National Deaf History Month is an excellent opportunity for educators to teach all students about the history, accomplishments, and culture of deaf people. While traditionally held from March 13 to April 15, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has shifted the official observance to April 1–30, effective from 2026, to fully align with a monthly, inclusive recognition.

National Deaf History Month was started in the 1990s after two deaf employees at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., started teaching sign language to other employees. This grew into a month promoting understanding of the deaf community that ultimately inspired the NAD to propose a national month-long recognition period.

According to one estimate, about 3.6 percent of the U.S. population, or 11 million people, are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing. National Deaf History Month is an ideal time to teach all students more about inclusion and the accomplishments of deaf people in the arts, education, sports, law, science, and music.

Best Deaf Awareness Lessons & Activities

Look, Smile, Chat: Deaf awareness look, smile lesson plans for teachers
These PDF lesson plans for students aged 11-16 years aim to help hearing kids better understand deafness, deaf culture, and the lives of deaf people, as well as communication between deaf and hearing kids.

Charles Michel de l'Epee
A pioneer who founded the first public school for the hearing impaired in France, Epee bucked the trends of the time, asserting that deaf people deserve an education and equal rights. He developed the manual language that eventually became French Sign Language (from which American Sign Language sprang). Truly a giant of history.

ASL and Deaf Culture
Deaf people discuss how American Sign Language is an integral part of deaf culture and expression. Narrated for the hearing audience.

AFB: The Helen Keller Online Kids Museum
In this online museum exhibit, the American Foundation for the Blind presents a wealth of knowledge about world-renowned activist and pioneer Helen Keller, from her childhood through her international travels as a world leader. Included are multiple photographs of Keller with politicians, actors, children, and people of every station in life.

History through Deaf Eyes
From the world-renowned institute of higher learning, Gallaudet University, the History Through Deaf Eyes Online Exhibition explores the lives of deaf people and social attitudes toward deaf language and education through the years.

11 Ways to Honor Deaf Awareness
Fine ideas for promoting awareness and understanding of deaf life and culture, from reading books with deaf characters, to trying out lipreading, to researching the accomplishments of famous deaf people. Be sure to check out the “Unfair Spelling Test,” which illustrates how words become garbled with loss of hearing above 1000 hz.

Olof Hanson, Conspicuous Leader: 1862-1933
“I am myself deaf. My greatest obstacle is not my deafness, but to overcome the prejudice and ignorance of those who do not understand what the deaf can do,” wrote Olof Hanson in a 1908 letter to President Theodore Roosevelt. Learn more about Hanson, the first recorded deaf architect in the United States, in this online exhibit from the National Deaf Life Museum.

Sign Language Decoding Quotes
Famous quotes from William Shakespeare, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, and others are transliterated into American Sign Language (ASL) in these downloadable/printable PDFs. A first-rate way to learn and practice ASL. Free account required

Dad and Me in the Morning Guided Reading Lesson
A standards-aligned lesson for grades 4-5, built around the book Dad and Me and the Morning by Patricia Lakin. Written from the deaf son’s perspective, the book recounts an early morning excursion to the beach with his father. The lesson includes everything needed for teaching: a downloadable PDF and Powerpoint presentation with the complete text, as well as post-reading questions.

Wordwall Community American Sign Language Games
A wide selection of colorful, creative games helps users practice ASL. Each game features polished graphics, fun sound effects, and multiple templates to add variety. No account required to play, but a free basic account allows users to create their own activities, while the Standard ($7.20/month) and Pro ($10.80/month) accounts offer many additional features.

American Sign Language Beta Test Games
Seven online word games are a quick and easy way to learn and practice American Sign Language (ASL) in realistic or cartoon ASL font. Start with the letter quiz, then try the matching game, word search, sentence game, or Simon Signs. Feeling stuck? No worries, just click the Alphabet Legend to refresh your memory. Free no account required.

Movies and TV Shows with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Characters
You might be surprised to learn how many popular movies and TV shows feature deaf characters. Watching such programs can be a great way to engage hearing students with deaf culture, while supporting and recognizing deaf students’ experiences. This list from Common Sense Media can be filtered by age, from preschool to teenager.

Jessica Flores Lip Reading
Comedian and Deaf advocate Jessica Flores is not only very funny, but also a strong educator and communicator. In this video, she helps hearing folks understand how lip reading actually works. Hint: It’s not as easy as you might think.

Free Sign Language Videos for Beginners
Dozens of brief narrated videos effectively demonstrate the basics of American Sign Language. Featured are common words and concepts such as pronouns, colors, numbers, directions, and much more.

Alphabet Sing and Sign
From the Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel, this charming collection of videos combines songs and signing in an engaging and educational fashion. Perfect for younger learners.

Learn More About a Recent ASL Star
Justina Miles recently made history when she performed with Rihanna at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. The 20-year-old Miles became the first deaf ASL performer in Super Bowl history and went viral on social media for her energetic performance. Discussing Miles’ performance and story is the perfect lead-in to a larger classroom discussion about what ASL is and why it is needed.

ASL University
Created by a longtime professor of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies, ASL University offers free American Sign Language lessons and videos. Be sure to meet the creator Dr. Bill Vicars (Deaf/hh) on his YouTube channels, Signs and Bill Vicars.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Throughout history, deaf people were often seen as uneducable and mentally deficient. A giant in the field of education, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet believed otherwise, and founded the first school for the deaf in the U.S. This biography explores his life, philanthropic endeavors, and contributions to deaf education.

Deaf Culture 101
From the Iowa School for the Deaf, this upbeat, frank, and funny video educates hearing people about the diverse experiences of living as a deaf person in a hearing world.

