Students sit in a circle in a library and smile and laugh

Collection

Community Matters: A Facing History & Ourselves Approach to Advisory

Our advisory curriculum for grades 8–10 contains a year’s worth of activities, handouts, and best practices for establishing inclusive communities where students can engage in honest discussions and build their voices.

Published: July 15, 2022

Last Updated: January 23, 2022

Collection

Language

English — US

Subject

Advisory

Grade

8–10

Duration

Part of a full-year program

Culture & Identity
Equity & Inclusion

Overview

Adolescence is a time when two tasks take on special importance: determining our own individual identity and figuring out where and how we belong. These themes of identity, membership, belonging, and participation are the cornerstones of Facing History’s advisory curriculum for grades 8–10.

Built on a foundation of social and emotional learning, this curriculum provides a year’s worth of activities and materials designed to help you build student-centered spaces where honest questioning, discussion, and social and academic growth can occur.

Students who participate in this curriculum will

build understanding and empathy,
break down stereotypes,
discover their voices,
develop the skills necessary for academic and community success,
and build civic agency and find new ways to participate in the school and local community.

Our full-year advisory curriculum, available in print or PDF format, includes:

Introductory materials including best practices for advisors, tips for fostering a reflective community, and sample advisory meeting maps
69 activities
34 handouts
17 readings
9 videos
An appendix on designing your school’s advisory program

Inside This Collection

Book

Our advisory curriculum contains a year’s worth of activities, student handouts, and best practices to help you build student-centered spaces where honest questioning, discussion, and social and academic growth can occur.

Community Matters: A Facing History and Ourselves Approach to Advisory Cover

Collection

This collection contains all of the digital resources referenced throughout Community Matters: A Facing History and Ourselves Approach to Advisory.

Materials and Downloads

Our advisory curriculum is also available in PDF format, organized by section and activity. Download as a zip file or access in Google Drive.

Download the Files

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Guide

Community Matters: A Facing History and Ourselves Approach to Advisory

Activity

Students consider what parts of our identities we choose for ourselves and what parts are chosen for us, as well as the impact our names can have on our identities.

A student in conversation with a peer outside of the photograph is in the center of the photo. Another student looks at a laptop.

Activity

Students examine the tensions that can arise when we must navigate multiple, and sometimes conflicting, identities.

A student writes on a piece of paper with a pencil while holding a handout in their other hand.

Activity

Students read a personal narrative and reflect on the relationship between storytelling and identity development.

A stack of papers with Michelle Obama's "Becoming" on top.

Activity

Students explore the idea of “community” in order to identify its key aspects and deeper meaning.

Activity

Students explore the factors that make up a community.

A silhouette of the Chicago City Skyline at sunrise.

Activity

Students practice sharing what they are feeling while building empathy for their classmates.

A student looks down at their paper with a pen in hand. A smiling emoji is in the foreground.

Activity

Students engage with an intriguing image that lacks context or a title, drawing on their close viewing and analysis skills.

Assorted images of the outdoors organized in a grid on a beige wooden table.

Activity

Students practice gratitude by naming and recording three good things that have happened that day.

Two students look to the front of the classroom with smiles on their faces.

Activity

Students use poetry as a spark for reflection and discussion about what’s happening in their lives and the world.

Four students in conversation with each other in a classroom.

Activity

Students practice debate and perspective taking by taking a stand on a controversial statement.

Students move around the classroom in conversation with each other. One student looks directly into the camera with a smile on their face.

Activity

Students reflect on the day by asking them to share an appreciation, an apology, and an “aha” moment.

Activity

Students identify one personal or academic goal that they would like to commit to in the week ahead.

A Facing History journal sits on top of a student guide for Choices in Little Rock.

More Like This Teaching Resources Learning & Events

Facing History & Ourselves is designed for educators who want to help students explore identity, think critically, grow emotionally, act ethically, and participate in civic life. It’s hard work, so we’ve developed some go-to professional learning opportunities to help you along the way.

Professional Learning

On-Demand

Virtual

Listen to #DisruptTexts founder Julia Torres about taking a critical lens to text selection in ELA classrooms.

Three students at table, working on a project

Professional Learning

On-Demand

Virtual

Issues of equity and education have long existed in our country and continue to manifest today. How can writing and the power of one's voice help us respond to these disparities? Listen to writer and educator, Dr. Clint Smith, where we hear his poetry and reflections on working for justice, equity, and civic agency in our schools.

Professional Learning

On-Demand

Virtual

Explore approaches to centering student voice, building authentic relationships and cultivating community with Molly Josephs, the creator of This Teenage Life, a youth-driven, story-sharing podcast that started as a school club.

More Like This View Upcoming Events View On-Demand Events

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

— Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Community Matters: A Facing History & Ourselves Approach to Advisory