A More Perfect Union

President Obama's Speech on Race.
Looking More Closely at His Words & Our Own Lives

A flexible teaching tool for the classrroom about race relations and America
using President Barrack Obama's speech in 2008 on Race Relations.

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Feathers in the Wind:
A Jewish-American's Story
by Storyteller Susan Stone

Feathers in the Wind: A Jewish American’s Story invites students and teachers of all religious and cultural backgrounds to reflect on their own lives and to explore the impact of gossip and hurtful words.

This lesson plan “unpacks” stories told by Susan Stone, a professional storyteller. This story and lesson plan can be used in one or two sessions.

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Connecting the Dots: Racism, Activism & Creating a Life
by Storyteller Michael McCarty

African American Storyteller Michael McCarty tells his true story Connecting the Dots: Racism, Activism & Creating a Life.

Racism in Chicago ... the Black Panthers ...Activism and the institution ... Expulsion from High School .... Drugs .... Searching ... Journeys around the world ... Stories and people that shape us ....Ways and paths to self-discovery ... With humor and hope the storyteller "connects the dots" in his life.

Invite your students in to explore their responses to McCarty's challenges, dead-ends and the people and events that shaped his life’s journey.

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The Spirit Survives:
The American Indian Boarding School Experience: Then and Now
by Storyteller Dovie Thomason

This lesson plan presents a rarely heard part of American history --- a true story about the crimes of forced assimilation of Indian children in the American Indian Boarding Schools.

Kiowa Apache and Lakota Indian storyteller Dovie Thomason weaves a fascinating story of struggle, survival and inspiration as she tells her own daughter of a history that must not be forgotten and that presents lessons for all of us today. Texts, audio-download segments and classroom activities and resources are all a part of this powerful Lesson Plan.

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Hidden Memory :
Japanese American Internment
by Storyteller Anne Shimojima

This unit raises the challenge for you and your students of knowing your family's story - and why it matters. Other themes : How a national crisis can lead to xenephobia and the subtlties of instritutional racism .... all told through the warm and lively storytelling style of professional storyteller Anne Shimojima as she recalls her Japanese American family and history.. Lesson Plan, story-text, student activities and audio-downloads.

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From Flint Michigan to
Your Front Door:
Tracing the Roots of Racism
by Storyteller LaRon Williams

This lesson plan explores the true story FROM FLINT MICHIGAN TO YOUR FRONT DOOR by African American professional storyteller La’Ron Williams. With humor and honesty Williams will inspire conversation among students about the issues of institutional racism, living in two cultures at once, and claiming one’s own history and culture. This story and lesson plan addresses the White, Euro-centrism of our history and culture and the use of story to challenge that mono-cultural understanding of history. Lesson Plan, story-text, student activities and audio-downloads.

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Being Mexican-American :
Caught Between Two Worlds--Nepantla
by Latina Storyteller Olga Loya

In these warm and engaging story-excerpts professional Storyteller Olga Loya relates some of her life-story and her attempts to reconcile the two worlds and realities of 'American' and 'Mexican American'. Audio-segments, story-text and classroom activities will engage students in exploring what it means be fluent in more than one culture at a time. The unit assists teachers to move beyond the Mexican-American experience to anyone who has been caught between two worlds and two identities. Use this unit to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month or to practice storytelling skills and to probe issues of difference and belonging.

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Claim It! : Differences & Similarities :
Creating a Climate of Inclusion.

"Claim It!" provides a simple lesson plan for exploring diversity in the classroom. This activity helps reveal the many differences a classroom of students has, despite a homogeneous surface. It will also provide learning - and fun, too. This lesson is meant to be one tool among many in the ongoing mission of building strong and welcoming school communities. Flexible and adaptable to your local needs.

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Thanksgiving :
Who Is Missing From Our Table?

Thanksgiving is one of the main holidays of the United States, a time to remember our beginnings and to celebrate our rich history of welcoming the stranger. Yet many teachers struggle in the classroom at this time of year because of what doesn’t get addressed: the myths surrounding the original Thanksgiving story, settlers’ treatment of indigenous peoples, and the failure of our nation to welcome consistently the stranger and the newcomer. How can we teach the truth in our classrooms while still celebrating this national holiday?

For use before or around the time of Thamksgiving. This lesson invites students to share their personal and family stories of being newcomers and of welcoming the stranger. These stories are then used to create a Thanksgiving reflection on the disappointments and the blessings of the United States.

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Black History :
We All Have A Race :
Addressing Race and Racism.

