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Educator Resources
These educator resources are designed to support anyone who wants to teach for social justice.
Social justice is not a singular topic to be “covered.” We encourage educators to utilize social justice as a lens through which they and their students evaluate the past and present all year long. To support this method of teaching, our materials expand beyond the historical events of the Underground Railroad to include a range of topics from various periods in history across the four core disciplines of social studies (civics, economics, geography and history). They also expand beyond social studies and provide opportunities for cross-content collaboration.
There are several types of materials included in this collection:
- Resources: informational texts, activity packets and professional development materials
- Lesson plans: materials designed to engage students for one or two class sessions
- Inquiries: materials created using the C3 Framework and Inquiry Design Model
Visit the links below to view our library of lessons and activities suitable for learners of all ages.
Changemakers: Legacies and Evidence of the Past
Students will engage in social justice work by considering the legacy they will leave for future generations. Students will establish action plans for leaving positive legacies and inspiring others.
6-8
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Changemakers: Taking Action
Students will engage in social justice work by identifying a societal need and taking collective action to make change.
6-8
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Changemakers: John Parker
Students will engage in social justice work by examining why someone, like John Parker, would risk their freedom and life to help strangers. This process will introduce the concept of altruism, and students will be challenged to increase altruism in their school community.
9-12
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Changemakers: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Students will engage in social justice work by challenging common narratives of U.S. history. In their investigation, students analyze the voice of a Black, female abolitionist and begin to make connections between social justice work of the past and present.
6-8
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Changemakers: Assumptions and Myths About the Past
The Changemakers series of inquiries provide teachers multiple opportunities to incorporate the history of the Underground Railroad into their curriculum
6-8
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
The Urgency of Our Pen: Literacy Laws
In this inquiry, students analyze materials that reveal the historical relevance of literacy and evaluate the importance of literacy, authorship, and publishing for abolitionism.
6-8
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Really Free
This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the concept of freedom and how it has applied to U.S. citizens, specifically white and Black Americans, since the Revolutionary War.
9-12
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Founding Principles
Students will engage in social justice work by challenging normative thought regarding our nation’s founding documents. Students will consider the voices of those who were overlooked and disregarded as the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were written and consider the lasting impact of this action.
9-12
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
The Inclusive Story of Our Nation
As students engage in the inquiry, they determine: What is the inclusive story of the founding of our nation?
6-8, 9-12
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry
Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
This inquiry leads students through an investigation of how history is told and the power of those telling the story.
6-8, 9-12
Social Studies
C3 Inquiry