Further Resources

"When educators or parents ask 'How do you make topics like race and gender accessible to and appropriate for young learners?' I always answer 'Start by asking these children what they already know and what questions they have.' To assume that students are too young, too naive, or too indifferent to notice insults their intelligence. How can we hope to prepare them to become active and engaged citizens in our world if we don't invite them to talk about the very world they are living in?"

Liz Kleinrock from Start Here Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community

Websites

Colors of Us

Search this site for multicultural books. Lists are by culture and age level. Lists available for specific holidays or celebrations.

Teaching About the Holidays in Public SchoolsYou can avoid controversial topics and still honor a diversity of holiday stories, characters, and rituals as symbols of positive values.

Native educators say Thanksgiving lessons can be accurate, respectful, and still fun—here’s how | NEAWhether you’re teaching tots or teenagers, celebrate your best Thanksgiving lesson ever by teaching an accurate history of the holiday.

Social Justice Standards, Professional Development, Classroom Resources, Lesson Plans and Publications

Free Learning Resources for Black History Month (And Beyond) | Common Sense EducationHelp learners celebrate Black history with these videos, lessons, podcasts, and more.

Book lists, Storytime & Social Media Platform

The Conscious Kid Is An Education, Research And Policy Organization That Supports Families And Educators In Taking Action To Disrupt Racism, Inequity And Bias

oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/planet-stewards/talking-about.html

Talking to Children About Climate Change

Teacher Resources and book lists

Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write, and change the world.

Videos

The danger of a single storyOur lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

18 minute TED Talk by author Chimamanda Adichie about the importance of diverse voices

4 minute clip of Jacqueline Woodson on "difficult subjects" in young people's literature

13 minute TED Talk by author Grace Lin about "windows and mirrors"

Books and Articles

Start Here Start Now

Available in print or audio

"Most educators want to cultivate an antibias and antiracist classroom and school community, but they often struggle with where and how to get started. Liz helps us set ourselves up for success and prepare for the mistakes we’ll make along the way."

How Trauma-Informed Are We, Really? - ASCD"I have a story for you," Shari said as she jogged toward me. I had spent the day with her high school's administrative team discussing an equity assessment they hoped to conduct. A major challenge at this school, as in many schools, was the leadership team's habit of embracing shiny new program aft

Social Studies For a Better World

"In this engaging guide two experienced social studies educators unpack the oppressions that so often characterize the elementary curriculum—normalization, idealization, heroification, and dramatization—and show how common pitfalls can be replaced with creative solutions. "

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