This unit explores the various ways information and ideas about climate change are presented through a variety of media. This includes the evaluation of social media posts, research into climate change issues, and an exploration of contemporary art and artists. This was designed and taught in an honors 9th grade English Language Arts Classroom by Dr. Tavia Quaid in response to student interest in climate change and to reinforce key information literacy skills.

This learning resource is a product of our involvement in the GoPro Learning Challenge. As part of our Community Garden series, it develops learner knowledge and skills in the following areas: deepened understanding of the tomato plant/fruit, it's dietary/cultural significance, preparation of soil/roots for planting, proper positioning of tomato plants for optimal growth, and protection of young plants in a home garden. Learners will be asked to engage with the resource and demonstrate their acquisition of knowledge/skill by presenting acquired knowledge and demonstrating proficiency in the various components of proper planting.

With a focus on education in Afghanistan, the Witness to Education in Afghanistan and Throughout the World curriculum examines global and local examples of how education can be use to create social change. Students address the driving question: "How can we, as youth, utilize education to promote positive change within our communities?"

Global Citizens in Action is a civic engagement curriculum that focuses on cultural exchange, media literacy, and global citizenship. Through exploring the driving question, “How do we, as youth, engage our communities to create positive social change?”

This 5-day curriculum teaches digital storytelling and media literacy skills through engaging youth to think critically on issues relevant to their life and future. This unit is guided by the question, "How does media contribute to positive social change?”

This social media literacy unit introduces students to foundational skills in analyzing images and social media posts. It also reenforces critical thinking questions that can be applied to various forms of media. This unit was taught to 9th grade students but is easily adaptible to a range of secondary classrooms. It was also taught in conjunction with another unit focused on social media platforms and content.

This unit engages students in a variety of activities that analyze and reflect on the role of social media in our everyday lives. This includes options for collaborative group work, reading nonfiction articles, a design challenge and presentations to communicate ideas. The unit also includes a formal writing assessment option that aligns with the Common Core State Writing Standards. Activities can be adapted or combined in a variety of ways to support student reflection and analysis. These lessons were piloted in 9th grade English classes but are suitable or a range of secondary students. 

This 30 minute video features a discussion between NYS Commissioner of Education John B. King Jr., David Coleman (contributing author to the Common Core) and Kate Gerson (a Sr. Fellow with the Regents Research Fund) on the first 20 paragraphs of Martin Luther King Jr.‰'s ‰"Letter from Birmingham Jail.‰" This conversation represents one of the ways a group of educators might prepare for close reading of text with students. This behind-the-scenes discourse represents the kind of dialogue teachers can have as they build their own fluency and familiarity with a text before diving into it with students. After watching this video, educators might ask themselves: Why are conversations like these important? What role can adult discussions of text play in teacher prep? Participants might also continue the conversation King, Coleman, and Gerson are having by picking up where they left off and engaging deeply around paragraphs 21-30. What happens next in the text? What is King ‰"up to‰" for those paragraphs?

A study of the resettlement of Japanese Americans after WWII and the ongoing hardships and discrimination they experienced in the postwar years. This project was made possible through generous support from the National Parks Service Japanese American Confinement Sites program.

The purpose of this mini-lesson is for students to gain a better understanding of compassion and how it applies to the world around them. It is intended to be completed before starting a unit centered around the theme of compassion; however, this is very flexible and can be done at any point during a unit. 

Students will engage in reading imagery through extended viewing of an image, and then engaging with critical dialog about what they saw. This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website, "Who Am I Online?"