Deaf People Answer Commonly Googled Questions About Being Deaf
What kind of questions do internet users ask Google about deaf people? If you guessed, “Do deaf people think?” you’d be sadly correct. But hidden among the absurd questions are some really interesting ones, such as “Do deaf people have an inner voice?” These and other questions are answered with insight, honesty, and humor by the talented and engaging guides, Mixxie and Lia.

Helen Keller | Author, Advocate, and Activist
A detailed, standards-based lesson on the accomplishments of Helen Keller, the amazing deaf-blind speaker, author, and activist, who championed the rights of people with disabilities and women. Shareable via Google classroom or by link.

How Do Deaf People Experience and Enjoy Music?
Hearing people may be surprised to learn that deaf people can sense, process, enjoy, and make music. Ask your hearing students to write what they think music is like for deaf people. Have them read one or more of the following articles. Then ask them to write how their views have changed and what they learned about deaf music appreciation.

Sound System Allows Deaf People to Experience Music Like Never Before Wearable technology allows deaf people to perceive music directly through their body.
How Deaf People Experience Music The science behind hearing, and how brain plasticity makes up for a loss of hearing.
Can Deaf People Hear Music? (Answer: Yes, They Can) How deaf people use vibrations and sign language to appreciate and interact with music
How Do Deaf People Experience Music? Shaheem Sanchez is a deaf dancer and instructor who learns songs through musical vibrations.
How Do We Listen When We're Unable to Hear? Deaf Grammy-winning percussionist and recording artist Evelyn Glennie answers this question with insight and grace.

In 1970, the first Earth Day sparked a massive public protest, with 20 million Americans taking to streets and college campuses to speak out against air and water pollution, wilderness loss, and animal extinctions. The public outcry led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and legislation to safeguard air, water, and endangered species.

Although significant progress has been made in controlling pollution and preventing the extinction of notable species such as the bald eagle and California condor, the concerns of the past still linger. Furthermore, we now understand that human-caused climate change poses a significant threat that needs urgent attention to avoid extensive disruption of societies worldwide.

The following free Earth Day lessons and activities will help teachers explore this crucial subject with K-12 students in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

Best Free Earth Day Lessons & Activities

SubjectToClimate Lesson Plans
Superb set of all-inclusive lesson plans, teaching units, and activities from the nonprofit SubjectToClimate (STC) organization. What sets STC apart is the range of subjects viewed through the lens of climate change. You’ll find not only the typical Earth science and ecology lessons, but also lessons that link career skills, computer science, and performing arts with climate change. Searchable by grade, subject, standards, and resource type. Additionally, STC offers wide-ranging educator guidance, in the form of professional development, brief “climate change explainers” and even climate action plans for districts. Be sure to check out the Earth Day 2026 activity pages.

iNaturalist Bioblitz
Have you ever considered a bioblitz project for your classroom? A bioblitz is a group endeavor in which participants strive to record as many observations of wild species as possible in a given time/area. Using the free iNaturalist app and its extensive educator guidance, teachers can easily set up a bioblitz for any nearby location, including a schoolyard or city park. There’s life all around us. Help your students find it, identify it, and learn about it with iNaturalist.

This is My Earth Learning Activities
A selection of K-20 curricula from the nonprofit international environmental organization This is My Earth. These are not simply lesson plans; rather, each curriculum comprises a full nature preservation program to be covered over multiple classes. Topics include climate change, biodiversity, and conservation biology. Eight curricula and one teacher’s guide are included.

National Wildlife Federation: Schoolyard Habitats® Planning Guide
Even a small area of land can be a valuable and welcoming habitat for plants, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. This comprehensive guide to creating a vibrant habitat on school grounds incorporates multiple STEAM topics and involves kids in hands-on work that will engage them deeply and offer ongoing opportunities to learn. Included in this 96-page PDF are several inspiring case studies from schools which have instituted the program.

TeachEngineering: Plastic Migration and Its Impacts
We’ve all heard of the atmosphere, biosphere, and other ecosystems. But have you heard of the Plastisphere? Sadly, this human-made “ecosystem” is a result of the massive quantities of plastic waste polluting our waterways. This NGSS-aligned multimedia lesson for grades 9-12 is rich with background information, glossary, assessment, extensions and homework ideas. Three associated activities allow for hands-on learning.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Investigating Coral Bleaching
Outstanding standards-aligned lesson for students in grades 6-12 that uses current and historic data to understand the effects of climate change on coral reefs. This 5-level module includes interactive maps, graphs, and videos as well as fillable PDFs, editable Powerpoint worksheets, answer keys, and a comprehensive guide for teachers. Aligned to NGSS, these activities may be integrated into an existing curriculum, and support three-dimensional learning (principles, core ideas, and concepts).

The Nature Conservancy: Virtual Field Trips
A top-notch collection of highly engaging video field trip lessons, accompanied by extensive teaching guides. Explore Utah’s Great Salt Lake, China’s great forests, Peru’s coastal ecosystem, and many more fascinating natural habitats. Educator guides feature complete background information; standards; discussion questions, and answers; handouts and extension activities. Bring the natural world into your classroom with these virtual field trips.

Earth Day Digital Lesson Bundles
Two complete lesson bundles focus on clean water and sustainable communities. Each downloadable bundle includes a video, slide presentation and guide for educators. Grades 6-9.

Earthday.org Education Resource Library
From one of the oldest nonprofit organizations devoted to Earth Day comes a wealth of resources, not only for K12 teachers, but also for anyone wishing to become an Earth advocate. Included are toolkits, lesson plans, quizzes, and ideas for marking Earth Day for schools, businesses, and families. Want to go deeper? Check out the Earth Day 2026 event calendar for in-person activities ranging from cleanups to marches and rallies.

