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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Labor Day isn't just a holiday, it's a teachable moment. In this lesson, students learn about the history of Labor Day and some of the labor movement’s past accomplishments, then
Students explore the mainstream media's portrayal of Michael Brown (an unarmed teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO) and the conversation it has
Students discuss the police killing of Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson, MO, and consider the racial and economic backdrop to the killing and the protests that have followed.
Would free higher education be possible in America? How did people in other parts of the world win and defend their right to affordable higher education? In this lesson, students
While homelessness has declined over the past three years, it's still a serious problem, especially for young adults. In two readings and discussion, students consider this problem
In two readings and a media analysis exercise, students examine the campaign to change the Washington Redskins’ name and to end the use of stereotypical depictions of Native
Students learn about Chester Nez, the World War 2 Navajo code talker, who died on June 4, 2014. They consider why he was willing to help the U.S. war effort despite the terrible
A new book by economist Thomas Piketty has touched off a national discussion about economic inequality. This lesson uses the book as a jumping off point for two student readings on
Two student readings give an overview of conditions facing U.S. farmworkers, past efforts at farmworker organizing, and the current successes of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
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This lesson begins with activities aimed at creating a sense of community among your students, then invites them to explore issues in the news, and to consider how these issues are
Students continue the exploration they began in Part 1 of what happened after a mosque in Fort Smith, Arkansas, was defaced. In Part 2, students learn about and discuss the
In this activity, students consider what happened after a mosque in Fort Smith, Arkansas, was defaced. They explore the personal stories of people in the community, including those
Begin by asking students, "What do you need to feel safe, comfortable, and excited to learn?"
Following the violent rally by white supremacists in Charlottesville, this activity has students read, consider and discuss quotes about the presence of white supremacist symbols
After upsetting events like those in Charlottesville, it's important for people to be able to share their feelings, talk, and be heard, in a supportive environment. This activity