Teaching Resources

Social Justice Teaching Resources

Do you have any amazing resources or links for teaching Social Justice? Send them to sj@gvta.net.

Links we love!

BCTF Social Justice Resources

There are amazing resources out there to help you bring social justice into your classroom. Start by checking out the BCTF Social Justice website - it's packed with information, resources, lesson plans, and links. Go to http://www.bctf.ca/SocialJustice.aspx to find out more.

Antiracism Additional Resources

Social Justice quotations and printable posters

Looking for inspiring quotations from social justice leaders in the world? Go to this link for quotations and downloadable posters! http://www.betterworld.net/quotes/justice-quotes.htm

Dancing with the Octopus/Dancing Backwards: Promoting women in public office

"Dancing Backwards: Let's Get Canada's Political Women into History!" is a locally developed project that features stories about women who helped shape Canada but are rarely mentioned in the history books. They are looking for funding to launch their online home. Student created content will form the guts of this rich resource for teachers and students alike. For more info, see http://dancingwiththeoctopus.com/

IJM (International Justice Mission)

IJM (http://www.ijm.ca/) has a 'Spare Change to Break Chains' program suitable for schools. They do amazing work in rescuing victims of the sex-trade, slavery in brick and rice mills, fighting for the legal rights of dispossessed orphans and widows (and much more).

Cartoons for Social Justice

At the bottom of this page you will find lessons on how to teach your students to design cartoons on different SJ issues. While this is an American source, I’m sure you could adapt it for your use. http://www.tolerance.org/activity/editorial-cartoons-conclusion?newsletter=TT083110

National Film Board

The National Film Board provides free access to their online collection, which you can search by keyword. Go to http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/title/.

LGBTQ videos

For videos on LGBTQ issues, go to this youtube channel created by Dan Savage called, “It Gets Better”. It was created when Dan and his partner who have an adopted son, heard about yet another gay teen who committed suicide. They wanted ordinary LGBT adults to film messages of hope and optimism about how the harassment and bullying that often targets LGBT kids in high school usually disappears once they graduate. http://www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject

This link is a short “It Gets Better” video produced by teachers who are part of the BCTF’s LGBTQ Action Group. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2l60Repr7s

Learning about Homelessness in British Columbia

Integrating homelessness issues into senior social sciences and humanities courses, including Civics 11, Social Studies 11, Economics 12, First Nations 12, Law 12, and Social Justice 12.

http://www.sfu.ca/~pendakur/Homelessness%20Teaching%20Resource%20Flyer.pdf

The resource will be available for free to download from www.sfu.ca/~pendakur and may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational use provided the source is properly acknowledged.

S4LP (Schools For a Living Planet) resources are updated!

As you get ready for another school year don't forget to check out the S4LP materials. Bring the environment into your classroom with over 30 curriculum-linked, printable in-class activities for grades 3 to 8.

If you haven't checked out our curriculum resources lately, it is time to take a new look. We've updated the curriculum links, refreshed the links to online and additional resources, and reorganized the material with hopes that it will be easier for you to find what you need.

Thanks to Canon Canada for their generous support which makes this program possible.

Social Justice 12

This is an exciting new elective course that is currently being offered in some school districts in B.C. It was approved by the Ministry of Education in August 2008. The course focuses on a wide variety of social justice issues. The IRP is well laid out with specific PLOs which move students through three stages of social engagement. Initially, awareness of social justice issues is developed as students begin to explore SJ issues from various perspectives. Next, students analyze SJ issues to gain a more thorough understanding of them. Finally, students pick specific issues to focus on and develop their own personal action plans for making change in an area they feel passionate about. In this way, they progress from awareness to analysis and action on a social justice topic of their choice.

The course is an excellent opportunity for students to become agents of change regarding relevant social justice issues that affect their lives and communities.

The new IRP is available on the Ministry of Education web site at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/social_justice12/sj12irp2008.pdf

"Making Space," is another new resource document to support teachers in discussing social justice issues across the K-12 curriculum, it is now up on the Ministry of Education website at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/program_delivery/ss.htm

Social Justice 12 Conference DVD

The final version of the Social Justice 12 Conference DVD is now on You Tube. This may be useful to show to students who are currently taking Social Justice 12 or those who are interested in the course. Teachers may also want to view it to get a sense of what happened in Abbotsford. We will produce hard copies and mail them to local presidents and SJ contacts in the next two weeks.

See the link below and enjoy!

Two ways to view it. Send the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyoFFqF4kvI or tell people to go to Youtube.com and search for “BCTFvids”.

Social Justice 12 Online

Info about Social Justice 12 is now online at

http://www.bctf.ca/SocialJustice.aspx?id=17508

It may be useful to send to schools who wish to list Social Justice 12 as an elective in their course calendars for next year.

Please encourage all secondary schools in your local to list the course. If enough students enrol then a posting for a vacancy can be made in the event that no teacher is available to teach the course.

Social Justice 12 Strategies

Here are some quick ideas on how to encourage secondary schools in your local to offer Social Justice 12 in the coming semester.

What schools can do:

  • Ask school counsellors to list the course in calendars so that students have the option to sign up for it

  • Talk it up with students in Global Issues, Multicultural or Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Clubs to create a “buzz” for the course

  • Let all Grade 11 and 12 students know that they can register for it. Tell them that this course has no prerequisites.

  • Encourage colleagues who are passionate about Social Justice issues to teach it.

  • Post a vacancy for a job in your school if there are enough students signed up to take it and no staff member volunteers to teach the course

  • Explain to your principal and colleagues that this is a course where students can learn about social justice and injustices, think critically and analyze issues and then act to make positive change in the world. The course covers many forms of oppression and is intersectional in nature.

  • Inform students and parents about the content of the course. Page 33 of the IRP gives an excellent overview of the course.

Social Studies teachers who are interested in teaching this course should contact the BCTF. We are creating a list of teachers interested in sharing ideas with one another on resources and strategies to teach the curriculum of this new course.