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How to Handle a Difficult Conversation
Prepares students to navigate difficult conversations by identifying pitfalls in advance and reframing them as opportunities to learn, rather than to win or avoid entirely.
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Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote by Herman Parish
Centers on student voice and civic responsibility, asking students to identify a rule at home, school, or in their community they’d like to change and think through how to advocate for that change.
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The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Duncan’s crayons “quit” to voice their frustrations peacefully. Students connect the story to Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolent action and consider how to use their own voice for positive change.
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Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt
Written with a 2nd-grade collaborator, this lesson uses Maddi’s empty fridge to introduce food insecurity, asking students to define the term in their own words and consider what they’d do if they were hungry.
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The Ballot Box Battle by Emily Arnold McCully
Looking at the 19th Amendment and the voting-rights struggles that continued for women of color afterward, students learn about suffrage activists and discuss ongoing challenges to voting access today.
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Carl the Complainer by Michelle Knudsen
Carl complains constantly about his neighborhood but never acts, until he finally does. Students reflect on turning complaints into action and consider what it takes to become a community leader.
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Granddaddy’s Gift by Margaree King Mitchell
Set after the 15th Amendment, Granddaddy risks everything to become the first Black man in his Mississippi town to register to vote. Students discuss why every voice matters and the barriers voters have faced.
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The Day No One Played Together by Donalisa Helsely
Sisters Jadyn and Genesis can’t agree on what to play until they find a compromise. Students examine the lose/lose cost of not compromising and practice applying the same skill to their own conflicts.
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Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan
Inspired by Dr. King’s fight against hunger, this lesson follows a boy volunteering at a soup kitchen and helps students understand food insecurity and the impact of small acts of kindness.
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Daft Bat by Jeanne Willis
When the other animals think Bat is “daft” for seeing the world differently, students explore why differing points of view matter and practice handling a sticky situation involving a new classmate’s different school rules.
Archives: Curricular Resources