BRI's Educator Newsletter

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During this challenging time for all of us, we want to do what we can to assist our educator community in navigating their new responsibilities. For those of you who will be using digital learning in the coming weeks, we have compiled a list of digital Civics and U.S. History resources that might be helpful, in addition to listing some of our own free resources below.

We know that your school year looks very different now than it did at the beginning of the semester. Below are all of BRI's resources for educators in one place. Is there something missing? Something that would really help you? We would love to hear from you. Please send us your questions and suggestions (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Teaching%20in%20Times%20of%20Crisis) for how we can best serve you in the coming weeks.

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BRI Lessons & Resources
3,000+ Digitally Accessible Lessons and Activities for you and your students.
The Bill of Rights Institute offers thousands of free resources for you and your students, including our favorites, and many more. ** Find the links to them all here. ([link removed])

Documents of Freedom: History, Government and Economics through Primary Sources
BRI's Free, Digital, Online Textbook
** Documents of Freedom ([link removed])
is a modern take on the traditional textbook:

* Completely free
* Written for teachers by teachers
* Focused on primary sources
* All materials meet standards
* Search by topic
* Accessible everywhere

Explore ** the contents of the whole course here. ([link removed])

Current Events & eLessons

Updated Weekly
BRI produces ** eLessons ([link removed])
bi-weekly and then updates links to current events and news every couple of days.

Think the Vote
Civil Discourse on Dynamic Topics

Your students can keep up with what's happening in the news and engage in a civil online debate on a wide variety of topics on our ** Think the Vote website ([link removed])
. We create a new debate topic every two weeks where your students can win prizes and a chance at a $1000 scholarship by making the strongest case for their position. The current topic: ** Should the U.S. make changes to daylight saving time? ([link removed])

BRI's YouTube Videos

50+ classroom-ready videos
BRI has been producing classroom-ready videos for a number of years. We have over ** 50 videos organized into playlists ([link removed])
ready for you and your students. Topics range from ** Landmark Supreme Court Cases ([link removed])
to ** Constitutional Principles ([link removed])
, to ** Economics in AP US History ([link removed])
.

New History Podcast!

All New: Fabric of History Podcasts

** Fabric of History ([link removed])
weaves together U.S. history, Founding Principles, and what all of this means to us today. Join BRI staff Mary, Gary, and Eryn as they delve into the most controversial, inspirational, and hilarious moments of history and strive to find the common thread between them. Our first episode on the mysteries surrounding the Salem witch trials is out now on all major podcast directories, and we'll be releasing our next one on Tuesday, March 24.

BoE: Bottom of Email
A Special Educator Spotlight: ** Gary Colletti ([link removed])
is the Senior Manager of Programs at BRI. Prior to joining the Institute, he was a policy associate at the National Association of State Boards of Education. His background also includes teaching for fourteen years in high schools in New York City and Richmond, Virginia.

Dear John,

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was teaching history in a Manhattan high school. When a student raised his hand during this otherwise normal Tuesday lesson to ask why the sky was filled with smoke, we were faced with something new. With television, landlines, and internet out, there was no way to know the extent of what was going on. It turned out we were safe, but at that moment, the emotions were understandably running high. In the middle of the elevated concerns that the students were voicing, one student stood up and implored the class to remain calm, saying, “Do not worry – Mr. Colletti will make sure nothing will happen to us,” and turning to me with a look that I can only describe as simultaneously that of an adult and a child, asked, “Isn’t that right, Mr. Colletti?”

By no means am I drawing a parallel between the events of September 11th and the current impacts of Covid-19. What is true, though, is that beyond exploring content, practicing skills, and building habits of thought and action – we as teachers and students live in a real world of huge changes – often having to make decisions without a lot of information.

In times of upheaval, and uncertainly, teachers are at the same time stable figures who provide safety for their students, and we are human beings who are experiencing the stresses and uncertainty of new territory along with everyone else.

It is at times like these – times when we are living through the events that will make up conversations in future history classes – that we appreciate our colleagues, our students, the families in our communities. When in the middle of troubling times, I applaud all of the teachers who can simultaneously acknowledge the difficulty of the time, and respond to those students who ask…”Yes, that is right. Things are going to be ok.”

Thank you for all you do.

Gary Colletti
Senior Manager, Teacher & Student Programs
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