You are often overworked and underpaid, and yet you have the privilege and potential of making a lasting impact on your students. 

Photo by Jose Sanchez

Even just one carefully chosen book, activity, or assignment has the power to make a difference. Think back, and you will probably remember a teacher who changed your life.

Your exploration of One World,One Heart Beating begins with sharing the video in your classroom. Please note – if you are an organization using the song or video (which are copyrighted material) in a for-profit context – ie: in a workshop that you are charging for, please contact SOCAN for a license to use the song. To use the video in a for-profit context, please make a donation to the project here.  (Suggested amount is $25-$200 depending upon how much you charge per session.)  

Teachers, you are welcome to share the song and video with students for educational purposes.  If you are unable to access YouTube at your school, you can easily download the video at home for later viewing by using this safe free tool. Download MP4 (720 p) is the recommended setting for full screen viewing on a Mac or a PC.  If you and/or students want to play along with the song, lyrics with 3 simple chords are here.  If February 14th is around the corner, check out the suggestions for creating a kind and inclusive Valentines’ Day at school here. Read on for some great teaching tools and lesson plans.

Photo by Jose Sanchez

Never before have so many innovative, conscious, and creative teaching resources been at our fingertips.  Because teachers play such important roles as mentors and messengers, five pages in this website are dedicated to you.  As you scroll down this one, you will find some amazing Tools for Teaching Tolerance to help you explore and expand upon One World, One Heart Beating in your classroom. 

Click on the links here: Bullying Awareness,Teaching Tolerance, Creating Community and Making a Difference to find four pages of thematically-relevant lesson plans.  My criteria for including a lesson were – is it free, fun and engaging, with minimal prep for the teacher? Is it hands-on and interactive? Does it promote critical thinking, and increase self and social awareness?  Does it have the potential to change attitudes and incite action?  To make planning easier, each listing describes a lesson’s relevant subjects and grades, duration, and the materials needed to teach it.

As educators, we can learn from one another.  Please share your experiences inspiring and empowering students in the Comments section below. Please note; I have linked to outside sources. If over time, a link is broken, that specific material is no longer available.

Tools for Teaching Tolerance

Literature Guides

Books on Anti-Bullying, Anti-Racism, Peace Education, Gender Equality and Economic Discrimination for Grades K-5 http://www.teachpeacenow.org/book.html

Reading to Inspire Acts of Kindness (in English and Spanish) http://learningtogive.org/teachers/literature_guides/

Moments of Service Toolkits Designed for service leaders (those who coordinate others in doing good – the organizer, leader, teacher, networker, or coach) these toolkits contain tips and ideas for doing service projects, stories of actual projects, quotations for reflection and more. http://learningtogive.org/genonltg/servicetoolkits/

Junior World Changers Kit This fun and practical resource uses Free the Children’s Educate, Empower, and Engage model to help students understand the daily reality for many of their peers around the world, while providing them with a positive outlet to turn their raw emotional reactions into constructive action. http://www.weday.com/teach/juniorkit Let me tell you a story… STORYTELLING: A Toolkit for Bridging Differences and Creating Community For Grades 4 through 12. This resource provides step-by-step instruction for three storytelling activities that build community, increase awareness of differences and diversity and help foster respectful and sensitive relationships in the classroom. It also shares examples of the type of performance you can make, spontaneously and collaboratively, from true stories. http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/TellMeStory.pdf

Twelve Theatre Games for Building Bridges and finding Common Ground For Grades 6 through 12. This resource offers 12 exercises to encourage personal development, strengthen relationships among diverse students, and transform the classroom. The games can be used to build relationships between students of different races and cultural backgrounds as well as help you create opportunities to discuss hard issues. http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/GAMES.pdf

Finding New Words – A Resource for Addressing Bullying at School For Grades K through 12. This 27 page Downloadable PDF created by Race Bridges for Schools provides a series of exercises for teachers and a lesson plan for students to more effectively address bullying by taking a stand, telling the truth, and building a stronger community at school. http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/2008_2009_lessons/FindingNewWords.pdf

S.O.U.L of Philanthropy Sharing our Uncommon Legacy of Philanthropy For Grades 6 through 12. In addition to the heart-warming video documentary, The Gift of All: a Community of Givers, “Learning to Give” provides creative educator resources that guide learners to create their own stories of giving. http://learningtogive.org/teachers/soul/

Peace Tree Day  For Grades K through 7. A whole school intercultural peace celebration for Arbor Day, Rememberance Day, Veteran’s Day, Earth Day or any day. http://www.peacetreeday.com/makeapeacetree.htm    

GreenHeart Education For Grades Pre-K through 12. A primer on transformative education for sustainability.  Here you’ll find what you need to genuinely green your classroom, your curriculum, your student’s learning, your school community, and your life’s work as a teacher. http://www.greenhearted.org/index.html