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, explore the impact of lack of diversity in media, and realize their own rich experiences with diversity. Recommended for grades: 4 and upTime: 45-60 minutes

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Alien in the Ethical Universe

Alien in the Ethical Universe

Participants receive a visit from a traveling alien on a fact-finding mission to learn how beings treat other beings on Earth.  Answering the alien’s questions reveals the inconsistencies in how our society encourages us to treat others and encourages students to think critically about our choices. Recommended grades: 4 and upTime: 20-45 minutesRelated IHE Resources: Wonder…

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Water Issues

Wildlife Issues

Find suggested books, websites, articles, videos, lesson plans, activities and other resources on wildlife conservation, habitat, and protection issues to help you learn and/or teach about this topic. Curated by the Institute for Human Education.

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woman looking into rows and columns of screens, each of which has a different person on it

11 Activities to Help Students Understand Different Perspectives

by Marsha Rakestraw In mid-January, two boys, ages 12 and 13, killed more than 500,000 bees and destroyed tens of thousands of dollars of property. Allegedly just for kicks. In December 2017, a young Muslim woman was attacked on a transit train in Vancouver, Canada. Most people watched; only one young man intervened. Incidences of…

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Human Rights Graduate Program Institute for Humane Education

8 Resources for Teaching About Unconscious Bias

by Marsha Rakestraw We all have biases. We’ve heard many times that those biases are an evolutionary adaptation that helped us survive, but even after these thousands of years, we haven’t yet learned to recognize and overcome many of our unconscious (and conscious) biases related to race, gender, disability, age, geography, and even species. Research…

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Widening Our Circle of Compassion: An Interview With Animal Rights Photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur

Jo-Anne McArthur’s love of animals began when she was a child. She says, “The neighbour had a backyard dog who didn’t live a very exciting life so I would take him for walks, despite his enormous size and my small stature.” In her 20’s, Jo-Anne realized that she could combine her empathy with her photography…

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dictionary

The Trouble With “It”

by Shannon Finch I’d like to discuss a small word with a big problem: “it.” First, a little grammar review for you. “It” is a pronoun, like he or she, that takes the place of a noun. An antecedent, such as “the butterfly,” “the child,” or “the tree,” comes first so that readers know what…

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