GROW HISTORY RPS

GROWTH & CULTIVATION



This page was created to support teachers in approaching history with a balanced and even lens. Racism and injustice are sadly elements of the human experience and have infiltrated societal institutions and structures. Yet, these are not the focus of history. History is a search for truth which is powered by our desire to know about our past and what created our present. It is our hope that these resources are helpful for teachers in navigating historical terrain and engaging difficult content and conversations as we support teachers in equipping our students for the world and experiences ahead of them. 




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ATTENTION: READ BEFORE PROCEEDING
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Disclaimer:
The resources located on this page have been curated by the K-12 Specialist for History/Social Science in order to provide a layered and broad context for understanding racism, antiracism and historical thinking. The existence of these links does not represent an endorsement of any specific resource but an acknowledgement of its capacity to help us build the necessary knowledge-base to tackle hard history.


​Stance on racial terms and words which cause harm:
When addressing antiracism and engaging the literature, the N-word will at times appear. It is the stance of the RPS History department, based on research by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jefferies, Gloria Ladson-Billings and others, that the N-word NEVER be spoken in any classroom under any circumstance. The word can be displayed in literature where appropriate (i.e. primary source documents) in higher grades (10-12) but never encouraged to be spoken by teachers or students in a school learning environment. Other racial terms should be addressed within the same parameters though some terms do not carry the same historical baggage and trauma as the N-word. 


Stance on simulations and reenactments:
​Reenacting events and incidents which not only recreate but induce trauma are not acceptable and any plan for doing a simulation should be routed for feedback from the K-12 Specialist. Teachers who do not follow this protocol do so with full understanding that they bear the responsibility attached to such action. (
Reenactments of traumatic events are to only be done by professionals who have been trained and have expertise in this form of action.)
​(Please read:
Think Twice Before Doing Another Historical Simulation for more insight.)

Stance on land acknowledgements:

The RPS history department does not stand by the use of land acknowledgment statements as is currently trending. We suggest that it is better to teach students about indigenous people and center their voices in lessons on this region on an ongoing basis and to provide students ways to give back to our native people in Virginia through letters, gifts to tribal lands (art work etc.) and even raising funds to support the work of first nations.
It is most noble to desire to do land acknowledgments yet, without follow up and action it actually can harm native children in our classrooms more than help them.
​
​ Here are some resources:
1) The Harm of Land Acknowledgements
2) The "Value" of Land Acknowledgements
3) Patronizing and Meaningless: Land Acknowledgements
4) Land Acknowledgements
Resources Addressing Race and Culture

Podcasts

The Anti-racist Educator Podcast (Scotland)
Podcast Hub for Race Talks

Articles

Decolonizing our Classrooms
Confronting the Weaponization of Whiteness in the Classroom​
Turning Grief (Jefferson, UVA and Slavery)
Dismantle Racism in the Classroom
Address Racism, Now
Talking Racism in Schools
Correct Them Now on Race
We Need to See Color
Plessy Vs. Ferguson in Law
1790 Naturalization Act
The Legality of RACE
Mock Slavery Auctions
Google Reinforces Racism
Racial Disparities in Special Education

DISTRICT Research, Writing and curriculum

DWPL Fine-tuning Our Historical Lens TEACHER VIDEO
DWPL Fine-Tuning Our Lens Slides
grade Level Gavel Student Court: Justice for all - Taryn Coullier
Understanding the System: A History of Prison and the Virginia Juvenile Justice System - Rodney Robinson

Confronting Antiracism: videos

Teaching Hard History & Slavery
What Does it Mean to Be Antiracist?
Antiracism-Good Morning America
Human Zoos
Nubia, Egypt and the Concept of Race
The Origin of Race
EmorY University - A History of Whiteness in America
Reconstruction 2020: Valuing Black Lives and Economic Opportunities for All

Resource-rich sites

Center for Anti Racist Research
Antiracist Research and Policy Center
Teaching Hard History Framework
Juneteenth Resources
Police Violence and Racism
The Jim Crow Museum
​*WARNING, HARMFUL IMAGERY/LANGUAGE. NOT FOR CLASSROOM USE*
GLB articles on cultural competence and relevance
The Forced Migration of Enslaved People 1810-1860
Foreign-born Population 1850-2010
Economic Policy Institute

Resources for Building a Historical Lens

Podcasts

Leading By History
TEACHING HARD HISTORY PODCAST
Backstory Podcast

Articles

African American Women and Suffrage
Teaching US History in a Fractured America
Students Demand Black History
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy-Ladson-Billings
The Legacies of MLK and Malcolm X-Misunderstood?
The Case for Reparations (FULL)
Jefferson and his Descendants
Mock Slavery Auctions
More Mock Auctions...
The Myth of Black Confederates
Implicit Bias

Historical Lens Training Videos

Teaching Hard History with an Antiracist Lens
How Egypt was Removed from Africa

Resource-rich sites​

DocsTeach Primary Source Documents and Activity Creation
The Library of Congress
The Virginia State Library
*Slave Voyages Database*
​(Powerful site retracing the journeys of enslaved people from Africa to the New World)
The American Yawp (Digital Textbook for US History)
American Panorama (Digital Atlas)
New American History
Digital Tools for Social Studies
Teaching with Primary Sources (NOVA)
Encyclopedia Virginia
The Monticello Digital Classroom
The C-SPAN Classroom Login/ Sign-up Page
Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Resources
Virtual Learning Resources-Jamestown

active global Learning RESOURCES FOR HISTORY

Google Earth
Google Tour Creator
Virtual Tours of Virginia
RPS ASYNCH LEARNING K-5 (HISTORY)
RPS ASYNCH LEARNING 6-8 (HISTORY)
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  • Home
  • About RPS History
  • Growth & Cultivation
  • Professional Learning for Teachers
  • Community Events at RPS
  • Student Field Experiences
  • REAL Richmond History