Symbiotic Schoolyard
A remarkable, unique program designed and implemented by middle school science teacher Janneke Petersen, Symbiotic Schoolyard seeks to engage kids in hands-on planting activity. But not just any plants: Petersen’s Schoolyard Habitat Restoration curriculum focuses on restoring habitat by planting and nurturing native plants. Rarely do I include a non-free resource in my “Best Free …” articles but I made an exception for Symbiotic Schoolyard because there’s nothing else like it out there. And Petersen does provide a free consultation if you want to know more before purchase. Even better, she has extended a generous discount to Tech & Learning readers. Simply email symbioticschoolyard@gmail.com and mention this article to secure a special Earth Day 30% discount.

Visiting a Recycling Plant
Recycling, when done properly, is a valuable tool in the eco-friendly toolbox. But what actually happens to the products you place in the recycling bin? This brief video follows the “paper trail” of one of our most frequently recycled materials. A background essay, discussion questions, and state standards accompany the video.

How to Save Our Planet
The acclaimed British naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough opens this video by posing the essential problem of our time: “How do we create a future in which both people and nature can thrive?” The question is simple—how about the answer? The video touches on how humans have engineered our current geological epoch, the Anthropocene, and moves quickly to four specific goals that we must achieve to slow the dramatic climate changes we’re experiencing now. Be sure to also watch related videos exploring topics such as “Why do we need biodiversity?” and “What can young children do in the fight against climate change?”

11 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Lesson Ideas For Every Subject
Eleven 3R projects that can be easily implemented in the K-12 classroom in subjects such as math, language arts, civics, and science.

PBS Learning Media: An Unpredictable Environment
An NGSS standard-aligned video highlighting how Inuit peoples are facing unprecedented challenges to their traditional knowledge of weather patterns. An elderly Inuit woman explains how forecasting the weather for hunting trips was a task traditionally assigned to women and girls, however, with recent climate changes, the reliability of using Alaska Native science to predict weather and associated animal behaviors has been greatly diminished. Shareable in Google Classroom or via link, this video can form the basis for a complete slide-based lesson.

Conservation Station Classroom Activities
Grow energy-water literacy and conservation efforts through 18 downloadable, standards-aligned classroom lessons and activities. Activities focus on communication skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and creative thinking in the context of sustainable water and energy use. Intriguing topics include “Harvesting Energy in Your School,” “Smart Schools,” and “World Water Day Gallery of Art.”

A little eco-nostalgia!

Discovery Education Student Activities
Thirteen quizzes and activities encourage students in grades 3-12 to think critically about current environmental challenges, from deforestation to waste reduction to energy consumption. The downloadable/printable PDFs include notes for educators.

Build the Change Classroom Resources
A collection of standards-aligned classroom lessons, activities, and games designed to help kids examine environmental topics, from helping sea turtles to renewable energy to the importance of recycling and upcycling.

Nature Lab Educator Resources
Nature Labs’ educator resources are ideal for Earth Day, encompassing topics from wildfires, climate justice, sustainable food and water, and more. Ideal for hands-on or project-based learning.

Climate Restoration for Kids
The goals of climate restoration go well beyond limiting our CO2 emissions. Climate restoration advocates believe that we can capture and sequester enough carbon from the atmosphere to reverse the anthropogenic effects. In this interactive online course for grades 3-5, kids will learn about climate change, the carbon cycle, and climate restoration. Includes a quiz and art and writing competitions.

The Lorax Project
Excellent ideas for a stimulating classroom discussion about how human society treats the Earth, as seen through the lens of Dr. Seuss’ cautionary environmental tale, The Lorax.

World Wildlife Fund Lesson Library and Education Resources
The effects of human activities on the Earth is sadly reflected in the severe reduction of animal species and their habitats across the globe. The WWF offers a robust set of lessons, apps, games, quizzes, and videos covering the top charismatic animals—tigers, turtles, and monarch butterflies—as well as reptiles, food and plastic waste, wildlife arts and crafts, and more

TEDEd: Earth School
Enroll in TEDEd’s free Earth school and dive into 30 lessons covering the full gamut of issues, from transport to food to people and society and many more. Each video lesson contains open-ended and multiple choice discussion questions and additional resources for further study.

Ghost Forests
What’s a ghost forest? Sadly, it’s the dead remnants of once-thriving ecosystems that have been decimated by changing climate, invasive pests, and disease. This video collection from PBS Learning Media looks at the case of the imperiled whitebark pine, why it’s crucial to the ecosystem, and how scientists are racing to save this keystone species.

According to data collected by the CDC, it’s estimated that nearly two million American youth aged 13-17 identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender—representing a remarkable 9.5% of the total youth population.

What does that mean for educators? It means that, regardless of whether it’s apparent to others, there’s a good chance that at least a few students in any classroom may identify as LGBTQ+. These students are at relatively high risk for becoming the targets of bullies, violence, and even committing suicide.

To counter these risks, teachers can provide support to LGBTQ+ students through a variety of means, many of which don’t require knowing who might identify as LGTBQ+ in your classroom.

The following sites offer important information for educators (or anyone who works with young people) about how to create an environment that fosters learning and acceptance among all students, regardless of how they identify. All resources (save one) are free.

Top LGBTQ+ Sites and Resources

What’s Going On in This Graph? | LGBTQ Self-Identification
From the New York Times Learning Network, this article explores the variation in LGBTQ self identification across various demographics, including generation/age, ideology, location, and education. Questions about the featured graphs help students to focus on key aspects, while the article takes a deep dive into the topic as well as the intricacies of interpreting polling data. Ideal for high school students studying statistics or sociology. Free, no account required.

Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students
A comprehensive guide for teachers and administrators who wish to create an LGBTQ-inclusive school climate. Four key areas are examined closely: policies, classroom culture, instruction, and family and community engagement. Additionally, the publication offers guidance on navigating difficult conversations and potential conflicts. Read online or download the free PDF.

