Social Injustice

 At the end of every school year, which is swiftly approaching, I give a survey to students and ask them questions about the five units they have covered this year in grade 8.  It is always puzzling to me why the unit titled "Social Injustice" is by far the most popular among a majority of the students. It is definitely the most difficult writing assignment, which culminates in a research paper. It requires much thought, interpretation of the facts, connecting to data bases, necessitates note taking skills, paraphrasing information from multiple sources and finally writing a paper that states a position, maintains that position and concludes with a thoughtful plan for the future suggesting a solution that is determined, after a monumental amount of research, that could be a possiblity. I am tired just reliving in my thoughts these past few weeks! The unit question posed is, "How can learning about the past help us make just and fair decisions in the future?" This is certainly a profound question to ponder at any time and maybe it is what lures the students to research injustices they discover that exist in the world. Topics range from child abuse to human trafficking to media violence and almost any topic you can think of in between. Students have free reign and the choice to investigate any subject matter, which might be another reason they like this project so much. It is also "real" and currently happening in the news. Teens also have a strong sense of right and wrong and they crave justice for all. I wish that quest for justice could stay as strong in all of us.

Click on this animoto to see a range of social injustice topics introduced to the students.