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.
9 of Our Favorite Back-to-School Activities and Resources
Try these classroom activities and resources at the start of the year to build a foundation for learning all year long.
![Students and educator work on an assignment](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-08/221116-0215.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=R-Z5CpUh)
Student Names: A Key Component to an Inclusive Classroom
Learning how to say students’ names the right way is an important part of the new school year. Ace your first attendance check with these resources.
![Graphic of "YOUR NAME" on typewriter paper](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-08/Your_name.jpg?h=eda8b49e&itok=UeHTGmNx)
How Two Teenagers Created a Textbook for Racial Literacy
Activist and author Winona Guo discusses the importance of personal narratives in fostering racial literacy and promoting democracy.
![Winona Guo And Priya Vulchi At TED Talk](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-08/24270063028_4e8fb648da_o%20%281%29.jpg?h=b69e0e0e&itok=-tjt-JsC)
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
David Blight’s celebrated biography of Frederick Douglass provides insight into a complicated hero of the 19th century.
![Photograph of Frederick Douglass.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-06/frederick_douglass_2%20%28FH235%29_0.jpg?h=455cec67&itok=1eZvL_VC)
Centering Queer History and Students in the Classroom: Insights from Eric Marcus
Eric Marcus speaks with Facing History about his experience researching LGBTQIA+ history and how he helps students connect to these stories.
![Students hold a pride flag](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/Diverse_Students_With_Pride_Flag_Stock_FH2187533.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=j7XSTcPX)
Why I Am the Educator I Dreamed of Becoming
Facing History Educator Hannah Nguyen describes how her transformative experiences as a student inspired the way she teaches.
![Hannah Nguyen Classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-06/031219_OMC10267_Hannah_Nguyen_26.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=2exkSmtK)
July Assemblies
Download our assembly PowerPoints for the month of July for use with KS3 - KS4 and S1-4 students.
![Poetry Graffiti](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-06/Poetry_Graffiti_StockPhoto_FH2190020_0.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=SkP_lAOH)
Poetry and Identity
Bringing poetry into the classroom introduces a model for creative expression and self-reflection that can help students find their voice.
![Poetry Graffiti](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-06/Poetry_Graffiti_StockPhoto_FH2190020.jpg?h=1021c639&itok=68mmYNfa)
Celebrating Our Communities, Languages and Cultures on World Poetry Day (UK)
On World Poetry Day we are highlighting UK poets who use poetry to represent their communities, promote their cultures and respond to current events.
![A close up of a student writing on a piece of paper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/LosAngeles_ClassroomImage_2012_FH116207.jpg?h=9a556404&itok=SXiHI4Fc)
The Long Journey to Establish a Women’s History Museum
As the National Women's History Museum launches its first physical exhibit, we consider what it means to make space for underrepresented stories.
![Graphic of multi-ethnic women](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/Multi_Ethnic_Women_Stock_FH2187287.jpg?h=0cd817c1&itok=LNEwyccZ)
How One Lesbian Couple Defied the Nazis: An Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Jackson
Meet Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe (better known as Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore), a French lesbian couple who defied the Nazis with art.
![Dr. Jeffrey Jackson and his book, Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/image%20%282%29.jpg?h=1bdf24e3&itok=7Enx4K9t)