Share My Lesson: Engaging Students in Civic Action and Activism

Youth activism is a powerful force behind significant social change in the United States. As students learn more about civic engagement and their power to make change, they are emboldened to confront the issues that matter to them and their communities—and to imagine a brighter future for all of us.

To support these efforts, Share My Lesson has dozens of lessons and professional resources to inspire student learning and to support student-driven activism.

Empowering Students to
Take Action

Students in grades 3–5 can learn about some of the nation’s iconic activists in the picture book Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America. The accompanying SML discussion and family guides provide questions and activities to help students identify and begin to address issues they care about at school, at home, and in their communities.

For grades 6–8, “Activism: Purpose Beyond Protest” covers the role of activists and advocates in democracy and how students can use their unique skills and experiences to not only protest but also pursue solutions to meaningful issues.

“People Power: How Engaged Citizens Change the World” is a six-lesson unit developed by SML partner Civic Voices to teach students in grades 9–12 how to engage in civic and political action to promote democratic change. Also for high school students is “Evaluating Students’ Right to Protest,” which delves into the history of the right to protest and encourages students to weigh the pros and cons of action on political issues.

One resource for students at all grade levels is “Community Service: Unifying Youth Through Action,” part of the Martin Luther King III Foundation’s “Realize the Dream” initiative to help students engage civically in real-world issues. For grades K–3, the unit is an introduction to the concept of community service that emphasizes taking action to help others. The unit for grades 4–6 has students research opportunities for community service and create an action plan for volunteering. In grades 7–8 and 9–12, students research reasons behind community service and are challenged to volunteer their skills with a community service organization. A companion webinar, “Realize the Dream: Answering Dr. King’s Call to Service in Your Classroom,” gives educators a framework to connect service-learning to curriculum standards and address real-world community and global issues that they and their students care deeply about.

Helping Educators Support Youth Changemakers

Several SML webinars (each offered for one hour of professional development credit) provide additional resources to help educators integrate civic engagement into their classrooms. “Supporting Civic Engagement: A Framework for Student Leadership, Community Service, Engagement, and Action” takes educators through the six-lesson Lead4Change curriculum for community service that empowers students to be leaders and change agents. “How Invention Education Helps Your Students Create Real Change” introduces “invention education,” a project-based learning approach that helps students identify a community problem and then research and invent a solution. Finally, “Youth in Front: Online Resource About Youth Civic Activism” addresses the history of youth activism in the United States and the legal and practical implications of civil actions; the webinar also gives practical tips for adult support and allyship.

Please reach out to us with any additional ideas or requests at content@sharemylesson.com.

          –THE SHARE MY LESSON TEAM

[photo: Pamela Wolfe]