Through Sewell's novel, students explore the cruelty to animals and extend the discussion to current events, eventually presenting the information.

Students use Ringgold's books as a springboard for a discussion of race, gender, and civil rights, and then write and illustrate original picture books on these topics.

Students brainstorm a list of human rights issues, research their group's issue in depth, examine the way journalists cover a story, and create articles for a classroom newspaper.

Students brainstorm a list of civil rights-related issues and use the Acrostic Poems interactive to create poems.

Students read and respond to an essay by Baldwin, commenting on the contemporary resonance of his ideas.