Handout

Say, Mean, Matter: The Hope and Fragility of Multiracial Democracy

This handout contains a graphic organizer that helps students analyze key quotes from the sources in Handout 1.

Last Updated: January 15, 2021

Handout

Language

English — US

Subject

Civics & Citizenship
History
Social Studies

Democracy & Civic Engagement
Racism

Mini-Lesson

In this Mini-Lesson, students learn about the history of democratic and anti-democratic efforts in the United States and examine sources that illuminate this tension from Reconstruction through today.

Lesson

Students experience the challenges to reporting objectively by writing a news piece and watching a video about how journalists counteract bias in the newsroom.

Lesson

Students explore the potential negative impact of images through the social media protest #IfTheyGunnedMeDown and develop a decision-making process for choosing imagery to represent controversial events.

National President of Black Lawyers for Justice, carries a picture of Michael Brown as he leads demonstrators on a march.

Lesson

Students explore how identity impacts our responses to other people and events by examining a cartoon and analyzing an opinion poll from a week after Ferguson.

Lesson

Students examine how identity and biases can impact how individuals interpret images and experience the challenge of selecting images to represent news events, particularly connected to sensitive issues.

People hold hands in prayer in the parking lot of convenience store that was looted and burned after Michael Brown was shot by police in Ferguson, Mo.

Lesson

Students establish a safe space for holding sensitive conversations, before introducing the events surrounding Ferguson, by acknowledging people's complicated feelings about race and creating a classroom contract.

Lesson

Students explore the role of social media in Ferguson, apply information verification strategies to social media posts, and develop strategies for becoming critical consumers and sharers of social media.

Peaceful demonstrators gather in Ferguson, Missouri, in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s death.

Lesson

Students evaluate the differences among news accounts about Ferguson, develop strategies for verifying news and information, and understand the challenges facing journalists as they cover complex, fast-moving events.

Unit

Help students become informed and effective civic participants in today's digital landscape. This unit is designed to develop students' critical thinking, news literacy, civic engagement, and social-emotional skills and competencies.

Peaceful protestor speaks to police officer in Ferguson.

Lesson

Students review the First Amendment, understand the importance of a free press, and consider how that freedom can conflict with other societal needs through journalists’ experiences in Ferguson.

Newspaper front page featuring story about protests and police in Ferguson.

Lesson

Students identify the responsibilities of citizen watchdogs, summarize strategies for combatting confirmation bias and responsibly consuming and sharing news and information, and complete a culminating essay.

Lesson

Students define explicit, implicit, and confirmation bias, and examine why people sometimes maintain their beliefs in the face of contradictory information.

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

— Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Say, Mean, Matter: The Hope and Fragility of Multiracial Democracy

At a Glance

Language

Subject

GET THE HANDOUT

You might also be interested in…

The Hope and Fragility of Democracy in the United States

How Journalists Minimize Bias

#IfTheyGunnedMeDown

The Impact of Identity

The Power of Images

Preparing Students for Difficult Conversations

Social Media and Ferguson

Verifying Breaking News

Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age

The Importance of a Free Press

Citizen Watchdogs and the News

Confirmation and Other Biases

Say, Mean, Matter: The Hope and Fragility of Multiracial Democracy

At a Glance

Language

Subject

GET THE HANDOUT

You might also be interested in…

The Hope and Fragility of Democracy in the United States

How Journalists Minimize Bias

#IfTheyGunnedMeDown

The Impact of Identity

The Power of Images

Preparing Students for Difficult Conversations

Social Media and Ferguson

Verifying Breaking News

Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age

The Importance of a Free Press

Citizen Watchdogs and the News

Confirmation and Other Biases

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