[[bpstrwcotob]]
Students Define Economic Justice
DCAESJ working group member and Prince George's County Public Schools high school teacher Amber Bennett Foote shared what the lesson her students are engaged in for Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.
Collective Value Principle Applied to Math Tournament
Bruce-Monroe ES @ Park View, a public elementary school in Washington, D.C., engages students, staff, and families in school-wide activities for Black Lives Matter at School. Each year it hosts a celebration of learning called the Marketplace of Knowledge. Assistant Principal Dr. Tamyka Morant explains…
To Live and Breathe: Kindergartners Meet Local Environmental Activist
By NaVonda Marshall
My kindergarten class went on an inspiring field trip to the Anacostia Community Museum in Southeast D.C. to experience their exhibit, “To Live and Breathe: Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C.,” which was open from May 19th, 2023 - January 7th, 2024.
4th Graders Challenge Book Bans and Scholastic
Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS’ 4th grade teaching team led students through a unit on book banning this fall, which culminated in a letter to Scholastic expressing concern about the way that books are categorized at their book fairs.
Central American Students Inspired to Share Family Stories
Anna Lapera taught “Central America: An Introductory Lesson” in her middle school ESL and Spanish as a Heritage Language classes. The lesson prompted students to share their own family stories.
Teach Central America Carnival of Learning
We were invited back to the strong-knit community at Bruce-Monroe at Parkview for their annual teach-in-style celebration of Central American history and culture.
“[My Students] are the Teachers of the Year”: DCAESJ Working Group Member Beth Barkley Named 2024 DC Teacher of the Year
Beth Barkley is principled. Beth Barkley is humble. Beth Barkley is caring. Beth Barkley is D.C.’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, or, by her words, her students are.
D.C. History New and Old: Intergenerational Service Learning Day at Girls’ Global Academy
Girls' Global Academy students were busy going out into the community and welcoming visitors to their school, all in recognition of their intergenerational service-learning day.
Screentime That’s Good for Students and Classrooms: Filmfest 2023
In April 2023, Teaching for Change partnered with Filmfest DC: The Washington, DC, International Film Festival for a twelfth year to bring filmmakers into D.C. classrooms to share some of their films.
High School Students Lead Interactive Youth Justice Summit
The annual Youth Justice Summit at Capital City PCS in Washington, D.C. included six sessions of youth-led workshops on a variety of social justice topics including book banning, the impacts of gentrification, gun violence, disability and policing, and climate justice.
Black Lives Matter at School Marketplace of Knowledge at Bruce-Monroe ES
On March 24, the entire school community at Bruce-Monroe ES @ Park View (DCPS) was invited to participate in the Black Lives Matter at School Celebration of Learning. The school was transformed into a Marketplace of Knowledge that was the culmination of a six-week project that involved all grade levels in deep explorations of Black Lives Matter.
D.C. Area and Beyond Participate in BLM at School Week of Action 2023
Gearing up for the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action is no small feat. While educators in the D.C. area likely have already been uplifting BLM at School work with participation in the Year of Purpose, the Week of Action is often taken as an opportunity to engage in more and perhaps larger scale efforts to uplift the guiding principles and national demands…
Teach the Beat! Swamp Guinee at Seaton ES
Athena Kopsidas welcomed Teach the Beat back to Seaton ES in February for a series of visits that were part of the way Seaton was participating in the Black Lives Matter Week of Action this year. Matt “Swamp Guinee” Miller facilitated the two visits with students in the school cafeteria, leading students through interactive lessons on different percussive instruments used in go-go.
Sweet Cherie at Simon ES During the BLM Week of Action
Children learned about the history and fundamentals of go-go and each child got a chance to play an improvised tune on Sweet Cherie’s bedazzled keyboard. They danced when they heard their name called by the talker, just like at a go-go.
Self-Portraits and Braiding in Art at Seaton ES
Athena Kopsidas, art teacher at Seaton ES (DCPS), led students through projects that incorporated books and art during the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.
Community as Resistance at Hayfield Secondary
Students were introduced to Black writers, poets, and photographers who have recorded the power of community among Black people, then created unique visual presentations and taught middle school students at Hayfield what they learned.
Sip N Paint at Freedom HS
Using the Pan-African colors as their palette, students transformed blank canvases into stunning recreations of the Sankofa bird, Black power fist, or their own original creations
Check It Out — Literally!: Sacred Heart Students Publish Their Stories; DCPL Adds to Permanent Collection
This story’s title gave it away, but Sacred Heart students, and the wider community, are beaming with pride because their book, Historias y Dibujos: Students of Sacred Heart School, Washington, D.C., 2022, is now available to purchase online,and eight copies are a part of D.C. public library’s permanent collection!
Sweet Cherie at Washington International School
During a middle school assembly, there wasn’t an empty seat in Washington International School’s theater — unless the students and teachers were up dancing to Sweet Cherie’s music! Cherie dove deep into the history of go-go, speaking to students about the different sub-genres and their many bands.
“Free Our Books” Say 4th Graders After Studying Representation and Book Bans
As part of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action at Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS, 4th graders studied the importance of representation in books and the book bans that have been escalating throughout the country since 2021.