Teach with Facing History ELA Learning Experiences

Because ELA educators teach a wide range of texts, we have designed the Facing History learning experiences to be modular and adaptable. When developing a Facing History literature unit, we recommend the following criteria for selecting passages and scenes for close reading, literary analysis, group activities, and class discussions.

1. Identify Passages with Facing History Themes and Concepts

   Look for passages that explore the complexity of identity, membership and belonging in groups, universe of obligation, the moral universe of setting, moral decision-making, issues of fairness and justice, and examples of civic agency and participation. Such passages might include (but are not limited to) the following scenarios:

   • A character has a realization about who they are, how others perceive them, or their perceptions of others.
   • A character grapples with the costs and benefits of group membership, the desire to belong to a group, and/or the benefits and harms of conformity.
   • A character is confronted with a choice or must make a decision about a right or wrong action.
   • A range of factors complicate a characters’ decision-making process and influences their choice to take on the role of perpetrator, bystander, ally, or upstander.
   • The “moral universe” of the setting impacts a character’s identity, sense of belonging, agency, and choices.
   • Characters’ points of view invite students to practice perspective-taking in order to cultivate empathy and respect for others.
   • The passage offers opportunities for students to make historical and contemporary connections to the text.
   • The passage offers opportunities for students to make personal connections to the text and consider how it can help them understand others in their community and world and foster a sense of personal agency.
2. Integrate the Head, Heart, and Conscience
   Choose passages that engage the mind, heart, and conscience. These kinds of passages invite students to consider what they know and how they know it, how they feel, and their ideas about right and wrong, fairness and injustice. This integration of head, heart, and conscience is always important to learning, and it’s particularly important when students are grappling with the complex questions about identity, choices, and belonging in the world that literature—and life—can raise.
3. Take into Account Complexity and Craft
   Choose passages with significant complexity to encourage rereading and meaning making. These kinds of passages invite reflection and discussion about human behavior and the world we inhabit. Furthermore, they provide opportunities for students to examine craft and the choices authors make to develop their characters and the world of the text.