tree hugger

Becoming Humane Beings (lesson plans)

by Marsha Rakestraw Right at the start of the school year is a great time to encourage students to think about the world they live in, the choices they make, what a humane world looks like, and the power they have to help bring such a world to reality. What does it mean to become…

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blurry crowd of people walking on the street

5 Minute Changemaker: Pretend You Know (and Care About) Everyone

by Marsha Rakestraw The other day, as I was driving home from the dog park, I was following an SUV that stopped in the midst of a turn to let a pedestrian cross the street. Apparently the pedestrian and the people in the SUV knew each other, as they waved heartily and spoke briefly to…

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Resources: Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical Dilemmas

Help students think deeply and critically about what it means to be our best selves and about the ethical quandaries between balancing personal desires with kindness toward others by engaging them in an exploration of personal and global ethical scenarios. Recommended for grades 3 through 8. Time: 60 minutes   Common Core Standards for this…

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factory pollution

Teaching About Environmental Racism: Four Activities

by Marsha Rakestraw We enjoy our cars, our homes, our stuff, and the wastes and the toxic chemicals and pollutants used to create — or which are a result of — our shiny stuff go “away” somewhere that we don’t really have to think about. But there is no “away.” The waste processing plants, the…

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