Ideas This Week
Ideas This Week is your hub for updates on all things Facing History—from announcements and featured press to expert interviews, impact stories, and essays on the ideas driving our work.
4 Tools for Teaching with Poetry
Facing History invites educators to weave poetry into classroom instruction using four of our teaching resources to shed light on historical and contemporary experiences and to help students process their own identities and emotions.
![Wood lettered poetry graphic.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Untitled%20design%20%2834%29.png?h=a6c55029&itok=ynpvxtcP)
How to Build an Affirming Classroom in the Face of Anti-Trans Legislation
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.
![Pink and blue chalk with transgender symbol stock photo.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/iStock-847839366.jpeg?h=140710cd&itok=0Ge59Obs)
3 Women Pioneers in Education
Facing History explores three women pioneers whose legacies continue to shape the contemporary educational landscape.
![Margaret Haley, Maria Montessori, and Mary McLeod Bethune.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/WomenEdPioneers.jpeg?h=77a1d1cf&itok=pkog83Y2)
Contracting and Re-Contracting in the New Year
Elizabeth Carroll, New England Program Director at Facing History, explores the value of contracting and re-contracting in January each year.
![Photo of students smiling in class with a teacher](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/students_smiling_class_teacher_photo.png?h=a6c55029&itok=m-jGZ2IZ)
The Power of Native Language Revitalization
Learn about the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, one of many grassroots efforts dedicated to healing the lasting wounds inflicted by residential schools and cultural genocide of Native peoples.
![Still of jessie baird from We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân (Makepeace Productions, 2011).](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/still_jessie_baird_we_stil_live_here_as_nutayunean_makepeace_productions_2011.jpeg?h=7843b95a&itok=hO0bfEUt)
7 Must-See Films on Native American History and Life
The seven documentaries series listed below cover wide-ranging subject matter including Native American peoples’ roles within and perspectives about the film medium, the women’s rights movement, K-12 education, political leadership, literary arts, musical performance, and language protection efforts.
![A portion of the Without a Whisper documentary film poster.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/without_whisper_film_poster.jpeg?h=e2256408&itok=3Pm57673)
5 New YA Books on Native American Lives
Members of our staff are exploring these five new books published written by a group of Indigenous authors across North America for readers ages 12 and up and we invite you to explore them alongside us. These texts address themes including Indigenous youth navigating adolescent identity, community, and resistance.
5 New Books on Native American History, Life, and Resistance
In honor of Native American Heritage Month this November, Facing History staff members selected five new books exploring significant thematic grounds of Native American history and identity to highlight the importance of engaging students in exploring the histories and contemporary realities of Native American peoples beyond this month.
![Cropped Black Snake book cover.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/BS_Large.jpeg?h=8215e639&itok=byqW5CSY)
Latinx vs. Hispanic: A History of Terms
Learn about the history and debate surrounding how we describe Latinx and Hispanic peoples, and consider the relationship between language and identity.
![A dictionary page open to the definition of "Latino".](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/LatinoDefinitionDictionaryPage.jpeg?h=8e4088dc&itok=YtALYqsm)
5 Reads for Teachers on LGBTQIA+ History
In order for educators to ensure that LGBTQIA+ histories get their due in the classroom all year long, Facing History provides five reads that reflect on evolving ways of narrating the past, while centering underacknowledged narratives and protagonists who may not have been considered appropriate historical subjects in prior eras.
![Stock photo of rainbow notebooks and tablet.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Untitled%20design%20%2812%29.png?h=a6c55029&itok=G1bjQbx2)
10 Must Watch Films on LGBTQIA+ History
In honor of LGTBQ History Month, Facing History provides a list of ten documentary films and television series for an opportunity to gain knowledge of LGBTQIA+ histories and for educators to ensure these histories are addressed in the classroom.
![Stock photo of film camera.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Untitled%20design%20%2811%29.png?h=a6c55029&itok=sm0Ri-zd)