Archive for the ‘The Arts’ Category

Understanding the Past: Changing the Future

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Grade: 5th grade, general ed and Integrated Team Teaching
Topics: Racism, Discrimination, Civil Rights
Social Justice Skills: Letter Writing, Peer Education, Critical Thinking

Created by Emily Munzer, Daniel Hildreth and Neil Rathan, 5th grade teachers, Lower East Side, NYC

An in-depth unit on the American Civil Rights movement that spans from the 1940’s to the 1960’s. Students used historical fiction, non fiction resources, and documentary films to develop an understanding of the racial divide in the United States during this time period, identifying the differences between Individual vs. Institutional Racism, learning about key catalysts and leaders of the movement, and creating a content-specific glossary of related terms. The 5th grade ultimately wrote, directed, and acted in a “Living Museum” performance to showcase their understandings.

Find out more: http://noracisminthisclassroom.wordpress.com


5th Graders say: Stop Unfair Child Labor Now!

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Grade: 5th Grade
Topics: Unfair labor, worker’s rights, fair trade, sustainability, fairness, slavery, unions
Created by Liav Shapiro, P.S. 230 Brooklyn, NY

This unit was created to teach students about unfair labor of the past and today, linking issues of children’s rights and labor rights. Students participated a “Fair Trade Boot Camp,” various simulations, created artwork, wrote letters to major U.S. companies, and became more critical of the foods that are sold in their local supermarkets.

Find out more: www.unfairchildlabor.wordpress.com

The CACAO Project: Children Against Chocolate Aided Oppression

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

picket-signs-10Grade: 5th grade unit
Topics: Child labor, fair trade
Social Justice Skills: Letter writing, petitions, protest, PSA’s
Created by Dan Hildreth and Neil Rathan

This unit taught students about the use of child labor and the benefits of fair trade in the coca industry. Students wrote letters to chocolate CEO’s, created a petition to get fair trade chocolate in their local store, created PSA’s to educate the community and protested in front of M&Ms/Mars in Times Square.

Find out more: cacoaproject.wordpress.com

Teaching Students to Take a Stand Against Hate: Using the Holocaust as a Lens

Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Grade: 5th Gradedscn1508
Topics: Holocaust, Black History, Jewish culture, slavery, Racism, Hate
Created by: Liav Shapiro
This unit was created as a response to a question in Liav’s classroom: “What was the Holocaust?” Liav noticed early-on that there existed underlying hatred in her classroom- children from different countries refusing to work together, making faces at one another, etc.  She wanted to see an end to this bullying, and engaged her class, one lesson at a time, through a study of hatred and genocide.
For more information, Visit: www.liavshapiro.wordpress.com