Collection
Developing Student Agency through History and Literature: Middle School Curriculum
Lead middle school students in an 18-week study of identity, membership and belonging, and civic participation through analysis of historical case studies and literature.
At a Glance
Language
English — USSubject
- History
- Social Studies
Grade
6–8- The Holocaust
- Democracy & Civic Engagement
- Global Migration & Immigration
- Racism
Overview
About This Collection
Each curriculum outline below provides middle school educators with a roadmap for teaching an 18-week study, including links to all necessary activities, materials, and assessments. They are flexible and can be used in shorter increments than 18-weeks. In each curriculum, students explore questions of identity, membership and belonging, choices, and civic participation through different historical case studies and literature selections. Students culminate their study with a final project that challenges them to create plans for how they can work with others and on their own to be upstanders in their school and local communities.
Inside this Collection
Exploring Identity and Community: 18-week Curriculum Outline
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Recommended for 6th grade, this outline provides an instructional pathway for middle school educators to teach an 18-week curriculum exploring identity, family legacy, group membership and choices.
Examining the Holocaust and Human Behavior: 18-week Curriculum Outline
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Recommended for 8th and 10th grade, this outline provides an instructional pathway for middle school educators teaching the Holocaust.
Exploring Civil Rights and Migration: 18-week Curriculum Outline
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Recommended for 7th and 8th-grade, this outline provides an instructional pathway for middle school educators to teach an 18-week curriculum exploring membership, belonging, and the power of individual and collective choices.
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Current Events in the Classroom
Explore classroom resources for making connections between current events and your curriculum, including activities and discussion strategies for high school and middle school students.
Supporting Question 1: The History of the Angel Island Immigration Station
Students explore the supporting question “How did the Angel Island Immigration Station both reflect and enforce borders within American society?”
Supporting Question 3: Navigating the Borders of National Belonging
Students explore the supporting question “How does the history of immigration through Angel Island help us understand how we create and challenge borders today?”
Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action
Students culminate their arc of inquiry into the Angel Island Immigration Station by completing a C3-aligned Summative Performance Task and Taking Informed Action.
Angel Island Immigration Station: Exploring Borders and Belonging in US History
This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question “How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?”
Discussing Contemporary Islamophobia in the Classroom
This unit is designed to help students in the UK reflect on how Islamophobia manifests in contemporary society and what needs to be done to challenge it.
Exploring Islamophobic Tropes
Students explore Islamophobic tropes, their troubled history, their evolution and their present manifestation in further depth, and consider the harm that their circulation can cause.
Addressing Islamophobia in the Media
Students reflect on how Islamophobia manifests in the media and in the entertainment industry, and the potential consequences of being exposed to Islamophobic content.
Understanding Gendered Islamophobia
Students learn how Islamophobia intersects with misogyny and the impact that this has on the treatment of Muslim women.
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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.
Exploring ELA Text Selection with Julia Torres
On-Demand
Virtual
Listen to #DisruptTexts founder Julia Torres about taking a critical lens to text selection in ELA classrooms.
Working for Justice, Equity and Civic Agency in Our Schools: A Conversation with Clint Smith
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.
Centering Student Voices to Build Community and Agency
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.
The resources I’m getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.
—
Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif
