controversial topics Archives - A Lesson Plan for Teachers

How to Teach about Privilege in the American Classroom

Posted on October 14, 2019July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

Teaching about privilege can be a great challenge for secondary teaching in American classrooms. It is often seen as a divisive topic, and can be considered risky in terms of job security and parental approval. And when you put the...Read More

The Truth about Teaching Controversial Topics in the Secondary Classroom

Posted on October 7, 2019July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

Especially in the current climate of political correctness and divisive tactics, teaching controversial topics in the secondary classroom may seem like asking for trouble. Though it may test your patience, teaching controversial topics in the classroom actually encourages empathy, improves...Read More

The Importance of Silence: Teaching Sensitive Topics in the Secondary Classroom

Posted on March 7, 2016July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

Each year in my secondary classroom, no matter the subject I was teaching, I took the time to teach about the Holocaust. My Holocaust unit usually fell into the month of March, and with testing on the horizon, it was...Read More

Teaching Controversy in the Secondary Classroom

Posted on November 9, 2015July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

Throughout history, teachers have faced controversial topics in their classrooms. Do they teach these topics or do they adhere to convention and ignore the opportunity to open young minds? For those of the past, asking students to consider new theories...Read More

Monday Mapping: Teaching Truth & Emotion

Posted on February 23, 2015July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

For almost a decade, I taught in a Social Studies Department where war was nothing more than a series of battles fought in an open battlefield, and where the costs were only monetary in the eyes of the instructors. My...Read More

Quick Thought Thursday: American Sniper Through a Student’s Eyes

Posted on February 19, 2015July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

As a high school teacher that often watched those snotty, little freshmen grow into young men enthusiastic about joining the service to fight the bad guys (especially after 9/11), I was always concerned with making sure my students understood what...Read More

Seeing the Big Picture: Helping Students Visualize Multiple Perspectives

Posted on October 20, 2014July 25, 2020 by Michele Luck

Teaching from a textbook or singular source can often leave the impression on our students that history is one-sided. After years of this indoctrination to history, our students are blind to the truth about history. It becomes a battle at...Read More