Tomorrow is a powerful day in our country. We hold in our hands the ability to change our country's history. So much is a terrible mess right now. And only we can make it better. How?
Vote.
The only thing you can do that would be more important is to take your children with you when you vote. I took my boys with me to vote on Friday (early voting). The baby was a disaster, but it was an important lesson for my older son anyway. :)
Can you believe that less than 100 years ago, women and blacks didn't have the right to vote? LESS THAN 100 YEARS. That's not a lot of time. And people worked and suffered to change that. People risked their lives to earn that right for themselves and others.
Here are some excellent history lessons on voting that I found online. Use them this week with your students:
- Voting & Election Lessons Plans :: Growing Voters (K-12)
- Voting Lesson Plans :: BrainPOP (3-12 grade)
- Voting and the Constitution :: Scholastic (6-8th grade)
- Lesson Plan: To Vote or Not to Vote :: PBS Newshour Extra (7-12 grade)
- Who Can Vote in the United States? :: civiced.org (9-12 grade)
- Teach the Vote: A Unit Plan for Teachers :: closeup.org (9-12 grade)
Other awesome (and bilingual!) resources
If you are looking for bilingual materials, check out these MommyMaestra favorites:
• icivics.org - This is a really awesome site with interactive games that teach children valuable lessons. And several of them are available in Spanish, such as Do I have a Right?/¿Tengo un derecho? and Immigration Nation/Nación de Inmigración. To play the games in Spanish, start the game and then click on "jugar en español" in the upper right corner.
• MomsRising.org has free coloring pages in English and Spanish for kids waiting in voting lines! Teach them while keeping them entertained at the same time.
• Here's an excellent article by the New York Times: How Do You Talk to Children About Politics These Days? Try These Books.
• And finally, my favorite bilingual resource comes from the talented author, Mariana Llanos. A few years ago she wrote a book, A Superpower for Me. It is lovely. I wrote about it here. And the best part is that it is also available in Spanish: Un Superpoder para mi (aff link). Here's the book trailer: