Building trust and community in your classroom(s)
This collection includes videos, articles and activities to help teachers create a classroom culture wherein students feel comfortable asking questions, collaborating and taking academic risks. Resources are for all grade levels. Some can be used directly with students while others are for teachers to read and consider, and possibly adapt for classroom use.
Among the resources you'll find:
- videos about empathy and kindness
- tips on discussing sensitive topics like race and identity
- a tool to help examine units for cultural relevance
- a classroom activity to explore the gender stereotypes baked into the marketing of "boy" toys and "girl" toys.
Please note that the files in this collection cannot be downloaded from WeTeachNYC because they link out to an external site.
Included Resources
This classroom activity asks teachers to analyze and critique messages about gender that they get from various media. Students will focus on toys and toy advertisements, challenging themselves to think past what advertisements tell them about their gender identity. For elementary students, from Teaching Tolerance.
One teacher's thoughts on helping students feel welcome, supported and prepared for success in his classroom.
Strategies for teachers to prepare their students to have powerful discussions. By Julie Landsman for Educational Leadership, an ASCD publication.
Identity charts are a graphic tool that can help students consider the many factors that shape who we are as individuals and as communities. Identity charts can be used to deepen students’ understanding of themselves, groups, nations, and historical and literary figures. Created by Facing History.
In this "Me and We" activity, students will have the opportunity to explore their similarities and differences with peers. For elementary students. By Teaching Tolerance.
100 race conscious examples of how to respond to young children's questions and comments on race. Shared by the Raising Race Conscious Children website.
Some strategies for what to do when discussions on race and equity issues stall. By Vernita Mayfield for Educational Leadership, an ASCD publication.
This document shares an overview of the WeTeachNYC collection of strategies to help students feel comfortable asking questions, collaborating and taking academic risks in your classroom.