What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

Posted by Adam Strom on April 16, 2015

There are phrases you hear so often that they begin to lose their meaning. The words become part of a series, like "bite the dust" or "have a blast." The title of Harper Lee's 1960 classic To Kill a Mockingbird is like that for me, despite its profound impact on the way I think about the world.

Topics: To Kill a Mockingbird, Classrooms, Books, English Language Arts, Facing History Resources, Teaching Resources

Six Resources that Honor Jewish Voices on Yom HaShoah

Posted by Emily Weisberg on April 9, 2015

Next week marks Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. While Yom HaShoah affords us the opportunity to honor the memory of those we lost during the Holocaust, it's also a time to commemorate and celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the lives and communities decimated during this dark moment in history.

Topics: Classrooms, Art, Books, Online Tools, Benjamin B. Ferencz, Memory, Choosing to Participate, Facing History Resources, Teaching, Holocaust, Upstanders, Teaching Resources, Survivor Testimony, Video, History

On the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide

Posted by Adam Strom on April 7, 2015

In September 1939, just before the invasion of Poland and the beginning of the Nazi Holocaust, Adolf Hitler asked his generals, “Who today still speaks of the massacre of the Armenians?”

Topics: Armenian Genocide, Facing History Resources, Genocide/Collective Violence, Teaching Resources, History

How Can History of Lynching Help Us Understand Issues of Race and Justice in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

Posted by Julia Rappaport on April 2, 2015

In a blog post up now on the New York Times Learning Network, Facing History and Ourselves Senior Program Associate Laura Tavares pairs an article about the recent report documenting the history of racial lynching in America with an excerpt of To Kill a Mockingbird

Topics: To Kill a Mockingbird, Professional Development, Facing History Resources, Teaching, Race and Membership, Teaching Resources, History

Four Resources to Teach About Genocide Awareness and Prevention

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 30, 2015

In several areas of the United States, April is recognized as Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month.
Here are four classroom resources you can use in April, or any time of year, to introduce your students to specific moments in world history while encouraging them to consider the behaviors—such as prejudice, stereotyping, and conformity—that contribute to the proliferation of violence today.

Topics: Art, Books, Professional Development, Armenian Genocide, Facing History Resources, Holocaust, Genocide/Collective Violence, Teaching Resources, Video, History

Five Facing History Resources That Use Poetry to Build Skills

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 20, 2015

April is National Poetry Month in the United States. By writing, reading, and analyzing poetry, students can study important lessons from history and explore topics of religion, culture, community, and identity. Get ready with five resources that use poetry to build reading and writing skills and encourage student voice.

Topics: Classrooms, Books, English Language Arts, Poetry, Writing, Students, Facing History Resources, Holocaust, Memoir, Teaching Resources, Survivor Testimony

Confronting Antisemitism

Posted by Karen Murphy on March 18, 2015

Last week, the United States media reported on an event that took place at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

A month ago, UCLA student Rachel Beyda put herself forward as a candidate for a student judicial board position. In the interview process, a student board member asked her, "Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community, how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?"

Members of the board then debated her candidacy and her ability to be unbiased.

Topics: Antisemitism, Facing History Resources, Religious Tolerance, Holocaust, Teaching Resources, History

Four Resources for Women's History Month

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 4, 2015

March is Women's History Month in the United States and United Kingdom—Canada celebrates in October—while International Women's Day is celebrated globally on March 8. Introduce your students to everyday women, female politicians, and upstanders big and small who have made contributions to world history with these four resources.

Topics: Classrooms, Civil Rights Movement, Professional Development, Teaching Strategies, Facing History Resources, Holocaust, Memoir, Teaching Resources, Video, History

Coming to Terms with a Personal History

Posted by Marti Tippens Murphy on March 1, 2015

A book recently came into my possession that has been tossed around in my family like a hot potato for several generations.

Entitled Religion and Slavery: A Vindication of Southern Churches, the book's author was James McNeilly, a Presbyterian minister and confederate veteran from Nashville, Tennessee. Inside the front cover is an inscription from the author to my great-great-great-grandmother.

"To Corinne Lawrence: A tried and true friend of many years—and a devoted lover of the Old South which I have tried to vindicate."

Topics: Books, Reconstruction, Memory, Facing History Resources, Memphis, Identity, Teaching Resources, History

Questions We Hope Get Answered in Harper Lee’s "Go Set a Watchman"

Posted by Dan Sigward on February 12, 2015

Facing History's offices have been abuzz since Harper Lee's "new" novel was announced earlier this month.

This literary event—taking place 55 years after the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird and about six months after Facing History published Teaching Mockingbird, its study guide to the novel—comes at a time when we have been diving deep into the themes of Lee's classic novel, both as a staff and with educators around the world.

Topics: To Kill a Mockingbird, Books, English Language Arts, Facing History Resources, Teaching, Teaching Resources, Civil Rights