Have you just finished a bleak and depressing novel?  With the passing of Cormac McCarthy this week, I’m thinking of The Road in particular.  I loved the novel, but it took me to some dark places.  Do your students need a pick-me-up, in other words?  Or do you have an "action week" of some sort at your school?  Is there a week at your school where students try to tackle big world problems and take action to combat them?  Finally, do you just want to give your students the chance to believe in the possibility of making the world a better place? 

If so, this week’s update is for you!  You can find the new page linked here.

The focus is on public service announcements.  The resources and materials provided allow you to spend as little as one lesson, cutting anything you don't want to use.  If you need something for tomorrow’s lesson and are at a loss for what to do, take one of the activities found in the link above. 

On the other end of the spectrum, going through every activity and every resource provided would probably take more than five total lessons (assuming each lesson is 60 minutes long).  This would require some prior planning and preparing, mapping out where this fits in your two-year course. 

If you are looking for something more upbeat – okay, the PSAs aren’t always upbeat, but the idea that it’s possible to create change does foster a sense of optimism and idealism – use these public service announcements in your class. 

Best,

Tim and David