LGBTQ Activism and Contributions
The Library of Congress offers a collection of primary source documents—images, videos, newspapers, audio, posters, and more — to illuminate the lives of selected LGBTQ+ people of the past 150 years. The Teacher's Guides and Analysis Tool page explains the basics of analyzing text, manuscripts, charts, and every other kind of primary source document, while the Primary Source Analysis Tool provides a simple template to help students organize and record their impressions.

What Does LGBTQ Stand For?
Abbreviations are convenient but sometimes confusing. Reader’s Digest brings clarity to the term LGTBQ+ with a brief history and explanation of the meaning, and how it’s developed over time.

It Gets Better EDU
These useful guides for educators and students feature such titles as “How to Make Your Classroom More LGBTQ-Friendly,” “LGBTQ+ Glossary,” and “ imi: A Mental Health Tool for LGBTQ+ Youth.”

Advocates for Youth Resources & Tools for Professionals
Explore curricula for topics such as HIV prevention, sex education, cultural responsiveness, dating violence, and creating safer spaces for LGBTQ+ youth.

Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth
The American Psychological Association provides a free PDF primer for principals, educators, and other school personnel that explains the development of sexual orientation, efforts to change sexual orientation through therapy or religious ministry, and legal principles concerning the rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students. The pamphlet is a collaborative effort of 13 national groups, including the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, and American School Health Association.

Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN): Educator Resources
A rich repository of lesson plans, curricula, administrator and professional development guides for those working in K-12 education. Particularly useful are the LGBTQ+-related book recommendations for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Wanda Sykes Takes Us Through the History of LGBTQ+ — Now You Know
Laughter brings people together, so take a brief trip through LGBTQ+ history with a humorous slant, courtesy of comic Wanda Sykes.

What Works for LGBTQ Students
Twenty years of data from the National School Climate Survey informs our current understanding of bias against LGBTQ+ kids in schools. This conversation with Dr. Joseph Kosciw, director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Research Institute, explores experiences of students, how new terms emerged into common use, and how educators can support LGBTQ+ kids.

How to Make Your School LGBTQ Inclusive
A super-informative video that explains the benefits of creating a LGBTQ-inclusive classroom, and easy ways for teachers to do so.

History Unerased Intersections & Connections Curriculum
A primary source-based digital curriculum designed for integration within mainstream US history and social studies courses, Intersections & Connections covers U.S. history from colonial Jamestown through the 21st century. Included in the curriculum package are virtual professional learning sessions for teachers as well as informational sessions for parents. Explore the well-designed website to view curriculum examples, FAQs, and schedule a virtual private consultation. A single-teacher license is offered at the steeply discounted rate of $150 (one-time cost) for the full, supplemental curriculum, a $500 value.

• How to Encourage Transgender Students to Pursue STEM Careers
• Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
• Best Practices for School Leaders to Support Well-Being

More than Generation Z or Generation Alpha, students today may fairly be termed Generation Digital. They've lived their entire lives with the internet, smartphones, and instant communication. Given that many kids know more about digital technology than their teachers do, it may not seem obvious that lessons in digital citizenship are necessary.

But these lessons are. Regardless of their tech savvy, children still need guidance in learning the rules of the online and social media landscapes—both how to cross the street safely and how to navigate their increasingly complex and pervasive digital universe. 

The free sites, lessons, and activities below cover the breadth of digital citizenship curriculum, from cyberbullying to copyright to digital footprint. 

Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities

AT&T’s Achievery
Whether you celebrate or look askance at the neologism “achievery,” you’ll find a lot to appreciate in this free site from internet giant AT&T. An extensive collection of downloadable and printable PDF lesson plans from a variety of highly respected sources are searchable by grade, category, and resource provider. No account is required and it’s simple to browse resources on this easy-to-navigate site. Diverse topics range from the basics of digital citizenship to more in-depth ones such as AI algorithms, white-hat hackers, and large language models. Do sharks love ice cream? Yep, that’s there too. 

Teen Voices: Oversharing and Your Digital Footprint
Teens listen to other teens. Sometimes that’s a problem, but in this video from Common Sense Education, teens talk frankly about the harm of oversharing personal information on social media and the permanence of even so-called “disappearing” messages. Put peer pressure to good use. 

CTRL-F: Digital media literacy
From the Canadian civic education nonprofit CIVIX, the digital learning platform CTRL-F aims to enhance students’ critical thinking and fact-checking skills. Once you get through the slightly tedious sign-up forms, it’s easy to explore the strong collection of lessons, exercises, and expert videos. Resources are conveniently accessible via Google Drive or local downloads. Be sure to check out the Example Bank, which features a variety of topical news stories for students to evaluate, ranging from simple (Did the Simpsons predict a bridge collapse?) to challenging (Is Patrick Moore an expert on climate change?). Available in English and French.

Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum
If you access only one digital citizenship resource, make it this one. Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum includes interactive, customizable, and bilingual lessons and activities, browsable by grade and topic. Each step-by-step printable lesson plan includes everything teachers need for classroom implementation, from learning objectives to quizzes to take home resources. Integrates with Nearpod and Learning.com.

PBS Learning Media Digital Citizenship
A comprehensive, preK-12 resource for teaching 10 digital citizenship topics. Videos, interactive lessons, documents, and more are easily searchable by grade. Each standards-aligned exercise features a downloadable video accompanied by support materials for educators, transcripts, and lesson-building tools. Shareable to Google Classroom.

NewsFeed Defenders
From the top online provider of evidence-based history and civics education, this engrossing online game asks students to take control of a fictional social media site with the goal of boosting traffic while being alert for fake news and scams. A great way for teens to appreciate the risks and responsibilities that an online presence confers. Free registration is not required to play, but it does allow users to save their progress and unlock other benefits. 

