Breadcrumb
- Home
- How It Works
- Teaching Resources
- Lessons & Mini-Lessons
Lessons & Mini-Lessons
Feel prepared to discuss challenging current events or to explore pivotal periods in history with your students.
Our lessons are written using Facing History’s unique pedagogical approach, with activities that balance personal reflection and collaboration and draw upon primary source material selected to activate students’ intellectual, emotional, and ethical engagement.
Featured Lessons & Mini-Lessons
Explore a sample of lessons & mini-lessons from our resource library.
Mini-Lesson
Save
Reflecting on Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb"
Use these activities to help students reflect on the themes in Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration Day poem and consider how their unique experiences and voices can help America “forge a union with purpose.”
Mini-Lesson
Save
Assessing the Strength of Democracy
This mini-lesson provides students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of democracy and a framework for making meaning of news stories about the tensions and conflicts in democracies today.
Mini-Lesson
Save
Responding to the Insurrection at the US Capitol
This mini-lesson is designed to help guide an initial classroom reflection on the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.
I love the way I can show my students how events in the past still impact our lives today. Because of what you do, I can make history a living breathing thing in my classroom!
—
An educator describing our current events mini-lessons
Find other lessons and mini-lessons from our resource library.
Explore
Donate now and together we'll build a better world
Make a 100% tax-deductible donation today and you'll help us reach even more teachers and students around the world, giving them the tools to fight back against hatred and bigotry.
Gift Amount
You might also be interested in…
Impact Story
Why Genocide Recognition Matters
by
Jen Langley
Facing History Sr. Director of Marketing & Analytics Jen Langley reflects on her personal connection to the Armenian Genocide.
Insight
Today is the #WeNeedBlackTeachers Day of Action
by
Kaitlin Smith
Facing History shares on the importance of having Black teachers in the classroom.
Insight
Youth Activism and Grief on Earth Day
by
Kaitlin Smith
Earth Day grants educators the opportunity to consider the ecological issues facing the planet and the unique ways that they are impacting the young people in their classrooms, which both elevates youth activism surrounding the issue and provides a healthy environment to process "ecological grief."
Insight
How to Build an Affirming Classroom in the Face of Anti-Trans Legislation
by
Julie Halterman
In response to the rise of legislation targeting transgender people, Facing History provides resources for educators to build an affirming, welcoming class community for your students, especially trans and non-binary students.
Insight
Remembering Rip Patton
by
Kaitlin Smith
Facing History commemorates the life of activist and Freedom Rider Ernest "Rip" Patton, Jr.
Insight
6 Resources for Teaching About 9/11
by
Mary-Liz Murray
Facing History shares resources on 9/11 and its legacy to help educators answer some of the questions students might have about it.
Featured Resource
5 Timely Reads on Genocide
by
Kaitlin Smith
In response to the outpouring of discussion and debate following President Biden’s statement that Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine constitutes genocide, Facing History provides five reads to address crucial questions educators and their students may be asking.
Featured Resource
5 Tools for Teaching About Genocide
by
Kaitlin Smith
Facing History grants educators the opportunity to take advantage of five virtual tours, exhibitions, and professional development resources to navigate the challenges that arise when teaching about genocide.
Featured Resource
6 New Books on Genocide
by
Kaitlin Smith
Facing History identifies six books that elevate understudied aspects of multiple historical genocides and the connections between them to aid efforts of genocide prevention within a global climate of rising hate.
Featured Resource
8 Classroom Resources on Genocide
by
Facing History Staff
In accordance with Genocide Awareness Month, Facing History offers eight classroom resources educators can utilize to help their students think critically about the specific historical and contemporary conditions under which genocides occurred to effectively unite head, heart, and conscience.
Perspective
On Existing: A Personal Reflection
by
Facing History Staff
Facing History staff takes a moment to reflect on personal experiences of being a minority amidst a climate of hate and the ability to use reading as a tool for discovering oneself.
Perspective
A Brief History of Barbie: From Fashion Model to Ida B. Wells
by
Kaitlin Smith
The introduction of the Ida B. Wells Barbie as part of the Women Series of Barbies marks an opportunity to gain meaningful insight into changing conceptions of gender, race, and education through the emergence and evolution of Barbie.