Resources for Educators Responding to the January 6th Insurrection
At Corwin, we believe that the conditions leading up to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 have been long in the making. Moreover, we believe that the greatest promise for preserving our great democracy and promoting justice for marginalized Americans rests in the hands of our brave public school educators.
Rather than attempting to conceal, distort, or whitewash this terrible moment in our history, we wish to offer a counterproposal: Process it with your students. Recognizing that many of us were never adequately prepared to enter into such conversations, our hope is that this resource center will guide you and your students along the pathway to greater understanding, moral clarity, and social justice.
Curriculum Materials and Teaching Strategies by Corwin Authors
- Let's Talk Racial Healing: If Not Us, Then Who?, by Victoria Romero and Gary Howard
- How to Teach Students About the Capitol Riots Using a Social Justice Framework, by Dr. Crystal Belle
- Word Choice and Power, by Tonya Ward Singer
Checklists, Resources, and Toolkits
- American School Counselor Association: Helping Students in Troubling Times
- Beyond the Stoplight: Resources for Teachers on the Days After the Attack on the U.S. Capitol
- Black Lives Matter at School
- Common Sense Media: Explaining the News to Our Kids
- Facing History: Responding to the Insurrection at the US Capitol
- Learning Forward: How to Support Educators Through the Crisis at the U.S. Capitol
- National Association of School Psychologists: Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
- NYC Department of Education: January 6th, 2021 Resource Guide
- PBS: Lesson Plan: Discuss 22-year-old Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb”
- PBS Newshour, Classroom Resource: Three Ways to Teach the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
- SSchat: Resource Sharing for January 6
- C-SPAN: Video Lesson Plan: Reactions to the January 6 Attacks on the U.S. Capitol
Informational Articles
- Caring for Students in the Wake of a Traumatic News Event (EdWeek)
- How the Attack on the Capitol Happened, From Planning to Siege to Arrests (GQ Magazine)
- No, Elementary Students Are Not Too Young to Talk About Race (ASCD)
- Witnessing History: Teachers and students left reeling, looking for lessons in an insurrection (Chalkbeat)
Lessons and Reflections Shared by Teachers
- Reflection Lessons with Emphasis on Student Feedback by Sam Mandeville, Middle School Teacher, New Hampshire
- Lesson Plan with Emphasis on Signs and Symbols Used by Insurrectionists by Adina Goldstein, Middle School Teacher, Pennsylvania