Use this clip, with Stephen Colbert’s humor , to talk about the realities of benefits/affirmative action and other issues that will rise to the surface again in their futures. Given the Sotomayor hearings, the swimming pool in Phil and now, Louis Gates arrest, what are the conversations we need our children to engage in as transformational?It hasn’t hit youtube yet but here’s the link to the interview. It raises some excellent points for kids to consider. Using humor is always a good way to diffuse tension and nobody does it like Colbert. His character alone is well worth a media study for any classroom!    http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/239122/july-20-2009/reverse-racism—geoffrey-canada 

Southern Poverty Law Center Teaching Tolerance Program has partnered with HBO and offers a study guide for the film. SPLC Teaching Tolerance is an excellent FREE resource for teachers. HBO will show a

 tonight.  http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=386&splcnewsletter=newsgen-072009 

text of ken robinson speechWatch this video of a speaker at the TED conference. In general, talks from this conference found on youtube are fabulous for classroom discussion. This one would be great for teacher conversation.
Enjoy.

Another important event of the summer is this nomination.

A great way to start the school year might be to look at her life and again, the role of education as an “equalizer.” What does this mean? Is it real?
Incredible issues were raised in her nomination hearings. Students studying civics and history can learn tremendous lessons when viewing clips from her hearing.

Here is an article that outlines some basic facts about her to start the study. More to come on this in future entries here before the school year begins. A great way to look at the role of the media in presenting these events as well.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/26/sonia-sotomayor-10-things_n_207724.html

Considering him in light of the anniversary of the NAACP this past week. Here is his portrait from Americans Who Tell the Truth. A brilliant scholar and example for all students and teachers, W.E.B. DuBois.

.

See this website http://www.mappingdubois.org for some great things students are doing around his life and that might be of inspiration to your students. Again, we see schools putting students to work in relation to neighborhoods and the relevance of national political events and topics to local activity.

Lots of things happened over the summer that our students could consider and reflect upon in the coming year. Among them was the anniversary of the NAACP. In his speech, President Obama references DuBois immediately and then goes on to recreate an important history in real terms. Using this speech and this portrait of DuBois, be sure to honor and acknowledge the role education played in DuBois’ life and activities.

NAACP 100th A

nniversary and considerations about the future and its relation to our current president. See his speech here:

Here’s the portrait of Woodie from the americanswhotellthetruth.org site.Click here to go to Woodie Guthrie’s official site and use free teacher curriculum. http://www.woodyguthrie.org/curriculum/curriculumindex.htm

In our curriculum work with Americans Who Tell the Truth, we have supported the idea that students begin  from a place of  awe and wonder of the study of plants, animals, the earth, space and all else that is part of being human and being on earth. Writers who have described great relationship and awe of the planet from the series include:Edward Abbey Erik Reece    Rachel Carson Terry Tempest Williams and Wendell Berry. A poet, Mary Oliver, is also a writer who captures the wonder of her pond, the forest and water around her. A wonderful website with a constant focus on the “miraculous nature of nature” is     http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/default.stm.

I have posted the event poster here click here to learn more!    

YES! Magazine is offering teachers a free one year subscription to their publication.You wont’ be sorry you took them up on the offer.  http://www.yesmagazine.org/teachersub.asp 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/12/pennsylvania-swim-club-ac_n_230312.html Students protesting their exclusion from a pool in Phil.Students returning to school might have even heard this story of discrimination at at Philadelphia pool, but how many experience something much more subtle in that pools were closed in specific neighborhoods or never existed in the first place? What are their experiences with this?What do they understand about their neighborhoods in relation to others?A student at a facility where young women are in a lock down setting once told me that in her neighborhood there was never any policing of curfew and she wondered why that was? Surprising to most people she felt it was because the police really didnt’ expect much or perhaps, even care much, about kids her age. I followed this up with a conversation in a Grade Two/Three classroom about neighborhoods and found that these kids cared deeply about safety and resource issues already!  We made this the basis for our Americans Who Tell the Truth personal statements. I have posted those here, be sure to see them.