20 Jul
The Children Discovering Justice curriculum will expand to Grade Three this year with new modules ready to be released next month for the 2023-24 school year.
With the updated curriculum, Third Grade teachers across the Commonwealth will focus on justice and Native peoples, consistent with the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework. With lessons on tribal sovereignty, impacts of erasure on Native peoples, and through case studies of present-day advocacy, students will explore the hard history of this country and the reclamation that many are advocating for today.
Discovering Justice has partnered with Native speakers across Massachusetts and a speaker from the Association on American Indian Affairs to show young learners through video interviews how Native peoples continue to be justice advocates.
âAs a Native woman and an educator myself, I hope that 3rd Graders who experience this curriculum will have a healthier, more just, and balanced experience than I would have had in American public schools at their age, and that they will hear it from the direct, varied, and rich perspectives of Native folks themselves. I hope most centrally that students and their teachers walk away with an unequivocal understanding that WE ARE STILL HERE, the curiosity to learn more about Indigenous justice issues, and the agency to use their own voices to lift ours and advocate for a better future for us all,â states Katie Henries, school leader and Nipmuc/k Indian.
Preview a video from one of our guest speakers, Colleen Medicine, a representative of the Association on American Indian Affairs, discussing Native contributions and advocacy for change. These videos are a foundational component of this Massachusetts History & Social Science standard-aligned curriculum.
Discovering Justice has already contracted with a dozen schools and districts to provide professional development this coming school year that prepares educators to discuss complex issues with young learners. Educators will explore the tools and resources available in the curriculum as well as best practices for leading civil discourse in the classroom.
Contact Education Program Director lbrenner@discoveringjustice.org to bring K-3 civics professional development to your district.