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Students as Agents of Change

By charong82
Grade Level
K-2 3-5
private
LEARNING PLAN
Essential Question
  • Essential Question: How can students work together to raise their voices and demand change in their community?
Texts
Literature

The Skin I'm In (Chapter 3)

Maleeka gets made fun of at school about her clothes, her grades, even the color of her skin. In this chapter, she talks about getting teased on a school trip and how even her friend Char was ashamed to be seen with her because of her clothes.
by
Sharon Flake
Grade Level
3-5 6-8
Social Justice Domain
Justice
July 3, 2014
Informational

A Girl and a Word

Laura Linn's article explores how Rosa Marcellino, a nine-year old with Down syndrome, and her family worked to eliminate the phrase "mentally retarded" from official use. "Rosa's Law" is living, legislative proof that their hard work paid off.
by
Laura Linn
Grade Level
3-5
Subject
Civics
History
Topic
Ability Rights & Activism
Social Justice Domain
Justice Action
July 2, 2014
Literature

Margaret Batchelder, Immigrant Inspector (1903)

Margaret Batchelder writes to President Theodore Roosevelt to tell him how women inspectors welcome immigrants—with smiles and encouragement. Although not allowed to question the immigrants, the women make a difference in the immigrants' first experiences on shore.
by
Gwenyth Swain
Grade Level
3-5 6-8
Subject
History
Topic
Immigration Gender & Sexual Identity Rights & Activism
Social Justice Domain
Diversity Justice
July 7, 2014
Teaching Strategies
Exploring Texts Through Read Alouds

Creating Questions to Engage Critically with Texts

This strategy provides tools to create questions that help students engage critically with Perspectives central texts and examine them for issues of power and social inequity. The activities suggested here also encourage readers to bring their knowledge and experiences to the reading of a text.
Grade Level
K-2
CCSS
RL.K-2.1, RL.K-2.2, RL.K-2.3, RL.K-2.6, RI.K-2.1, RI.K-2.2, RI.K-2.3, RI.K-2.6
July 16, 2014
Exploring Texts Through Read Alouds

Realia

Realia are real-life objects that enable children to make connections to their own lives as they try to make sense of new concepts and ideas. This strategy brings the Perspectives central text to life for students by using everyday objects during the read aloud.
Grade Level
K-2
CCSS
RL.K-2.1, RL.K-2.2, RL.K-2.3, RI.K-2.1, RI.K-2.2, RI.K-2.3
July 13, 2014
Community Inquiry

Affirmation Interview

During Affirmation Interview, students practice verbal and non-verbal communication in the roles of “interviewer” and “interviewee.”
Grade Level
3-5
CCSS
RL.3-5.1, RI.3-5.1, SL.3-5.1
July 13, 2014
Community Inquiry

Artifact Add-ons

Artifact Add-on asks students to select and share real-life objects that illustrate concepts and ideas from the central text.
Grade Level
3-5
CCSS
RL.3-5.1, RI.3-5.1, RL.3-5.2, RI.3-5.2, RL.3-5.3, RI.3-5.3, SL.3-5.1, SL.3-5.2 SL.3-5.4, SL.3-5.5, SL.3-5.6
July 13, 2014
Community Inquiry

Brain Share

During Brain Share, small groups of students rotate through stations, discussing and recording concepts from central texts. This strategy is a modified combination of gallery walks and jigsaw.
Grade Level
3-5
CCSS
RF.3-5.4, RL.3-5.1, RI.3-5.1, RL.3-5.2, RI.3-5.2, SL.3-5.1, SL.3-5.2
July 13, 2014
Student Tasks
Do Something

Buddy Share

Students choose a mode of expression—e.g., writing, art or storytelling—to share theme-related ideas and feelings with a “buddy” from outside the classroom.
Grade Level
K-2
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Community Bulletin Board

Students showcase artwork and nonfiction writing that addresses issues they found in the text. The result is a visual, collaborative and creative representation of student learning and ideas. An alternative to the bulletin board is a community newsletter.
Grade Level
K-2
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Community Mural / Poster Campaign

Students create a large-scale artistic depiction in a community space. As an alternative to the community mural, students can create a set of informational posters that reflect a diversity topic or social justice theme.
Grade Level
3-5
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Community Newsletter

Students compile and publish a showcase of artwork and nonfiction writing addressing issues found in the central text. The result is a creative representation of student learning, opinions and ideas.
Grade Level
3-5
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Fairness Fair

Students work in groups to role-play or tell stories about real life situations related to fairness, community, diversity or social justice themes. Students then perform their skits or stories for others as part of a class-wide “fairness fair.”
Grade Level
K-2
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Identity Portraits

Students interview one another, then draw or paint portraits containing symbols that represent the subject’s identity, beliefs, values or areas of interest.
Grade Level
3-5
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Identity Self-Portraits

Students create visual self-portraits that contain symbols representing the student’s identity, beliefs, values or areas of interest related to diversity, anti-bias or social justice.
Grade Level
K-2
July 13, 2014
Do Something

My Voice, My Voter’s Guide

Estimated time Two to three weeks Why? One of the ways young students become invested in the democratic process is by become empowered advocates for civic participation in their local communities. When younger students
Grade Level
3-5 6-8 9-12
Subject
Civics
August 30, 2018
Do Something

Oral Interviews

Students conduct interviews and record personal experiences focused on a specific theme. They synthesize and present the information as a drawing, poster, paragraph or bulletin board.
Grade Level
K-2
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Persuasive Letters

Students write to a business, school or community leader to call for action in response to a social justice issue from the central text. Alternatively, students can write open, persuasive letters to their peers or family members.
Grade Level
3-5
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Picture Books

Students work in small groups to write and illustrate an original children's picture book to teach others about a social justice or diversity topic present in the central text.
Grade Level
3-5
July 13, 2014
Do Something

Puppet Show

Students design, create and perform a puppet show to teach others about a diversity, anti-bias or social justice theme from the central text.
Grade Level
3-5
July 13, 2014
Plan Built By

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