This lesson plan helps students to understand the concept of race better, to distinguish between prejudice and racism, and to learn ways to stand up against racism and to act as allies with students of different races. This lesson provides a substantial, educational way to celebrate African-American Heritage Month and the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Can also be used at any time of year.

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Sticking Together:
Sharing Our Stories, Our Differences, and Our Similarities

The goal of this lesson is to bring together students around their stories of differences and similarities. The most authentic community is one in which people can find common ground while still retaining what is distinct about themselves. Engaging. Fun. Illuminating.

Objectives of this lesson plan :

• To create a sense of community in the classroom;
• To use storytelling as a way for students to learn about one another’s differences
• To use storytelling as a way for students to discover their similarities

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This "bridge builder" resource provides a brief listing of tips and tools for use in your classroom.

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WHAT’S RACISM GOT TO DO WITH ME?: How Our History and Context Shape Us and Others

This lesson plan also seeks to help students understand how history influences the present and to be open to the complexity of societal structures, historical causes, and environmental context both in their own lives and in the lives of other individuals and groups. While this lesson focuses on race, class, and gender, the basic principles in these activities apply to any situation that can be analyzed for cause and effect. The skills practiced in these activities will help students think through their own and others’ initial responses and engage in more thoughtful analysis of a situation instead of jumping to conclusions.

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FINDING NEW WORDS:
A Resource for Addressing Bullying at School

This flexible resource provides a series of exercises for teachers and students to more effectively address bullying by taking a stand, telling the truth, and building a stronger community at school.

PURPOSE
This resource is designed to:

• Provide a method for introducing and discussing a challenging topic
• Encourage teachers and students to take responsibility for their school social climate in safe and effective ways
• Raise awareness of stereotypes and other bias-related behaviors
• Create an environment for participants to discuss and reflect on how bullying impacts their daily lives at school
• Identify some core values
• Identify and Practice effective ways to intervene
• Encourage empathy for the targets of bullying
  

OUTCOMES
Through participating in these exercises, each individual will:

• Listen to several stories from their peers
• Reflect on their own experience with bullying
• Discuss issues of discrimination with their peers in small groups
• Identify some of their core values
• Develop and practice their own response to bullying in the moment

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INCLUDING EVERYONE:
Small Changes to Create a Welcoming Classroom

How welcoming is your classroom?

Resource to help teachers make the little changes in their classrooms that will send the big message that Everyone is Welcome! 

Even though we want to make sure that our students
learn the skills of anti-racism and are prepared to live in a multi-cultural world, it can be hard to find time to teach explicitly anti-racism lessons or to implement an entire diversity curriculum.  

But what we do every day, in regular classroom situations, can have a big impact.  By using thoughtful language, challenging stereotypes, and encouraging hospitable behavior, we can help our students to become more open to those who are different from themselves.

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Storytelling :
A Toolkit for Bridging Differences
and Creating Community

This Teacher-Educator Resource provides an easy to follow process in using storytelling to increase understanding across differences. It is a fun way to get to know each other, a comfortable way to address difficult topics and a simple and successful method for appreciating differences among group members. Sharing life stories allows us to see in new ways, grapple with new ideas, and grow into more respectful and compassionate people.

Use this resource with students from middle school through college or with members of your church or community group. The activities in the resource can be completed all at once or broken up over several meetings. A great way to build a team, handle issues associated with diversity, or discuss a recent conflict.

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Seeking Harmony :
Starting and Sustaining a Diversity Club for High School Students

One of the best ways to furnish students with inclusive skills is by including them in the planning and training phases of diversity education. This resource focuses on how to create a club that brings together all kinds of students to address issues of diversity and to create a welcoming, inclusive school climate.

• Develop creative leadership among students
• Raise awareness in the school around diversity issues that students identify
• Inspire school communities to address and attempt to solve problems related to issues of diversity
• Make issues of diversity accessible, meaningful and fun.

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Creating a Diversity Session for your Faculty : An Introduction

This resource is meant to help administrators, teachers, and staff to:

• Become more aware of the many facets of diversity
• Explore their own experiences with diversity
• Identify the diversity of the school community
• Value learning about and addressing diversity in the school community
• Identify how understanding diversity can serve the quality of the school
• See diversity as a strength and tool in building faculty and school-community

This resource is meant as a beginning point for your school, a way to start the conversation around diversity and to begin the education of your faculty and staff. It will make people more sensitive and committed to issues of diversity and more able to respond to those issues.

The activities in this resource may be completed all at once during a half-day in-service.

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