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Congressional Maps, Redistricting and Gerrymandering: What Does it All Mean?
Redistricting congressional maps and gerrymandering have been in the news a lot lately. What are congressional maps, and how does redistricting, when done for political purposes, lead to gerrymandering? While redistricting is a normal process for how voting maps are drawn, racial gerrymandering is often used as a political tool to change or manipulate election outcomes and to give an unfair advantage to a political party. In this lesson, students will learn about congressional maps, redistricting, and gerrymandering, explore the impact of gerrymandering on voters and elections, and analyze news headlines about recent gerrymandering efforts.
The Meaning of Pride: LGBTQIA+ History, Identity and Visibility
June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, which celebrates the history, achievements, contributions and struggles of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual) community. Pride Month is celebrated in June to align with the Stonewall Inn uprising, which took place in June 1969 in NYC, and the following year was commemorated with a march called the “Christopher Street Liberation March.” In 1999, President Bill Clinton issued the first official Presidential proclamation of June as "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month,” and in 2011, President Barack Obama expanded the designation to "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.” This lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn about the origins of Pride Month, examine the meaning of “pride,” especially as it relates to marginalized communities, and consider ways that Pride Month can be commemorated in schools and communities.
Who Gets to Vote? The History and Erosion of Voting Rights
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to prohibit racial discrimination in registration and voting nationwide. It was landmark legislation and passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives and Senate, and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965. It has been seen as extremely successful in overcoming voting discrimination. However, over the years, there has been a chipping away–and some would argue a “gutting”--of the Voting Rights Act because of Supreme Court rulings and voter suppression efforts. In this lesson, students will explore the history of voting rights and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, examine how it has been eroded, and create an original piece of writing that expresses their perspective on voting rights.
Exploring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), also sometimes referred to as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. AAPIHM is a month-long commemoration of the history, culture, contributions and achievements of people who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. This month was first acknowledged in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter declared a celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. In 1990 under President George H.W. Bush, Congress passed a law that made the commemoration the full month of May. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn about the origins of AAPIHM, explore demographics about the AAPI community, and consider ways that AAPIHM should be commemorated in schools and communities.
Exploring National Arab American Heritage Month
April is National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM). NAAHM is a month-long commemoration of the history, culture, contributions and achievements of Arab American people. Although celebrated by some states for years, the commemorative month was officially initiated in 2017 by two organizations, Arab America and the Arab America Foundation. In 2022, Congress, the U.S. The Department of State, and 45 state Governors issued proclamations commemorating the initiative. In 2023, President Joe Biden issued, for the first time, a proclamation that designated the annual commemoration of National Arab American Heritage Month. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn about the origins of NAAHM, gain knowledge about the Arab American community and consider ways that NAAHM should be commemorated in schools and communities.
ICE’s Actions and Our Constitutional Rights
In late 2025 and early 2026, ICE’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) “Operation Metro Surge” took place in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The purpose of this “surge” was to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants as part of ICE's larger efforts nationwide. There was a great deal of media attention on what happened in Minnesota, not only because several people–including Renee Good and Alex Preti– were shot and killed by ICE agents, but there were ongoing allegations that what the federal government was doing violates people’s constitutional rights. In this lesson, students will explore and understand the First and Fourth amendments, connect those constitutional rights to the actions of ICE and reflect on the roles different people can play in challenging these actions.
Buried Stories
This lesson introduces students to the history of Native American boarding schools in the United States to build essential background knowledge before reading Two Roads by Joseph Bruchac. Students will examine the government's motives for assimilation policies, how Indigenous children were taken or sent to these schools, and the long-term effects on Indigenous communities and identity.
Voices of Heritage: Exploring Identity Through Poetry and Prose
This lesson uses the book Yes! We Are Latinos, a powerful collection of poems and prose, to explore the richness and diversity of the Latino experience in the United States. Students will examine stories of identity, heritage, struggle, and pride as shared by fictionalized Latino characters representing various cultural backgrounds. As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, this lesson helps students develop a deeper understanding of how culture shapes identity and encourages them to reflect on their own voices and experiences. Students will create personal identity poems or artistic responses inspired by the voices in the text.
Voices in Danger: Free Speech, Activism, and the Threat of Deportation
Over the past several months, the current U.S. government began cracking down on foreign college and graduate students and faculty who have voiced support for specific political causes. Colleges and universities across the country are seeing students and faculty either arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or having their visas revoked. In many of these situations, official charges have not been disclosed. For this reason, many are wondering if these arrests are due to the students’ activism and a violation of their rights to freedom of speech. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn more about freedom of speech, understand some of these recent arrests, consider their points of view about this and express it in a letter.