“Right makes Might.” Abraham Lincoln

The Big Idea: School is often the first place where students occupy positions of authority where they are able to direct the efforts of others. Being a good leader and having influence are highly valued. The challenge is figuring out the best way to do it. Some think it’s all about having power and expecting others to obey it. Others lead by moral example. Leadership lessons cultivated at young ages carry into adulthood and form the basis for how to treat other people.

Claim: According to former president Abraham Lincoln, doing the right thing gives you the greatest influence over others. Dominating others to get what you want doesn’t have lasting impact.

Counterclaim: Power over others dictates what’s right. Being morally good doesn’t have lasting impact.

Essential Question: Is doing the right thing the best way to influence others?

Make a COPY of this Google form student assignment

Here’s the plan…

1. Have students fill out the Google form assignment above to organize their thinking before the conversation. Edit the form as you wish and email it or post it for your students. (If you aren’t logged into a Gmail account, you might have to request access to the form)
2. Review the Google spreadsheet of student responses that is automatically created. As you’re having the conversation, use the students’ prepared remarks as prompts to draw out their personal experiences.
3. Evaluate by having them answer the essential question after the conversation.

Integration Idea: The Black Lives Matter Movement has emerged as a force for political change and fueled a national debate not only over racism and police brutality, but also about the best way to protest injustice.  The Abraham Lincoln conversation on leadership would give students a chance to grapple with whether persuasion through law and order or persuasion through argument and civil disobedience is the more effective way to lead society through hard times.

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This resource on Abraham Lincoln comes from Teach Different where you can learn about a 3-Step method for making these conversations a routine.

Other posts you may like which use the same conversation method:

“Your silence will not protect you.” Audre Lorde

“The Supreme Art of War is to Subdue the Enemy without Fighting.” Sun Tzu

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Socrates

“Right makes Might.” Abraham Lincoln

The Big Idea: School is often the first place where students occupy positions of authority where they are able to direct the efforts of others. Being a good leader and having influence are highly valued. The challenge is figuring out the best way to do it. Some think it’s all about having power and expecting others to obey it. Others lead by moral example. Leadership lessons cultivated at young ages carry into adulthood and form the basis for how to treat other people.

Claim: According to former president Abraham Lincoln, doing the right thing gives you the greatest influence over others. Dominating others to get what you want doesn’t have lasting impact.

Counterclaim: Power over others dictates what’s right. Being morally good doesn’t have lasting impact.

Essential Question: Is doing the right thing the best way to influence others?

Make a COPY of this Google form student assignment

Here’s the plan…

1. Have students fill out the Google form assignment above to organize their thinking before the conversation. Edit the form as you wish and email it or post it for your students. (If you aren’t logged into a Gmail account, you might have to request access to the form)
2. Review the Google spreadsheet of student responses that is automatically created. As you’re having the conversation, use the students’ prepared remarks as prompts to draw out their personal experiences.
3. Evaluate by having them answer the essential question after the conversation.

Integration Idea: The Black Lives Matter Movement has emerged as a force for political change and fueled a national debate not only over racism and police brutality, but also about the best way to protest injustice.  The Abraham Lincoln conversation on leadership would give students a chance to grapple with whether persuasion through law and order or persuasion through argument and civil disobedience is the more effective way to lead society through hard times.

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This resource on Abraham Lincoln comes from Teach Different where you can learn about a 3-Step method for making these conversations a routine.

Other posts you may like which use the same conversation method:

“Your silence will not protect you.” Audre Lorde

“The Supreme Art of War is to Subdue the Enemy without Fighting.” Sun Tzu

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Socrates

Do we have to suffer to be successful?

Students might be asking themselves this very question as the pandemic has upended many of their life goals. Here’s a conversation that can give them an opportunity to express themselves.

“There is no success without hardship.” Sophocles

The Big Idea: Going through hard times is something most everybody has to do. Some people face hardship and turn away. They become discouraged and think that success is unattainable. Others see hardship as an opportunity for self-motivation, goal-setting and a fresh re-evaluation of values. Students must determine whether to see hardship as a barrier or an opportunity, and accept the consequences underlying the choices they make.

Claim: Here Greek playwright Sophocles is saying that a person must go through hard times to be successful. Success doesn’t come easy.

Counterclaim: But sometimes success comes easy. You don’t need to go through hardship. You just need to be at the right place at the right time.

Essential Question: Do we have to suffer to be successful?

COPY this assignment, send to students and start the conversation!

Integration Idea: I want to help the students find some sort of positive meaning from the Coronavirus crisis. The conversation with Sophocles on hardship would be a great tool to encourage self-reflection on the fact that sometimes a person has to go through difficult times to achieve success. I could use the essential question, “Do we have to suffer to be successful?”, as an exit slip after the conversation. We could refer back to their responses at different times to consider the role suffering plays in our quest for success.

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This resource comes from Teach Different, where you can learn this conversation method.