Google’s Be Internet Awesome
The Be Internet Awesome downloadable curriculum is accompanied by the slick and sophisticated animated “Interland” game, featuring cool music, super stylish 3D graphics, and colorful, fun geometric characters. The curriculum includes five lessons and a teacher’s guide.

Which Digital Citizenship Skills Do Students Need Most?
It’s not just cyberbullying, privacy, and safety. Common Sense Education’s Erin Wilkey Oh takes a dive into the research to provide ideas for broadening your digital citizenship curriculum while boosting kids’ news literacy, focus, and habits of mind.

Digital Citizenship Progression Chart
This super-useful guide organizes the elements of digital cItizenship by concept and lays out a timetable for appropriate introduction by grade level. Best of all, it links to a spreadsheet that can be copied, downloaded, and adapted for your own classroom.

Google Digital Literacy & Citizenship Curriculum
Google teamed up with iKeepSafe to produce this digital citizenship curriculum that’s interactive and hands-on, and gives students the opportunity to learn by doing. Each topic features videos, lesson plans, and student handouts. 

7 Tips and 1 Activity To Help Digital Citizens Engage With Empathy
We spend a lot of time cautioning our students against potentially unsafe digital interactions and practices. This article takes a different view. By guiding kids toward appropriate digital communication and engagement, educators can help them develop openness to new ideas and empathy for others.  

• How to Help Students Overcome AI Hiring Algorithms
• From Social Media to School Halls: Understanding and Preventing Cyberbullying
• Best Cybersecurity Lessons and Activities for K-12 Education 

Throughout much of the history of schools in America, corporal punishment, suspension, and expulsion have been the primary means of controlling students who act inappropriately or even violently. But many argue that a punitive-based system, while temporarily restoring order, does nothing to address the underlying causes of misbehavior. Nor does it require offenders to truly reckon with the damage they’ve done to others.

In recent years, the conversation around school discipline has shifted from the punitive-based approach to an admittedly more complex, holistic approach known as restorative justice (RJ) or restorative practices (RP). Using carefully facilitated conversations, students, teachers, and administrators work together to solve behavior problems in schools. Suspensions or expulsions may still occur, but usually as a last resort, not first.

The following articles, videos, guides, professional development opportunities, and research are a great starting point for educators and administrators to learn what it takes to institute restorative practices in their schools—and why it matters.

OVERVIEW OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN SCHOOLS

How Restorative Practices Work for Students and Educators
A look inside selected Restorative Justice Partnership schools in the Denver area, featuring views from teachers, administrators, and kids.

What Teachers Need To Know About Restorative Justice
This article explores not only the basics of restorative justice (prevention, intervention, and reintegration) but also asks key questions, such as “Does it really work in a classroom?” and “What are the drawbacks to restorative justice?”

What’s Restorative Practices in Schools?Educator and behavior expert Laura Mooiman explains the structure of restorative justice practices in schools in this brief video.

Learning for Justice Toolkit: The Foundations of Restorative Justice
How a shift toward restorative practices can help schools—and why all educators need to be on the same page.

Restorative Practices in Schools Work ... But They Can Work Better
Strategies to implement restorative justice while supporting educators.

Making Things Right - Restorative Justice for School Communities
How restorative justice differs from traditional discipline-based approaches to conflict in schools.

An Alternative To Suspension And Expulsion: 'Circle Up!'
It’s not easy to change school culture, especially when buy-in is required from everyone—students, teachers and administrators alike. An honest look at the benefits and difficulties in implementing RJ in one of California's largest districts, Oakland Unified.

VIDEOS OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN SCHOOLS

Restorative Justice Introduction

If a student is injured severely enough to be hospitalized, can restorative justice provide a solution? Explore the potential of restorative justice through the case of a serious assault in a Lansing school. Emotionally powerful.

Restorative Approach Example - Primary School

Learn how an effective facilitator talks with younger students to resolve conflicts without traditional punishment.

Restorative Justice in Oakland Schools: Tier One. Community Building Circle

It’s not only educators that lead restorative justice initiatives. In fact, the role of students is critical. Watch as the students in Oakland create and nurture a community circle.

Using Dialogue Circles to Support Classroom Management

How one elementary school teacher implemented mindfulness and dialogue circles to help her students manage stress and to share meaningful life experiences. Great example of real-world, albeit imperfect, execution of restorative justice. Note: Includes a controversial element at the end.

Restorative Welcome and Reentry Circle

How can previously incarcerated students re-enter the school community in a positive way? Teachers, students, and parents welcome a young man back into a high school by building trust and showing empathy.

The "Why" of Restorative Practices in Spokane Public Schools

Spokane Public Schools educators discuss the importance of authentic relationships between teachers and students.

Restorative Resources Accountability Circle Graduation

How do you know if a student has taken full responsibility for his or her harmful actions? Until this occurs, there cannot be restorative justice. In this video, kids talk about understanding empathy, sharing feelings, and accepting responsibility.

Chicago Public Schools: A Restorative Approach to Discipline

Teachers, students, and administrators explore why suspension means nothing but “free time” for students who misbehave, while restorative justice addresses the roots of such behavior.

Introducing Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth

Hear from a local judge who found that the criminal justice system was inadequate for creating lasting change among young offenders.

GUIDES TO RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN SCHOOLS

How to Implement Restorative Practices In Your School

Learn how respect agreements, restorative inquiry, and re-entry circles can be employed and implemented in your school.

Alameda County School Health Services Coalition Restorative Justice: A Working Guide For Our Schools

From the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, this comprehensive report analyzes the benefits, outcomes, and impacts of restorative justice initiatives in schools, as well as provides a handbook toward implementation.

