Natural disasters require communities to work together. Students will: come up with a definition of community and discuss the different the communities they are a part of; talk about a time they have helped someone in their community and why; watch a video clip of a group of young boys helping their community in Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami; discuss what it feels like to help people and how it feels to receive help; discuss a time the students worked together to achieve a goal; come up with ideas of how to help people who are affected by natural disasters.

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, believes that environmental awareness and action are the next frontier in the field of social and emotional learning. Goleman calls this environmental awareness 'green intelligence'. In this lesson students will develop their green awareness by considering American consumption of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas; learning about new methods of extracting these fuels; and discussing their pros & cons.

The holidays are not always a joyful occasion, especially for those facing hardship or stress. In this activity, students share their feelings about the upcoming holidays and consider how they might provide some encouragement for those who are struggling.

This activity aims to help your class get the school year off to a good start. Students share their names and a high point of their summer; learn a little about their similarities and differences; and begin considering what kind of community they want to create in their classroom.

Circles use a highly structured process to create a safe space where people can share their feelings and experiences. Since 2011, Morningside Center has partnered with the NYC Department of Education to introduce Peace and Restorative Circles into schools around New York City. Here, Morningside Center trainer Marieke van Woerkom outlines the basic elements of Circles.

Students create a web and define the word "resilience," read a blog about the resilience of one Brooklyn school community that was hit by Hurricane Sandy, and consider what being prepared and resilient might mean at their own school.

In this lesson students discuss Dr. King's views about alliance-building; consider these in light of Obama's inauguration; learn about the alliance-building work of Ai-jen Poo, founder of Domestic Workers United; and think about things in their own lives that they might want to build alliances to change.

This lesson focuses on the leadership qualities of Nelson Mandela, South African civil rights leader and the country's first democratically elected president.

This lesson uses Hispanic Heritage Month as a jumping off point for discussing how history is shaped and what we can do together to include a larger variety of voices and narratives in our study of history.

In this lesson students explore ways to be allies to those being teased, harassed or bullied in their schools.

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the many contributions the first Americans have made to this country. It’s also a good time to take a critical look at some popular myths about the first interactions between the European pilgrims and the Native American peoples they found living in the “new world.”

On Thursday, people across the country will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The lesson plan that follows explores historical facts, myths and perspectives about Thanksgiving Day, including both the happiness and the sorrow associated with this tradition.

In small groups and in a fishbowl discussion, students consider how race affected the trial of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin.