TeachableMoment Lessons

SEL & RP

SEL & RP

Activities to support students' social and emotional learning and restorative practices

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Current Issues

Current Issues

Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news

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Tips & Ideas

Tips & Ideas

Guidance and inspiration to help build skills and community in your classroom and school

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SEL & RP
Social & Emotional Learning & Restorative Practices
Current Issues
Current Issues
Tips and Ideas
Tips & Ideas

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This pdf booklet, produced by the City University of New York's Murphy Institute, includes lots of facts and figures (and cartoons) about issues such as government spending and

Students write about and discuss an ad that has raised issues about beauty, race, and skin color, and consider the role of advertising in reflecting and shaping attitudes.

Students read and discuss two very different views on the role of government and individuals; work in groups to complete a cut-and-paste activity of those views; and participate in

In this high school level lesson, students share their reactions to bin Laden's death, read and discuss background information, and then consider a range of responses to the

Two student readings focus on the reasons for rising gas prices as well as the true social and environmental costs of oil, with discussion questions and an internet inquiry.

High school students consider concepts of "environmental racism" and "environmental (in)justice" and view and discuss an online clip about the dumping of electronics. Homework

Elementary students consider how much water we consume and what impact it has by hearing some facts and discussing the story of one girl's water consumption.

Students listen to a radio segment about events in Libya and the challenges of reporting from that country; consider events in Libya through a timeline and Twitter messages; and

Students discuss their own experiences of helping others, then view and discuss a brief video about Japanese children who are working together to help their community in the wake

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This brief activity kicks off Black History Month by examining King's letter from a Birmingham jail in light of current events.   

A short activity has students consider President Obama's proposal for free community college.  

Students consider responses to the attack on Charlie Hebdo from multiple points of view by examining tweets containing different expressions of solidarity, and create their own

In this brief activity, students consider Oxfam's finding that the world's richest 1% will own half of global wealth by 2016.   

The movie Selma depicts the struggle for voting rights for African Americans that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In this lesson, students examine a primary source document to

Two student readings provide a brief history of the embargo of Cuba and its role in Cold War foreign policy and consider different opinions about President Obama's move to