Oakland USD Restorative Justice Implementation Guide

Detailed, step-by-step instructions for all members of the school community—from teachers and principals to students and parents to school security officers—for creating school restorative justice programs.

NYC Restorative Practices Whole-School Implementation Guide

The NYC DOE delves into all aspects of setting up an effective restorative justice plan in this 110-page document. Includes useful printable forms.

Denver School-based Restorative Practices Partnership: Step by Step School-Wide Restorative Practices

Will restorative practices eliminate “misbehavior” in schools? A look at the myths and realities of RP, as well as what to do when challenges make it hard to implement.

Lessons Learned from Restorative Justice Practitioners in Four Brooklyn Schools

A concise and eye-opening examination of the experiences of restorative justice practitioners in four Brooklyn schools.

6 Steps Toward Restorative Justice in Your School

Overwhelmed by the challenges of adopting a restorative justice framework? These six steps break down a weighty project into doable parts.

Making Restorative Justice Work

High school principal Zachary Scott Robbins describes the restorative justice tribunal structure and process, highlighting critical factors such as budget, time, and the importance of demonstrable success.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN SCHOOLS

RS Webinar Tutorial: Restorative Circles

Australian educator and school behavior expert Adam Voigt leads a 2020 webinar focusing on restorative circles, an essential aspect of restorative practices.

Restorative Justice Education Online Training

A research-based 16-module online training that fully prepares educators to carry out RJ initiatives. A certificate of completion is granted upon completion of the program, which includes topics such as teacher-student relationships, community circles, and the blend of current practices with restorative justice.

12 Indicators of Restorative Practices Implementation: Checklists for Administrators

School administrators tasked with setting up RJ have a tough row to hoe. Although they may not be the day-to-day practitioners, they must persuade teachers, parents, students, and all other stakeholders of the value in transforming school culture. These checklists help administrators wrestle with the issues.

Restorative Practices in Schools Fall Training Institute

A fully online training in restorative practices to be held Nov 8-16 2021, the six-day seminar includes options for two and four days as well. Choose the two-day introductory course or take a deep dive into the weeds with the full program.

Restorative Practices for Educators

This two-day online introductory course teaches fundamental theory and practices. A certificate of participation will be awarded and may be submitted for continuing education credit. While registration has closed through September 2021, there is still space available October 14-15, 2021.

Schott Foundation: Fostering Healthy Relationships and Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools

A practical, 16-page guide explaining how restorative practice-based education results in conflict resolution instead of incarceration in a juvenile justice center. Packed with useful ideas for implementation at the classroom and district level.

RESEARCH ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN SCHOOLS

Does restorative justice work? While understanding the experience of participants in RJ is crucial, it’s also important to know what scientific research has to say about the effectiveness—or lack thereof—in schools.

• Improving School Climate: Evidence From Schools Implementing Restorative Practices
• Restorative Practices in Schools: Research Reveals Power of Restorative Approach, Part I and Research Reveals Power of Restorative Approach, Part II, by Abbey Porter via International Institute of Restorative Practices
• Study Shows Youth Are Less Aggressive With Restorative Practices, by Laura Mirsky via Restorative Practices Foundation
• Restorative Practices Shows Promise for Meeting New National School Discipline Guidelines
• Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Programs
• The promise of ‘restorative justice’ starts to falter under rigorous research
• Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Principles in Juvenile Justice: A Meta-Analysis

• 4 Ways to Use Master Scheduling to Support Equity
• High-Yield Strategies to Normalize 2021-22 School Year
• How to Recruit New Teachers

SDGs in Action 

Empowering sustainable development app organizes, educates

Pros: Delivers a positive message; promotes global awareness, advocacy, and action; helps people organize for good.

Cons: Teachers are unable to print or share the included documents, and search doesn't work as expected.

Bottom Line: It's a well-packaged way for teachers to educate students about the current challenges facing the world and to give them a conduit for social justice.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

It took all of human history until 1802 for the human population to reach its first billion. It took just 12 years for it to acquire its most recent billion. A recent estimate by the United Nations estimates that 10.1 billion people will be here by the end of the century. For World Population Day (7/11) examine charts on the rate of growth and watch a National Geographic video titled 7 billion.

Brought to you by Knovation, powered by ACT    

We want our kids to help lead their own learning, have the soft skills to work well with others, be engaged with their communities, and solve authentic problems.

So basically . . . kids who grow up to save the world. No biggie.

Producing those kinds of kids has never been easy. But it may have just gotten a little easier. During a short conversation yesterday with Robi Alstrom, ESSDACK ELA superstar, she shared a new tool with me that looks like a winner.

Created by Cisco, the Global Problem Solvers is designed to introduce middle-to-high-school students to social innovation with a particular focus on how they can use technology to create effective solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. The series of videos, engaging characters, and teacher resources provide students with a basic set of problem-solving tools for turning their visions for change into a practicable reality. So you get a handy little tool perfect for starting conversations around civic engagement and turning those conversations into actual plans.

Social innovation is a relatively new phrase that is finding its way into education circles. The short version? Social innovations are strategies and ideas that aim to address social needs resulting from working conditions, education, community development, and health. Innovations are created with the goal of extending and strengthening civil society.

The concept connects cleanly into our state’s call for getting kids out into their communities and impacting change. Most of you outside of Kansas are probably experiencing the same. GPS seems like a great structure for embedding Project-Based Learning, civic engagement, community service, soft skills, social/emotional needs into your instruction.

Of course, blending all of that together is when things can get a bit messy. This is where the Global Problem Solvers stuff can come in handy. The GPS series engages students with the story of how a global and diverse teen super-team takes action against the problem of safe water shortages in developing communities. The series encourages students to think of social entrepreneurship not just as an inspiring ideal, but as an achievable goal.

