This lesson asks students to interrogate six historical documents that show differing opinions about the conflict in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Students are then asked to draw connections to modern day movements.

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
1. Analyze written documents for position of writer and content
2. Synthesize a historical position based upon document analysis
3. Connect historical struggles for equality with current movements

Essential Questions:
1. What effect did the media have on public perception during the Birmingham protest of racial segregation in 1963?2
2. What equality struggles have the media brought into the national spotlight in recent times?

In the article “Confronting Ableism on the Way to Justice,” activist Keith Jones remembers the bias and deficit-based approach he experienced in school: “Being Black and a child with cerebral palsy, or ‘crippled’ as I was called, neither I nor my classmates were expected to put forth any effort to learn. So, little effort was spent on teaching us.” Now, Jones, a leader within the disability rights movement, advocates for disability representation in the broader social justice struggle, including in education because “we can’t have inclusive schools without disability-inclusive spaces and accommodations for learning.”

Racialized social control has adapted to race-neutral social and political norms in the form of mass incarceration. Criminalization stands in as a proxy for overt racism by limiting the rights and freedoms of a racially defined undercaste. In this lesson, students will analyze how mass incarceration functions as a mechanism of racialized social control in the United States today, and will learn about “the age of colorblindness” through using Graffiti Text and analyzing writings from Southern Poverty Law Center.

Teaching Hard History resources for high-school educators include a framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. Educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources. The Key Concepts pinpoint 10 important ideas that all students must understand to truly grasp the historical significance of slavery. Explored through Summary Objectives in grades 6–12 the Key Concepts serve as tools educators can use to structure their teaching.Includes Student Texts, Videos, Quizzes and Inquiry Design Modules.

Raise awareness and increase student understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act by examining what it is like living with disabilities and the importance of accessibility. This guide measures student writing and addresses the following student goals:
- Students will read articles and discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (what it is, what it covers, how it became law and how it changed life for Americans with disabilities).
- Students will read and discuss at least one complete novel and various local news articles about living with a disability.
- Students will discuss and reflect on the representation of people with disabilities.

In this lesson, students will address misconceptions they likely have about Christopher Columbus and the colonization of what is now the United States. Students will watch a video to dispel some of the myths associated with Columbus and gain a better understanding of how Columbus Day became a national holiday. Students will then read interviews with Indigenous youth and identify the reasons that celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day matters to them. This lesson can be taught on Columbus Day or leading up to it.