Culturally Responsive Teaching can include what topics you are teaching about, how you teach, what materials and examples and perspectives you include, and your own awareness and knowledge.

We highlight some specific resources to delve into right now, plus links to resource banks (at the end of this page).

Try it tomorrow: Teaching About the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

Facing History & Ourselves brings you a plan that "introduces students to the experiences of Ukrainian people forced to flee the war and highlights the inspiring ways governments and individual volunteers have stepped up to help Ukrainians. It also raises ethical questions about the treatment of refugees and migrants from non-European countries and asks students to consider how we can take care of ourselves and each other during this crisis." The plan is openly available. A free log-in is required to access the accompanying slides.

Try one of Facing History's other teaching ideas such as Supporting Students After the Shooting in Buffalo, Preparing for a Conversation about Policing and Racial Injustice, The Legacies of Chinese Exclusion, Haitian Migrants at the US-Mexico Border, or Reflecting on Amanda Gorman's poem, "The Hill We Climb"

Build into a lesson:

Race: The Power of an Illusion is a three-part documentary from California Newsreel that discusses "the origins, beliefs, and consequences of what we call race." Consider incorporating these film clips into a Social Studies/Science lesson or unit. Lesson plans and learning resources for Race: The Power of an Illusion have been created by California Newsreel, PBS, and Facing History and Ourselves.

"Racist “jokes” can quickly become racist rants, and those rants can turn to violence." Use Learning for Justice's “Speak Up” strategies "to let people know you’re not OK with racist or xenophobic comments about coronavirus or anything else."

Choose new anchor texts:

Short texts, multiple types: This collection of short texts from Learning for Justice "offers a diverse mix of stories and perspectives." Choose from multiple text types including "informational and literary nonfiction texts, literature, photographs, political cartoons, interviews, infographics, and more." You can also filter by grade level, subject and topic.

Books: These teaching and learning guides for eight books, some of which would fit into adult education classes, are from Disrupt Texts, which uses Learning for Justice's Social Justice Standards as "guides for how to embed this work into the curriculum and classroom community."

Audio texts: Choose an audio text from Civil Rights Movements in the United States: Oral History Resources, collected by Primary Source.

Listen:

The Complexion of Teaching and Learning podcast from UnboundEd explores "the historical, political, and professional insights and experiences of educators of color." The series is hosted by Brandon White, "an ELA Specialist for UnboundEd and former middle school ELA teacher and Restorative Practices educator for the Rochester City School District." Episode 1, From Roots to Reconstruction, "highlights the connections between Brandon’s experiences as an educator of color and the experience of black Educators before, during, and right after slavery."

What Teachers Need to Know is a podcast series from Primary Source that "offers vital insight for understanding world cultures and current events so that you can facilitate deeper learning about the world with your students. Meet subject-matter experts and explore online resources that can help make a complex and dynamic world accessible...." There are currently thirteen episodes on the Middle East and four episodes on Africa:

1. What We Talk About When We Talk About Africa
2. Interconnected Africa: Movements Across the Indian and Atlantic Ocean Worlds
3. Soundscapes of Protest: Music in Social Movements Across Africa
4. Ending the Scramble: Decolonization Across Africa

Read & Reflect:

Racist Violence Is Why We Need to Know Hard History: Resources from Learning for Justice clarify "the context within which the massacre in Buffalo, New York, took place."

"What it Means to Be an Anti-racist Teacher"—In this interview published in Learning for Justice's magazine, (Issue 66, Spring 2021), #DisruptTexts co-founder Lorena Germán answers questions such as:

• “Interrupting white supremacy,” “decolonizing education,” “developing abolitionist education”—people use these phrases but aren’t always sure what they mean. How would you define these terms as they relate to your practice?
• What do you see that needs changing? How do you see white supremacy showing up in curriculum and instruction today?
• Why is it necessary to talk about these things? Folks will say, “Why are we talking about this when we have actual work to do?”
• Can you explain why this work should not solely be the concern of humanities teachers?
• Describe a classroom that’s decolonized, that’s culturally sustaining.

From SABES:

ELA Curriculum & Instruction Lens for Culturally Responsive Teaching

SABES-wide DEI resource bank with materials that apply across all of our PD centers

SABES newsletter, Spring 2021: Perspectives on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (each article contains ideas and resources)

Attribution: graphics are from www.flaticon.com