The goals of GPS are:

• Foster an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving;
• Encourage the future development of innovative technological solutions and sustainable social ventures;
• Inspire students to be social change agents; and
• Facilitate the achievement of these objectives by presenting six attributes of Global Problem Solvers and nine steps of social entrepreneurship in an engaging and entertaining way.

The fictional members of the Global Problem Solvers super-team, their home countries, and the attributes they exemplify include: 

• Beela, Jordan
  Digital skills – Not just using technology, but embracing it. People who can
  analyze data, build networks, develop apps, or secure devices can bring ideas to life.
• Adrien, France
  Creativity – Dreaming up new ways to solve problems and make things better
  for others. Innovative ideas are the foundation for addressing the challenges we face.
• Satoshi, Japan
  Critical thinking – Analyzing one’s way around every obstacle. People who are
  curious, ask questions, and evaluate options are essential to solving problems.
• Kelile, Malawi
  Social consciousness – Awareness that “changing the world” is a must and that
  everyone can make a difference. People with a sense of service inspire others and spark transformation.
• Cristina, Brazil
  Entrepreneurial spirit – Seeing a challenge as an opportunity waiting to
  happen. People who are comfortable taking risks and leading others can turn ideas into action.
• Putri, India
  Teamwork skills – Communicating well and respecting others. The best problem
  solvers realize they are stronger working together than powering through alone.

There are two video series that highlight two different issues around water. The first, not enough as the team tackles broken wells in Malawi. The second, too much as they deal with hurricane damage in an urban Florida area. Kids watch short video clips of the super-team in action and then you facilitate discussions, activities, and strategic planning.

You get an extensive Teacher’s Guide with guiding questions, handouts, and actual examples of real kids around the world solving authentic problems. You also get access to video storyboards and scripts that can help you use the videos more effectively. (Perhaps as examples for kids who want to create their own videos.) The key here is to find ways to move beyond the theoretical and into the actual communities your kids live in. 

The target audience seems to be the 5-9 grade range but it would be relatively easy to adapt the resources up or down depending on your content and grade level. There’s also a GPS blog that provides tips, tricks, and links to other teachers using the series.

There’s also a great video from a school in France on the Teacher page that you should start with, highlighting what using the tool can look like. Then download all the PDFs.

 Here are a few sample questions that the guide uses to spark discussion: 

• What social problems do the students encounter in their own communities or home country?
• What problems do students see that point to bigger problems to be solved?
• Might there be any hidden problems—things that everyone accepts as normal but actually could be improved?
• How would the students go about finding more information about how they can help?

It’s free. Got some great resources. Seems engaging to its target audience. And addresses the need to help kids find ways for connecting with authentic needs in their communities.  

cross posted at glennwiebe.org

Glenn Wiebe is an education and technology consultant with 15 years' experience teaching history and social studies. He is a curriculum consultant for ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas, blogs frequently at History Tech and maintains Social Studies Central, a repository of resources targeted at K-12 educators. Visit
glennwiebe.org to learn more about his speaking and presentation on education technology, innovative instruction and social studies.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the DEA Educational Foundation, and Discovery Education announced today the launch of the third annual Operation Prevention Video Challenge – a peer-to-peer platform for communicating messages about the dangers of opioid misuse.

The video challenge encourages teens to create a 30-60 second original public service announcement that alerts other students about the dangers of prescription opioid misuse and heroin use.  The challenge aims to inspire teens to research the opioid epidemic, identify its widespread impact on the country and the substances’ harmful effects on the body, and start a social movement that encourages authentic dialogue about this critical issue. The top 10 finalist videos will be uploaded to operationprevention.com for a public vote to determine the People’s Choice winner. Winning PSAs will be featured on-air, across Discovery Education and DEA digital platforms, and on other social media platforms.

Prizes for winning submissions include:

• 1st place: $10,000; 
• 2nd place: $5,000;
• 3rd place: $1,000; and
• People’s Choice: A VIP trip to Quantico, Virginia, for a tour of DEA training.

Last year’s winning PSA, titled Waiting to Die by Porter Christensen of Saint George, UT, was one of the hundreds of original submissions the challenge received. To view entries from finalists and winners of the previous Operation Prevention Video Challenges, visit operationprevention.com/competition/video/archives/2018.

The Operation Prevention Video Challenge opens today and will close on March 6, 2019. Public voting for the People’s Choice winner will take place April 11-25, 2019. United States high school students, ages 13 and older, can register and find more information about the challenge here.

Operation Prevention resources are free and are available at operationprevention.com. 

Spent

Provocative, first-person look at poverty builds empathy 

Pros: Quick, compelling introduction to key social issue.

Cons: No additional resources to aid classroom use.

Bottom Line: It'll need some scaffolding, but for students ready for the subject matter it's a great -- if sobering -- way to illustrate to students the daily realities and struggles of poverty in America. 

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education 

Discovery Education, whose Math Techbook won Techlearning's 2017 Award of Excellence, announced today it has added new digital assets to its supplemental and digital textbooks:

• All new Shark Week 2018 resources: Three new instructional resources from Discovery Channel’s Shark Week 2018 are now live in the Science Techbook and featured in a curated content collection within Discovery Education Streaming Plus. The new resources include Monster Tag, which follows a group of well-known athletes as they join forces with top shark scientists to learn about the ocean’s top predators; Great White Abyss, which features a team of experts visiting Great White hotspot Guadalupe Island to look for the biggest sharks of their kind; and Great White Shark Babies which follows experts as they use genetics to identify mother sharks and their pups.

