Timely resources to help K-12 educators encourage social responsibility and foster social & emotional learning. Find out more.
TeachableMoment Lessons
Featured Lessons
In honor of Teacher Appreciation week, Morningside Center offers this Circle-based lesson as an invitation for students and Circle keepers to reflect on the impactful teachers and “teachers” in their lives; what lessons were learned; and ways they’ve passed this learning forward.
Spring is a natural time for transformation, for embracing new beginnings while shedding those attitudes or mindsets that no longer serve us. It’s also an ideal time to consider the changes in our lives and their impact. In this lesson students reflect on change, grief, and loss through a scrawl wall, a circle, and building a collective playlist.
In this lesson students examine New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration speech to learn what a speech can reveal about a leader’s values, priorities and vision for democracy—and how a speech can shape how people see themselves and others in a community.
SEL & RP
Activities to support students' social and emotional learning and restorative practices
Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
Tips & Ideas
Guidance and inspiration to help build skills and community in your classroom and school
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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
Students think about women they admire, learn about African leader Maathai, and discuss the Peter Gabriel song Shaking the Tree.
Students consider a song, a video interview, and readings in exploring the events unfolding in the Middle East & North Africa.
After an introductory reading about the debate now raging in Washington, students try their hand at balancing a projected 2015 budget themselves.
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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