blog post

If We Truly Teach Civics and Let 16 Year Olds Vote, We Can Save Democracy

Zoe Weil is a blogger for Psychology Today, and we share her blog posts here. Enjoy!  Approximately 65 percent of eligible Americans voted this month in what many considered the most consequential presidential election of our lifetime. This was the largest percentage in more than a century. Although an improvement, this falls far short of…

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Teach About Fake News

Teaching About Fake News

Resources (lesson plans, websites, films, articles, etc.) and tips for helping teach about fake news, news literacy, and critical thinking. Curated by the Institute for Humane Education.

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Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is one of the key elements of humane education. Find articles, lesson plans, and other resources to help students and others bring critical thinking to their lives, schooling, and work. Save Save

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beauty in nature

Resources for Reexamining Columbus Day

by Marsha Rakestraw Today is Columbus Day in the U.S., and this year, as in generations before, elementary schools all across the country will teach another group of children that, “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue” and discovered America. It is a fact that Columbus sailed to North America in 1492 and encountered Native…

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women from africa

Changing the “Single Story” About Africa(ns) … and Others

by Marsha Rakestraw Recently I read two books, each featuring a female protagonist. One was by a black woman from Barbados, the book filled with characters of color living “normal” lives. The other by a white man who wrote about the tragic (and eventually redeemed) life of a young impoverished girl in Mozambique. Two different…

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Resources: What is Powerful?

What is Powerful?

This icebreaker activity helps students explore power and understand the systems in play that create and perpetuate privilege and oppression. Recommended for grades 5-8. Time: several days of a 45-minute class

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Different kinds of Lego people lined up in rows on a grey surface

Where Are the People Like Me?

Students assess examples of  media (catalogs, magazines, books, etc.) to consider who is (and isn’t represented) and to explore the impact of lack of diversity in media and their own rich experiences with diversity. Recommended for grades 4-10. Time: 45-60 minutes

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kids

9 Resources for Finding Children’s Books with Humane Themes

by Marsha Rakestraw Children’s literature is often a reflection of society (and sometimes an influencer). As we humans continue to make progress in doing more good and less harm and in striving to create a better world, we’re seeing more books for children that explore and celebrate those themes. Although we can search online for…

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