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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Student readings include excerpts from a memo and an ad attacking Obama's reform plan as well as a description of that plan. Discussion questions call for critical thinking about
Student readings review the origins of the AK-47, the 10-year federal ban on assault weapons, President Obama's views on guns, and the NRA's political clout. Discussion questions
What is organic food exactly? Student activities include two readings, a quiz, a writing assignment and suggestions for further inquiry.
Student readings address the chief issues in today's reform efforts, obstacles to reform, and critical views of mainstream school reform. Discussion questions and suggestions for
A student reading includes excerpts from recently released memos on 'interrogation techniques' approved by the Bush administration; a second reading quotes President Obama's
Student readings describe the scientific controversy over "tipping points," the Obama-Biden energy program, and plans to green the Empire State Building. Following the readings are
One student reading traces the orgins of the Voting Rights Act; a second discusses the recent Supreme Court decision limiting the Act's scope when it comes to drawing voter
As millions of people lose their jobs, food banks are scrambling to meet the need. A student reading is followed by some suggestions for how students might help.
Two student readings examine the Bush administration's detention of 'enemy combatants' and how the new administration is handling the issue
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Students learn more about Michael Sam's coming out, consider what it means to come out, develop their own opinions about this athlete's decision and write a persuasive essay about
Students choose one of nine past Olympics controversies to research in small groups and share what they've learned with the class.
Students explore the origins of Black History Month and consider where we stand today in creating a more inclusionary history in classrooms across the country.
The life and music of folksinger Pete Seeger, who died on January 27, 2014, provides a teachable moment on activism, music, and on nearly every major social movement over the past
In this critical thinking activity, students research how different constituencies (such as U.S. athletes or corporate sponsors) have responded to the controversy over Russia's
Two lessons use a Championship Game conflict between the Seahawks' Richard Sherman and 49ers player Michael Crabtree as a taking off point. In Lesson 1, students consider emotional