I'm thrilled to be joining The ELA Buffet and Desktop Learning Adventures, hosts of The Secondary Smorgasbord, as we spread some kindness, something the world always needs a little more of. Be sure to read to the end of the post to grab a freebie from me and many others!
Our students belong to a generation of young people who are much more tolerant than previous generations -- but are they more accepting? These are some of the questions I'll be exploring with my students this semester, and these posters will be decorating my classroom walls as a reminder.
My new tenth grade class starts the first week of February and, as we have in the past, the class will spend the semester investigating the following inquiry questions: Where does intolerance come from? How can we build a more accepting society?
All of the texts we read during reader's workshop and full class studies will provide them with a place to discover answers to these questions. A Separate Peace will show them that sometimes the enemy is within. To Kill a Mocking bird will teach them not to fear the unknown and to empathize with others. We will also do other short stories, poems and essays that will help them on their search. The end result will be a multi-genre project that illustrates what the students have learned about the roots of intolerance, and their suggestions for how to plant acceptance and kindness in the world instead.
We will begin by creating a class code of conduct for discussions, so everyone in the room will feel comfortable sharing his/her views and experiences. Then, the students will work through a series of reflections and discussions that will hopefully lead them to a new understanding of why we treat others as we do. The posters will be part of the reflections that the students do. I will use them as a powerpoint for writing prompts, and after we discuss the students' responses, the poster will go on the wall.
Would you like to try something like that? You can grab the free posters here. 
Creating a culture of kindness in the classroom is so important! Thanks for sharing this valuable (AND ADORABLE!) resource for secondary classrooms.
ReplyDeleteLove these posters! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTeaching kindness is such an important lesson! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and creativity!
ReplyDeleteI love your resource - it is not easy to find decor for secondary classrooms and to find ones with a positive message. Great job and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you distinguish between tolerance and acceptance and have created these wonderful posters to help others' do so! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThe posters are great. We need more classroom decor on TpT that's on the secondary level.
ReplyDeleteYour posters are simply amazing! I love the idea of creating a class code of conduct before beginning discussions to ensure that everyone feels comfortable. Thank you for sharing the posters and wonderful ideas!
ReplyDeleteLove the Dalai Lama quote! Teachers are so fortunate to be able to impart these messages to our students.
ReplyDeleteI am hanging these posters in my classroom on Monday! They are perfect! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThese are going up next week! I especially love the Dalai Lama quote. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone!
ReplyDeleteHaving students create their own code of conduct practically ensures that it will be followed. Instead of disseminating my own rules for discussions, I'm going to give this method a try. Thank you for the posters and the great ideas!
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