Students
at NYC's Beacon High School.
Photo©
Carolina Kroon
About
Morningside Center
TeachableMoment.Org
is a project of Morningside Center
for Teaching Social Responsibility, and furthers our mission of fostering
social responsibility in young people.
Morningside Center
educates
young people for hopeful and intelligent engagement with their world. A
national leader in fostering social and emotional learning (SEL), Morningside
Center reaches tens of thousands of educators and students each year through an
array of programs that develop such skills as handling anger, being assertive,
solving conflicts creatively and nonviolently, and dealing well with diversity.
We help teachers make their classrooms more caring and productive. We support
students in taking leadership to improve their communities--from the classroom
to the world. Morningside
Center relies on individuals to help support our work, including the free lessons
available on TeachableMoment. Please
contribute!
It's
official!
New gold-standard study shows our 4Rs Program helps kids do better socially, emotionally
& academically.Top
researchers at New York University, Fordham University, and Harvard have now published
their findings from a three-year, federally funded study of Morningside Center's
4Rs Program (Reading, Writing, Respect & Resolution). The study tracked the
development of children in nine New York City elementary schools that implemented
the program compared with children in nine control schools. Findings
from the first two years of the study are now official: Compared with children
in the control schools, children in the 4Rs schools were less hyperactive, less
aggressive, and saw their social world as less hostile. They were happier and
more likely to resolve interpersonal problems competently.
What's
more, during the first year children judged to be at greatest behavioral risk
by their teachers had better attendance than their counterparts in the control
schools and made better academic progress as rated by teachers. By the second
year, they were also doing better on standardized tests. What's more, 4Rs schools
had significantly higher levels of overall classroom quality compared to control
schools.
Iraqi
family finds refuge in Jordan.
Photo © Lori Grinker
Nothing
Like My Home
The
Iraqi Refugee Crisis
Morningside
Center's Nothing Like My Home Project uses the
arts and media to engage young people in the plight of 4.7 million Iraqis displaced
by war. | Latest
Activities
The
classroom lessons on TeachableMoment.Org foster critical thinking on issues of
the day and a positive classroom environment. Teachers are free to use these lessons
in their classrooms. We welcome feedback! Send comments as well as requests for
permission to reprint materials for widespread circulation to:
info@morningsidecenter.org. NOTE:
Curriculum writer Alan Shapiro's email address has changed. His new address
is: lnshapiro07@gmail.com. Hundreds
more interactive classroom activities are available on our elementary,
middle,
and high school index pages. WHY
DO TERRORISTS WANT TO KILL AMERICANS? (2/9/10)
Exploring the "why" of terrorist attacks is controversial in the U.S.
Three student readings explore this controversy--and terrorists' possible motives.
HOWARD
ZINN: People's Historian (2/3/10)
The important and often controversial historian and social movement activist Howard
Zinn died on January 27. A student reading about the man and his ideas is followed
by discussion questions and suggestions for further inquiry and citizenship. Supreme
Court Rejects Limits on CORPORATE ELECTION SPENDING
(1/27/10)
A
student quiz, reading and discussion explore the court's role in interpreting
the Constitution and its recent decision to lift limits on corporate & union
election ad spending. HAITI
CRISIS (1/19/10)
Help
your students learn about the earthquake and Haiti's history, and brainstorm about
how they can help Haitians now and in the long run.
-
High School: DEVASTATION IN HAITI
-
Elementary & Middle School: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN HAITI? STONES
INTO SCHOOLS (1/20/10)
Alan
Shapiro reviews the new book by Greg Mortenson, whose mission is to "promote
peace through books, not bombs" in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Honoring
Dr. Martin Luther King: THE POWER OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE (1/13/10)
Through engaging activities,
video, and small-group discussion, elementary or middle school students consider
the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how they might stand up against injustice in their
own lives. THE
DRONE STRIKE CONTROVERSY (1/13/10)
Two student readings
explore the controversy over the use of remotely-piloted aircraft to drop bombs
in the Afghanistan/Pakistan war. Discussion questions, a fish bowl activity and
a writing assignment follow. The
SENATE FILIBUSTER & DEMOCRACY
(1/6/10)
A classroom activity has students simulate a US Senate filibuster. Two student
readings then explore the Senate's less-than-democratic 60-vote rule and possible
methods for reforming it. Discussion questions, writing and citizenship activities
follow. BRINGING
THE IRAQ WAR TO A 'RESPONSIBLE END'
(12/29/09)
Three student readings and discussion questions probe current conditions in Iraq
and the U.S.'s moral responsibilities there. Controversial
trials for GUANTANAMO PRISONERS (with a DBQ)
(12/29/09)
Two student readings and a document-based question exercise focus on the Obama
administration's recent decision to try Guantanamo suspects in civilian and military
courts. COPENHAGEN
CLIMATE CONFERENCE: Will we continue to be 'slowly boiling brainless frogs'?
(10/19/09, updated
12/21/09) The
December 2009 conference presents an opportunity for students to consider some
key issues facing our planet. CONSIDERING
UNEMPLOYMENT (12/16/09)
Students consider
our 10% unemployment rate from a numerical, social and emotional perspective,
including through photos from the Great Depression. PRESIDENT
OBAMA AND 'THE CHOICE BETWEEN OUR SAFETY & OUR IDEALS' (12/16/09)
Student readings consider
President Obama's adoption of three Bush administration policies that Obama had
previously opposed: extraordinary rendition, the state secrets privilege, and
habeas corpus. Discussion questions, inquiry subjects, and a student essay assignment
follow. THE
HEALTHCARE DEBATE (12/9/09)
Marieke van Woerkom
uses an engaging game with M&Ms to help students see how insurance works and
to touch off discussion on the current reform debate. Thinking
Critically about Obama's Speech on AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN STRATEGY
(12/9/09)
A
student reading excerpts the president's speech; the second raises a battery of
questions to stimulate further inquiry and critical thinking on a vital presidential
decision. THE
RISE OF HUNGER, UNEMPLOYMENT & POVERTY IN AMERICA (12/2/09)
Student readings focus
on the 49 million Americans who suffer from a lack of food; unemployment and how
the New Deal attacked that problem; and current proposals in the lead-up to a
December job summit.
Discussion questions and suggestions for further inquiry and citizenship follow. GAZA
WAR CRIMES (11/25/09)
Three student readings
examine the controversial UN report charging both Israel and Palestinians with
war crimes in the 2008 Gaza War. FROM
BAGHDAD TO TUCSON: The Story of a Young Iraqi Refugee
(11/18/09) Students
consider their views about Iraq and reflect on one young Iraqi refugee's view
of the U.S. The
American Heritage of Race, Interracial Sex & interracial Marriage
(11/10/09) Four
student readings explore the sensitive and controversial issues of race, interracial
sex and interracial marriage--including the Jefferson-Hemings relationship and
Michelle Barack's ancestry. Juan
Cole on ENGAGING THE MUSLIM WORLD: An Overview for Teachers
(10/28/09) Alan
Shapiro provides background for teachers on the 'standoff' between the Muslim
world and the West through an overview of the new book by Middle East scholar
Juan Cole. NOBEL
PEACE PRIZE WINNER: President Obama (10/20/09)
A student reading
includes the president's statement on receiving the prize, an excerpt from the
Nobel Committee's announcement, and a sampling of reactions to the award. Discussion
questions follow. GETTING
TO KNOW YOU: Classroom Activities for Starting Off the School Year
This
28-page PDF booklet includes great activities to get your class (grades preK-12)
off to a good start in the new school year. .
. . And more for elementary,
middle &
high
school. | 
