Student Texts

Our searchable library of short texts offers a diverse mix of stories and perspectives. This multigenre, multimedia collection aligns with the Common Core's recommendations for text complexity and the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards.

Choose from informational and literary nonfiction texts, literature, photographs, political cartoons, interviews, infographics and more. You can also filter by text type, grade level, subject and topic.

“The leveled texts have really helped me engage students and introduce them to complex topics in a way they can understand.”

Text Type
Grade Level
Social Justice Domain
Subject
Topic

46 Texts

Informational

Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association

This segment examines black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey and his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Best known for his leadership in a "back to Africa" movement, Garvey's ideas would influence later black nationalist thought.
by
NBC Learn
Grade Level
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
Literature

The Fog Machine

This excerpt focuses on the lives of African-American students during the civil rights movement. After reading Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech in class in 1963, students in main character C.J.'s school are asked to share their dreams at a school assembly.
by
Susan Follett
Grade Level
6-8
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
Literature

Seventeen Syllables

Rosie's mother and father did not marry out of love, and her mother writes haiku as an escape. After entering a contest, a man comes to deliver her prize—a framed picture. Angered by this intrusion, Rosie's father destroys the picture. In her anguish, Rosie's mother explains her marriage to her daughter.
by
Hisaye Yamamoto
Grade Level
Subject
History
Geography
Social Justice Domain
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Teaching Tolerance collage of images

Welcome to Learning for Justice—Formerly Teaching Tolerance!

Our work has evolved in the last 30 years, from reducing prejudice to tackling systemic injustice. So we’ve chosen a new name that better reflects that evolution: Learning for Justice.

Learn More