Balanced Learning Resources
Lesson Plans

In Nazi-occupied Poland during WWII, Irena Sendler, a 29-year-old Catholic social worker, risked her life to smuggle 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. Working with a network of brave resistors and inspired by people like Dr. Janusz Korczak, she forged documents, coordinated secret escapes, and hid children with Polish families and in convents — preserving not just their lives, but their identities and future.

Students will learn about Hungary during WWII and how Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, saved tens of thousands of Jewish people during the Holocaust. After reviewing a short historical timeline and the “10 Upstander Steps,” students watch videos about Wallenberg and survivor Agnes Adachi to identify how he acted with courage and moral leadership. In Part 2 of the lesson, students will connect the historical content to today by viewing a modern example of upstanders in an

Students will learn about Lithuania during WWII and how Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, saved thousands of Jewish refugees by issuing transit visas—defying the strict orders of his own government. After reviewing a brief historical timeline and the “10 Upstander Steps,” students watch a video about Sugihara’s life to identify how he acted with courage and moral responsibility. In Part 2 of the lesson, students connect this historical example to their own lives by viewin

In this lesson students watch the video The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss, to learn what prejudice is and how to respond to unkind behavior with empathy and courage. After discussing key themes from the video, students learn the 10 Upstander Steps and work in small groups to create and perform their own role-plays showing how an upstander can help in a hurtful situation. Students then create posters illustrating each step, forming an “Upstander Gallery” in the classroom. The lesson

In this Super Monsters episode, the young monsters make unkind, prejudiced jokes about ogres without realizing how hurtful their words can be. When their beloved friend Luigi reveals he is actually an ogre, they learn an important lesson about respecting others and challenging assumptions. This lesson extends the movie by teaching students 10 concrete upstander steps they can use whenever they witness prejudice (or any unkind behavior), and students will practice these steps

In this lesson, students watch the What Would You Do? segment “Antisemitism and Jewish Discrimination: What Would You Do?” which places unsuspecting bystanders in situations where Jewish people experience discrimination in a public setting. The video captures real reactions — prompting students to consider how prejudice can appear in everyday life and what moral courage looks like. As an extension to the video, students learn and role-play 10 Upstander Steps and become Upstan

Students watch a hidden-camera scenario where a family with same-sex parents is refused restaurant service. Students identify what’s unfair, analyze how bystanders and upstanders respond, and practice (via role play) 10 Upstander Steps that are kind, safe, truthful, and inclusive. As students learn upstander skills, they discover how to make public spaces safer and more respectful for everyone.

Students analyze a hidden-camera scenario from What Would You Do? in which a Muslim couple is denied restaurant service because of their appearance. Using 10 Upstander Steps, students evaluate how bystanders respond and identify which reactions show courage, kindness, and inclusion. Students then discuss and role-play what they themselves can say or do to stand up for others when prejudice or unkind behavior occurs.

Students explore the idea of fairness by watching short, familiar movie clips that show fair and unfair choices. Using a kid-friendly Justice Checklist, they learn how kindness, safety, and inclusion guide fair actions that help everyone feel valued and respected.

In this lesson, students use a kid-friendly Justice Checklist to spot unfair moments, find fair fixes, and practice kindness, safety, and inclusion through role-play.

Students will explore the Soviet Jewry Freedom Movement through two powerful videos: U.S. Representative John Lewis Speaking for Soviet Jews (1987) and The Soviet Jewry Freedom Movement (Unpacked). By examining this historical social justice movement, students will gain insight into the broader themes of advocacy, solidarity, and global human rights. Using a set of 10 criteria, students will critically analyze the movement’s structure, impact, and legacy, applying these same

Students apply 10 objective criteria to analyze a social justice movement that is widely noted for its non‑violent, dignity‑centered tactics: the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia (Nov–Dec 1989). Using short videos and primary‑source snippets, learners test whether the movement’s goals, methods, and outcomes align with genuine social justice for all, or reveal red flags. By design, this lesson is based on students’ observations of video content and teacher‑neutrality: the 1

Students will examine the civil rights movement through two key films: Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech and The March (1964), a restored documentary on the March on Washington. After viewing, students will use 10 criteria to evaluate whether the movement meets the standards of a true social justice movement—analyzing its stated goals and actions, commitment to equity and human dignity, openness to dissent, use of nonviolence, reliance on truth over propag

Grade Level: 9-10 Duration of video 1: 5 minutes Themes: Methods vs. slogans, Non-violence & human dignity, Media literacy & misinformation, Inclusion & democratic participation, civil rights and dignity for all people Description: This lesson invites students to evaluate the Free Palestine Movement’s protests through 10 Criteria to analyze a Social Justice Movement. Students will examine activist messaging that uses social justice language. By applying the 10 Criteria Frame

This lesson uses historical case studies of authoritarian regimes to help students tell the difference between authentic justice movements and propaganda movements that use justice-themed language to hide censorship, control, or oppression. Students will analyze how governments in Soviet Russia, Maoist China, and Communist Cuba used powerful ideas like “equality,” “liberation,” and “protection” — not to empower people — but to brainwash, punish dissent, and silence truth.

This lesson begins with The Path to Nazi Genocide, a short introductory documentary that examines how the Nazis systematically excluded Jews from society and justified escalating violence. Students are given 10 criteria with which to measure a social movement in order to think critically about how ideology and propaganda can shape collective behavior. The second part of the lesson features The Wave, a dramatization of a real 1967 high school experiment in California

Explore our lesson plan for grades 8-12 on the Russian Revolution. Featuring a concise video, key events, and critical analysis of its social justice impact, this resource includes objectives, discussion questions, and activities to foster critical thinking and empathy.

Grades: 10–12 Duration of Video 1: 14 minutes, 55 seconds Duration of Video 2: 1 Minute, 11 seconds Duration of Video 3: 3 Minutes, 4...

In this lesson, students will explore the contradictions of the American Revolution, particularly regarding slavery and inequality, and how these flaws led to movements for abolition, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.

This lesson introduces students to how the United States and European Union have worked to protect and advance the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Students will explore historical milestones, legal protections, and ongoing struggles for equality, while learning why these rights are fundamental to free and fair societies.