K-12 Lesson Plans

We understand the inherent value of teaching truth and allowing young people to look to history as a guide. To this end, educators from around the world who have participated in the Institute’s Truth and Purpose Learning Experience for Educators have created lesson plans based on varied aspects of the history they have learned.

Resources on History and Culture

The Institute is committed to teaching truth, to countering those who are trying to silence it, to supporting educators who stand for truth, and to partnering with organizations and leaders who are committed to combating efforts to erase truth from existence. To this end, we have created resource pages that illuminate the history and culture of historically marginalized people.

Banned Book Resources for Book Clubs and Classroom Discussions

The Institute believes in the enduring power of books to provoke thought, challenge norms, and broaden perspectives. To this, several of our Institute Educator Ambassadors have created study and discussion guides for banned books. Please use them and share them widely.

A Toolkit for Facilitating Classroom Conversations About Identity

This toolkit was created by the Institute for Common Power to support K-12 educators in moderating critical conversations about identity in their classrooms. Educators dedicated to teaching the truth in classrooms nationwide contributed their insights and experiences to create this resource.

K-12 Lesson Plans

The Institute for History and Equity is dedicated to illuminating otherwise undervalued or disregarded aspects of our collective history. We understand the inherent value of teaching truth and allowing young people to look to history as a guide. To this end, educators from around the world who have participated in the Institute’s Truth and Purpose Learning Experience for Educators have created lesson plans based on varied aspects of the history they have learned.

Use these lessons plans in classrooms, at home, in community centers, and other places where they help young people grow, learn, and flourish. Check back frequently as we add new lesson plans on a continuous basis.

Scroll down and click on individual lesson plans below to access them. 
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Birmingham Children's March

Black American Third Party Politics

Black American Third Party Politics

Black American Third Party Politics

Banned Bookclub Resources

In a world increasingly wary of uncomfortable truths, the Institute for Common Power believes in the right to read freely. We also believe that banning books is anathema to democracy. As with our overall organizational mission of safeguarding the vote, we also hold true that safeguarding the diversity of ideas is essential to a just and inclusive democracy.

Click on the image of a book below to access the guides.

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Resources on History and Culture

We are confronted today in America by an attack on truth in education. It is an attempt to halt the full teaching of American life by eradicating truthful aspects of our past, present, and potential futures. The Institute is committed to teaching truth, to countering those who are trying to silence it, to supporting educators who stand for truth, and to partnering with organizations and leaders who are committed to combating efforts to erase truth from existence. To this end, we have created resource pages that illuminate the history and culture of historically marginalized people.

Indigenous American
History and Culture
African American History and Culture
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A Toolkit for Facilitating Classroom Conversations About Identity

In a sociopolitical environment of misinformation and othering, we fight together to create a more just and inclusive democracy. This booklet is not a fully comprehensive guide to navigating dialogue about identity in the classroom. Instead, it serves as a launching point that inspires and offers further reading and learning resources to advance educators’ ongoing education in building belonging and tackling important topics in their classrooms. This toolkit can also be used by anyone interested facilitating difficult conversations about race and identity. We hope you find this toolkit helpful and join us in our mission.
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