to being bright, colorful, safe and clean, it should include children’s artwork and show the diversity of the world through the program’s abundant supply of age-appropriate toys, dolls, books, magazines , pictures and musical instruments…
For Law Enforcement
Ahmad Abousamra, a dual U.S.-Syrian citizen from Mansfield, Massachusetts, is reportedly involved with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)'s media wing.
In November 2009, Abousamra was indicted on several terrorism charges. He was accused of travelling to Yemen in 2004 to attend a terrorist training camp with his childhood friend and convicted terrorist Tarek Mehanna. Mehanna was sentenced in 2012 to 17.5 years in prison while Abousamra is believed to have made…
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…
October 23, 2014 Dear Mr. Prime Minister: We are writing to extend our strong support to the government and people of Canada following yesterday's terrorist attack on Parliament Hill. We express our condolences to the family of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
As you noted in your national address, unfortunately, this attack, along with the earlier incident in Montreal, demonstrate that Canada is not immune from the extremism and terrorism afflicting the globe.
We stand with you in solidarity in your…
Engage students in understanding and exploring cyberbullying and the issues raised by online bullying.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
National Bullying Prevention Month is an opportunity to reflect on the classroom and school culture and assess the extent to which bullying is part of that culture. It is a time to examine best practices when it comes to creating respectful school environments that foster inclusion and respect. The large body of research on effective responses to name-calling and bullying concurs that schools and other educational institutions can best…
Teach students about the history of discrimination and racism in the U.S., the struggle for civil rights and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Speaking and Listening, Language “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” These are the words of the landmark Supreme Court decision on May 17, 1954 that declared segregated schools unconstitutional. More than seventy years later, even though much progress has been made, there are…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Language Using Poetry to Teach about Identity
Reading and writing poetry can provide an opening for young people to explore the various aspects of their identity, including their name, race and ethnicity, physical characteristics and more.
April is National Poetry Month, a good opportunity to explore poetry with your students. Because poetry does not require strict sentence structure or the usual grammar rules…