Other posts you may like:

AP Government test prep in the Age of Coronavirus

“The Supreme Art of War is to Subdue the Enemy without Fighting.” Sun Tzu

“Your silence will not protect you.” Audre Lorde

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Socrates

The Big Idea: All students have run across “know-it-alls”. They might be one themselves. They walk into a room and express supreme confidence with their knowledge. Being humble is seen as a sign of weakness. Then there are those timid students who wait patiently, ask questions and only speak when they are certain of something. Confidence and humility are noble traits. The life-long challenge is striking the right balance between the two.

Claim: According to famous Greek philosopher Socrates, you should question what you think you know. It’s important to be humble and admit that you don’t have the answers.

Counterclaim: You should have confidence in what you know. Certainty is important.

Essential Question: Should we question what we are sure of?

COPY assignment, send to students and start the conversation!

Integration Idea: I see this essential question and conversation as a great way to begin or end a school year. At the beginning it would establish an importance to the value of being humble with what you know and being open to questioning. It would also give you a good insight into the types of students in your class who are more inquisitive versus the ones who demand certainty. At the end of the year, it would inspire the students to reflect upon the importance of questioning and what they learned. You could ask the students to write about examples in the curriculum where there were no clear answers and where it was important to keep questioning what was being learned.

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This resource on Socrates comes from Teach Different where you can learn about a 3-Step method for making these conversations a routine.

Other posts you may like which use this conversation method:

“Your silence will not protect you.” Audre Lorde

“The Supreme Art of War is to Subdue the Enemy without Fighting.” Sun Tzu

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Socrates

The Big Idea: All students have run across “know-it-alls”. They might be one themselves. They walk into a room and express supreme confidence with their knowledge. Being humble is seen as a sign of weakness. Then there are those timid students who wait patiently, ask questions and only speak when they are certain of something. Confidence and humility are noble traits. The life-long challenge is striking the right balance between the two.

Claim: According to famous Greek philosopher Socrates, you should question what you think you know. It’s important to be humble and admit that you don’t have the answers.

Counterclaim: You should have confidence in what you know. Certainty is important.

Essential Question: Should we question what we are sure of?

COPY assignment, send to students and start the conversation!

Integration Idea: I see this essential question and conversation as a great way to begin or end a school year. At the beginning it would establish an importance to the value of being humble with what you know and being open to questioning. It would also give you a good insight into the types of students in your class who are more inquisitive versus the ones who demand certainty. At the end of the year, it would inspire the students to reflect upon the importance of questioning and what they learned. You could ask the students to write about examples in the curriculum where there were no clear answers and where it was important to keep questioning what was being learned.

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This resource on Socrates comes from Teach Different where you can learn about a 3-Step method for making these conversations a routine.

Other posts you may like which use this conversation method:

“Your silence will not protect you.” Audre Lorde

“The Supreme Art of War is to Subdue the Enemy without Fighting.” Sun Tzu

“To do nothing is also a good remedy.” Hippocrates

The Big Idea: Children confront problems everyday. Some are small like how to study for an exam or get a ride to school, and some large like how to support their friends who are in unhealthy relationships. All of these problems involve the choice of whether to intervene or do nothing and let the situation play itself out. This choice is always hard because we never really know the future and must rely on our instincts in the moment.

Claim: According to famous Greek physician Hippocrates sometimes the best way to solve a problem is not to intervene. Let the problem resolve itself.

Counterclaim: But sometimes intervention is necessary to solve problems because people are unable or unwilling to do it themselves.

Essential Question: How do we know when we should intervene to solve problems?

COPY assignment, send to students and start the conversation!

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This resource is from Teach Different, where you learn about how to make this conversation method a routine.

Other posts you may like:

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” Sun Tzu

What is respect?

“Your silence will not protect you.” Audre Lorde

The Big Idea: Students make moral decisions everyday. Usually these decisions revolve around specific actions they take like helping a friend, cheating on a test or obeying curfew. But students also make moral decisions by being silent after witnessing the immoral behavior of others. In these situations, the impulse for self-protection overrides moral obligations. Learning how to choose whether or not to be silent in the midst of injustice is an important part of moral development.

Claim: According to American writer and feminist Audre Lorde, if you don’t speak up, your voice will never be heard. If you don’t stand up for yourself, then you will get taken advantage of. If you don’t stand up against injustice, it will never go away and it will be knocking at your door soon.

Counterclaim: Sometimes being quiet is the right thing to do. You need to be silent to protect yourself or a friend. Minding your own business can offer protection as well.

Essential Question: How do we know when to be silent?

COPY assignment, send to students and start the conversation!

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This resource on Audre Lorde comes from the Teach Different where you can learn about a 3-Step method for making these conversations a routine.

Other posts you may like which use this conversation method:

“The Supreme Art of War is to Subdue the Enemy without Fighting.” Sun Tzu

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Socrates