UPstanders

Our current social studies unit is surrounding the question, "Does Religious Freedom Exist?" The students are presented with guiding question along the way and use those to research and build their understanding.

One of the questions researched is, "How has religious freedom been represented over time?" Since the Holocaust was a time in which people were discriminated against based on their religion, we talked about this in class and also took a field trip to the Holocaust Museum. While there, our tour focused on explaining the Holocaust through the lens of being an upstander. The students learned that upstanders are those who stand up to make a change during difficult times. Students reflected on all they learned and thought of words that they want to live by.

During our unit, we also learned about the current status of religious freedom and the unfortunate truth that not everyone experiences complete freedom. Through this awareness, students build understanding and empathy towards others. 

The desire to be an upstander is something we will work to instill in our students for the remainder of the year. I am currently reading the book Upstanders by Harvey "Smokey" Daniels and Sara K. Ahmed. The book is full of ideas on how to get kids to care about the world they live in. Also, during our next reading unit, students will read novels with characters dealing with social adversity. I'm looking forward to the great discussions and awareness that will come from this reading.