[A World of PBL: 25 Authentic Resources To Connect Students Beyond The Classroom]

• Speak Truth to Power: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFK Human Rights) and Discovery Education have launched Speak Truth to Power– a new initiative to inspire students and teachers to champion justice in their communities. The program offers multi-platform online learning tools, with digital resources including: an interactive map, video vignettes, biographies and classroom activities.
• Energy 101 series: Now available in Discovery Education Streaming Plus and the Science Techbook, 22 new videos from the Energy 101 series highlight the next generation of clean, sustainable energy technologies. Students will learn about biofuels, electric vehicles, cool roofs, energy efficient data centers, clean energy manufacturing, and more.
• This Is A.I.: New from the Discovery Channel, This Is A.I. looks at how artificial intelligence is changing the world, the scientists who are shaping it, and the lives affected by this nascent technology. This Is A.I. is now available in Discovery Education Streaming, Science Techbook, and STEM Connect.
• Ignite My Future Webisodes: Computational thinking is not just about computers. In four new webisodes produced by Discovery Education and Tata Consultancy Services as part of the Ignite My Future program, educators learn practical strategies for helping students solve real-world problems using computational thinking. Available in Discovery Education Streaming Plus, the Science Techbook, and STEM Connect.
• Siemens STEM Day Career Profile series: Available now in Discovery Education Streaming Plus, the Science Techbook and STEM Connect, four new additions to this career profile series feature a senior technical instructor, lathe operator, senior quality engineer, and project manager.

[Do you have an innovative edtech product? Nominate it for the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence Contest! Click here for details.]

Edgenuity, provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K-12 market, today announced a partnership with online course provider Purpose Prep to make social and emotional learning available to more students.

Through this partnership, Edgenuity will offer schools and districts immediate access to three new social and emotional learning courses:

• Personal Development
• Character and Leadership Development
• College and Career Readiness

Additionally, Purpose Prep’s tech course, “Introduction to Today’s Technology” will be made available. Each course is aligned to core competencies outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of their own personal development.

[20+ Emoji Activities and Resources for Teaching Math, Science, and English]

A new Cisco corporate social responsibility (CSR) educational initiative introduced at ISTE, Global Problem Solvers: The Series (GPS: The Series), helps educators like Edgar Ochoa, a history teacher at the Roosevelt Elementary School District, introduce middle-schoolers to in-demand skills like complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, and coordinating with others while emphasizing social consciousness, entrepreneurship, and the potential of technology to accelerate impact. Watch the video.

During one of my many conversations at ISTE this week, I had the pleasure of meeting Edgar Ochoa, a history teacher at the Roosevelt Elementary School District, and Christa Tropin, a STEM teacher at the Tempe Elementary School District. These two inspiring educators discussed their work with the Global Problem Solvers: The Series, a new Cisco corporate social responsibility educational initiative (Find my video interview with Edgar here). This new animated series and supporting activities for middle schoolers are available at no cost at www.gpstheseries.com. The GPS: The Series includes opportunities for complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, and coordinating with others while emphasizing social consciousness, entrepreneurship, and the potential of technology to accelerate impact. By approaching social change as entrepreneurs and applying technology to accelerate the differences they can make, students learn to find solutions that not only bring about real change but are scalable and sustainable. Find more information at www.gpstheseries.com and keep visiting our social media hub for continued ISTE conference highlights.

– Christine Weiser, Content Director

[What’s New: New Tools for Schools]

How do you help students build important workplace skills while becoming better global citizens? A new Cisco corporate social responsibility (CSR) educational initiative introduced at ISTE, Global Problem Solvers: The Series (GPS: The Series), helps educators introduce middle-schoolers to in-demand skills like complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, and coordinating with others while emphasizing social consciousness, entrepreneurship, and the potential of technology to accelerate impact.

By approaching social change as an entrepreneur, and applying technology to accelerate the difference they can make, students learn to find solutions that not only bring about real change but are scalable and sustainable.

Find out what tomorrow's global citizens are doing this summer: #ISTEProblemSolvers

GPS: The Series targets students during a critical inflection point in adolescent development and STEM adoption, especially for girls, and further aims to demystify and understand the potential of IoT to be harnessed for social good.

The animated characters in GPS: The Series — and students working with the program — focus on social, economic, and environmental problems around the world. In the first season, they give a village access to clean water in Malawi, and in the second, they figure out how kids can continue learning when schools are closed after a hurricane hits the U.S. Gulf Coast.

A multiyear pilot program for GPS: The Series is in progress in partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) and Phoenix-area public schools. Members of the ASU team and pilot teachers are present this week at ISTE to share their experiences with their peers and show the impact of the Series in the classroom, as well as the potential to inspire students.

GPS: The Series, a new animated series and supporting activities for middle schoolers are available at no cost in English, Spanish, Hindi, and French at www.gpstheseries.com.

For more than two decades, Cisco has built an award-winning IT training program in the Cisco Networking Academy that has prepared millions around the world for careers in technology and supported educational nonprofits that foster STEM skills development for students of all ages. On the heels of NetAcad’s 20th anniversary, Cisco is looking now to middle schools with a new signature program that will inspire the next generation to embrace the power and potential of technology and social entrepreneurship to transform lives.

Educators are using #ISTEProblemSolvers for sharing collaborative solutions to real-world challenges. Join the conversation and get ideas for your classroom!

@ciscocsr

#gpstheseries

The Wonderment

Ambitious global community aims for public good through student engagement 

Pros: The idea behind the site is powerful, and the developers' work to create a robust social network is encouraging and even inspiring.
Cons: Quality can vary widely: outside videos and user-submitted content are occasionally superficial or downright inappropriate.
Bottom Line: A powerful, improving social network for exploring the world and effecting positive change.

Read more here.

By Common Sense Education

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.