The American Association of School Librarians (AASL)  has announced their top choices for “electronic resources that provide enhanced learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their educator collaborators.” These resources were formerly separated into the Best Apps and Best Websites for Teaching and Learning and are now combined into the Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning.

You can check out our archive of past recommended apps here.

Facing History is a program that “fosters empathy and reflection, improves students’ academic performance, reinvigorates teachers, and builds safe and inclusive schools.” The program helps students develop essential skills like ethical decision making, critical thinking, and sociol-emotional learning.

“Geared for the classroom teacher especially in social studies and ELA, this tool offers a wealth of resources for use on topics that address racism, anti-semitism, and prejudice throughout history. Teachers can find professional development opportunities here, and those who attend can borrow materials for free from the collection. There are a variety of lesson plans that include learning objectives and activities as well as links to text and video resources to be used in the classroom.”

Shared foundations: Inquire, Curate, Include

Read a review of this program from Common Sense Education, or browse classes and webinars related to the program on this page from Share My Lesson. The Canvas Network has a number of discussion strategies specifically tailored for the Facing History program.

This one minute video gives a quick overview of the importance of the program and some of the topics it covers: