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Teaching with disturbing images

Photographs are especially powerful tools for explaining current and historical events — not least horrible or brutal events, such as war, genocide, famine, terrorism, slavery, and lynching. In fact, photographs are often used specifically to raise an...

By David Walbert.

Colors and symbols of stigmatization

This lesson is an introduction to the reading of Night by Elie Wiesel, which students will read independently. The students will do research to discover the different colors and symbols used to symbolize the Nazi party's list of undesirable people. The students will gain an understanding of how other people can arbitrarily judge other people as inferior.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development)

By Sandra Hurd and Wilma Gale.

Disease and catastrophe

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 5.3

Of all the kinds of life exchanged when the Old and New Worlds met, lowly germs had the greatest impact. Europeans and later Africans brought smallpox and a host of other diseases with them to America, where those diseases killed as much as 90 percent of the native population of two continents. Europeans came away lucky -- with only a few tropical diseases from Africa and, probably, syphilis from the New World. In America, disease destoyed civilizations.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Alternative discussion formats: History and literature on trial

In Alternative discussion formats, page 3

Putting historical or literary figures on trial makes a lively and challenging alternative to a class debate.

By Kathryn Walbert.

Comics in the classroom

Graphic novels aren't just “literature lite”: they're a genre you can use to explore philosophy, history, human interactions, visual literacy, and more with soon-to-be adults in a high school English class.

Format: article

By Ross White.

Resources on the web

Creating character: Concluding lesson

In this concluding lesson, students evaluate and synthesize concepts of character education they learned in previous lessons. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 English Language Arts, Guidance, and Social Studies)

Provided by: USC Shoah Foundation Institute

Using technology to analyze and illustrate symbolism in Night.

This step-by-step lesson introduces students to Elie Wiesel's use of symbolism in his autobiographical novel, Night. After learning about symbolism and discussing its use in the book, students create photomontages using online... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE